Question

Read the excerpt from “Your Laughter” below and answer the question. Next to the sea in the autumn, your laughter must raise its foamy cascade, and in the spring, love, I want your laughter like the flower I was waiting for, the blue flower, the rose of my echoing country. Describe, in at least 150 words, some of the poetic devices Neruda chose to use here, and how they contribute to the meaning of the poem.

Answer 1

Describe, in at least 150 words, some of the poetic devices Neruda chose to use here, and how they contribute to the meaning of the poem.

• These are some of the devices Neruda chose in “Your Laughter”. He uses a metaphor when comparing her laughter to a foamy cascade in autumn. Autumn is the underlying tone of this metaphor, and Neruda describes it to express what her laughter really causes him. He uses a simile when comparing her laughter to the flower he was waiting for. We have to take into account that a simile is identified by the use of as and like. There is a close relation between the season, spring, and the flowers, because is what connects us to this season. In addition, mentioning only the blue flowers among all the colorful flowers that can be seen in spring, gives us the preference of the beholder. This takes us to a specific moment and place in which it was written. Finally, Neruda uses a metaphor when saying, “the rose of my echoing country”.