The poem “Personal” is a free verse poem by Tony Hoagland. We assume that this poem places emphasis on events that occurred in Hoagland’s life. Due to this dramatic event, Hoagland began to take everything in a personal matter. He began to hold others responsible for how depressed he was feeling. He felt as if everyone in his life was oblivious to how he was truly feeling. This led him to feel angered because he thought no one cared enough to ask him how he was feeling. As well as blaming others, Hoagland began to blame himself. He felt as if he was the source of his parents anger. Therefore he would apologize and feel distress whenever they were angry with him. Hoagland tried to tell others how he felt, but they would get aggravated and annoyed…show more content… Hoagland uses many metaphors to represent his family and feelings. In stanza five Hoagland is discussing his father. He writes “The government reminded me of my father/ with its deafness and its laws.” Hoagland is comparing his father to the government. Like the government, Hoagland’s father imposes harsh rules and does not listen whenever Hoagland tries to express himself. Metaphors and symbols are frequently used in this poem. In stanza 16, Hoagland portrays his feelings in a form of a dog trying to escape. He states “I was the dog chained in some fool’s backyard/ barking and barking.” The narrator could feel restricted. He is trying to escape and tell others how he is feeling, but no one comes to save him and set him free from his burdens. Hoagland also uses a simile when he writes “the air fills up with i'm sorries/ like wheeling birds.” He compares “I’m sorries” to “wheeling birds” because although people apologize, it is not always sincere. Thus, people continue to hurt others causing repetition of the phrase “I am sorry.” Apologies have lost their meaning since many people do not mean it. Personification is also used throughout this poem. Hoagland states “Enjoy it while you can, they said of Happiness/Think first, they said of Talk.” Happiness and talking are not inanimate objects, but they have the characteristic of speaking. Giving human qualities to a non human object is the definition of personification. Hoagland uses his figurative language to portray the poem’s message in a poetic way. He uses it as a way to compare his thoughts and feelings to something the reader can understand and connect
