Outline for a conceptual commentary

This is probably the organizational method I’d choose for an essay on this poem because it is circular, always returning to the uses of the symbolism of greetings. The analysis could be presented more concisely and cohesively, especially if I broke each “concept” up into smaller paragraphs (i.e. three paragraphs on diction: one addressing the development of the first two bullets, a second addressing singular words used to describe false greetings, and the last addressing the author modified words. I could also easily transition from the last diction paragraph to the first figurative language one, the images I would analyze being dependent on those words. Etc.

In “Hello Day – Worldwide,” the poet is responding to “a radio announcement that today is World Hello Day” with disapproval. KobinaEyiAcquah uses diction, figurative language, and structure to question the intentions of a “Day” while advocating for a “Lifetime commitment” (line 27) to “knowing and being known” (line 22).

Symbolism (the “big idea” – all other devices build on this idea)

  • “hello” as representative of a more considered “knowing and being known”

Diction

  • “town” vs. “village”
  • “they” vs. “us/we”
  • Regarding “town” greetings
  • “offensive”
  • “gesture” or“token” (further developed by third stanza)
  • “limp” (single word line, as well)
  • Made-up words or hyphenates (like the falseness of simple greeting): “contrapted,” “fingers-shake,” “open-look” (might also discuss these as visual images)
  • “contrapted” – emphasis on “trap”?as opposed to contracted?
  • “fingers-shake” – only shaking the tips of fingers, not the whole hand; hyphenation emphasizes quickness of shake
  • “open-look” emphasizes “quick” by the visual representation of the smashing together of two words

Figurative Language

  • Saying hello (similes, emphasis on images created)
  • “Contrapted / Like a toothpaste smile”
  • “Limp / Like their cold fingers-shake”
  • Being connected (metaphors, contrast with similes)
  • drinking in grief-joy mixture (“knowing and being known” to… water? Liquid necessary to life in some way)
  • eyelids to window [of soul]

Structure

  • Stanza separation of ideas: town/they, village/us, “Day” itself (longest – separated into actual “commitment” and “a hello day, no more”, town/they again, village/us again
  • Lines beginning with “of…” (10, 22, 29, 32, 44, 45) – creates some cohesion in first 3 stanzas
  • Anaphora: 14-16 (repetition of “and” over three different lines emphasizes length of genuine greeting)
  • Sentences vs. lines
  • Single word lines: 38 and 40
  • Sentences constructed over many lines
  • Last two stanzas have no punctuation
  • Caesura – 19 (punctuated); 33, 48, and 50 (breaks without punctuation)

Outline for a linear commentary

This method of organization doesn’t really work for this poem because I’d have to omit things that wouldn’t “fit” anywhere in my analysis (i.e. the idea of multiple lines beginning with “of…”). If I organized this way, I’d also risk being overly repetitive as I’d have to keep addressing previous points to make sense of later analysis.

In “Hello Day – Worldwide,” the poet is responding to “a radio announcement that today is World Hello Day” with disapproval. KobinaEyiAcquah uses diction, structure, figurative language, and symbolism to question the intentions of a “Day” while advocating for a “Lifetime commitment” (line 27) to “knowing and being known” (line 22).

Stanza 1

  • “town/they” (diction)
  • 1 sentence/2 ideas
  • Good morning as “offensive” (diction)
  • Greeting as “gesture” or “token” (metaphor further developed by third stanza)

Stanza 2

  • Contrasting diction: “village/us/we”
  • 2 sentences/3 ideas
  • Caesura – 19 (punctuated) – emphasis on stop
  • Anaphora: 14-16 (repetition of “and” over three different lines emphasizes length of genuine greeting)
  • Metaphor – drinking in grief-joy mixture (“knowing and being known” to… water? Liquid necessary to life in some way)

Stanza 3

  • “they”
  • Contains only two single word lines
  • 1 sentence/4 ideas
  • Symbolism clarified - “hello” as representative of a more considered “knowing and being known” (in contrast with token from 1st stanza)
  • Made-up words or hyphenates (like the falseness of simple greeting): “contrapted,” “fingers-shake,” “open-look”
  • “contrapted” – emphasis on “trap”?
  • “fingers-shake” – only shaking the tips of fingers, not the whole hand; hyphenation emphasizes quickness of shake
  • “open-look” emphasizes “quick” by the visual representation of the smashing together of two words
  • Figurative language to describe saying hello
  • “Contrapted / Like a toothpaste smile”
  • “Limp / Like their cold fingers-shake”
  • Caesura – 33 (no punctuation, shift in idea indicated by “or maybe”)
  • Metaphor – eyelids to window [of soul]

Stanza 4

  • “they”
  • No punctuation/1 idea
  • Caesura – 48 (no punctuation nor parallelism in lines)

Stanza 5

  • “we”
  • Shortest stanza
  • No punctuation/1 idea
  • Caesura – 50 (no punctuation, emphasis on “and we” – speaking to the reader as a part of “we”?)