In, Elegy for Jane, by Theodore Roethke, the love of Jane's teacher is not defined by who Jane is, but what she represents. He appreciates everything she admires, and everything she resembles yet is mournful and filled with guilt because her death brings the realization that he does not deserve to love her and does not realize how much he does until she dies. Love can be defined in many ways. Whether it be a feeling or a thought or a mere image in the back of one's mind, Janes teacher manages to define it as what he believes it to be, with passion. Through the employment of imagery, figurative language, and tone, Roethke thoroughly translates the speaker's attitude and love he feels for his former student, Jane. Therefore, it is obvious, Janes teacher has become fond of her. “I remember the neckcurls, limp and damp as tendrils” (1). This quote sets the image of a young girl as delicate as the beauty of a tendril. He finds beauty within Jane as well as the delicacy of the curls that lay upon her neck. Jane’s delicacy left an unforgettable impression on her teacher. Being the first line of the poem, this quote displays the importance of his remembrance of Jane, as well as his appreciation for her. Furthermore, Roethke employs metaphors and personification to represent…show more content… To begin the poem, her teacher displays his appreciation for her which later leads to the mournful pain he feels by the end of the poem. “If only I could nudge you from this sleep/Over this damp grave I speak the words of my love: I, with no rights in this matter, neither father nor lover” (18-22). While mourning the death of jane amongst her grave of dirt and nature; the very interest that connected Jane’s teacher and his admiration and appreciation for her, he confesses he does not deserve to feel the way he does for her. He does not deserve to appreciate her purity and beauty as any lover or father figure ever
