Analyzing Poetry

I wanted to analyze Barbara Ras's poem "A Wife Explains Why She Likes Country" because it was the easiest one for me to relate to.  I grew up in a small Kansas town where the majority of the people consider themselves to be "country folk".  I also thought Ras did an excellent job sharing her interpretation of country life, and there was a lot of truth in it.

I thought the diction of this poem fit well with the context, because it used both simple words that cut straight to the point and words that could be considered "country slang".  When she begins her poem, she describes the colors of the cows, the grass... emphasizing simplicity.  I love the slang that she uses- hubbub, smarty-pants, fixin'... Her choice of words is great because it sets the mood for the entire poem.
I found that the rhythm of this poem uses some iambic language but I had a hard time deciphering the type of foot... The first lines of the poem: Because those cows in the bottomland are black and white, colors anyone can understand.
When I read this poem, I especially noticed the imagery that was being used.   A LOT of visual: "Cows in the bottomland are black and white... Even against the green of the grass... Hair bigger" Auditory: "The sounds of mealworms and leeches" (Yuck!) and, and even Tactile: "My people come from dirt" (I could feel the dirt in my hands at this point.) Figures of speech were also used; I love the line about the slide guitar "melting".

This poem brought me to a place where I could picture and feel the country life around me.  I enjoyed reading it because I could see the farmlands, the people who stick to their guns and religion, the women with big hair who love to dance and listen to sad country songs when they are heartbroken, the trailer parks and ponds in backyards, and a place where life is content.