Writing Techniques and Analyse help (1 Viewer)

[laurenhartley]

Hi everyone! So at the moment I'm trying to break down this short story / poem and pick out all the writing techniques used in it. I'm trying to figure out the 'journey' that is or will take place and I would really love your help! I really love this writing. It's by Jameson Wilds if you're curious.


I find myself losing ground in this battle I call my life.
I feel like I lose 10 steps for every 3 I take.
It seems nothing I do will last or make a difference.
My hands bloodied from clawing away and trying to make headway.
My thighs on fire from pushing forward with the weight of regret and remorse heavy on my shoulders.
I feel beaten and tired and I just want to give up and at times I do.
At times I just throw in the towel and look for the nearest exit.
I check out and let myself go towards a place I’ll be free.
I just give up but something brings me back.
It’s not her and it’s not you and it’s definitely not life but something more.
It’s not love and it’s not ego or greed.
I wish it were those things because then it would make sense.
But it doesn’t make sense at all.
I just keep on as if I need to and as if I know no other way.
I push harder and fight longer and suffer more.
All for what?
I still have no idea but I’ll keep on and I’ll keep going until I reach the end or figure the reason as to why I won’t stop.

Thank you for your help!

 

[buriza]

Is this a short story or a poem? It cannot be both and it makes a vast difference on the techniques you can mention. But for now I am taking it as a poem.

I find myself losing ground in this battle I call my life. (negative tone)
I feel like I lose 10 steps for every 3 I take.
It seems nothing I do will last or make a difference. (arguable hyperbole)
My hands bloodied (visual imagery) from clawing away and trying to make headway.
My thighs on fire (sensory imagery) from pushing forward with the weight of regret and remorse heavy on my shoulders.
I feel beaten and tired (emotive language) and I just want to give up and at times I do.
At times I just throw in the towel (use of idiom) and look for the nearest exit.
I check out and let myself go towards a place I’ll be free.
I just give up but something brings me back. (tone shift, turns into something more resilient)
It’s not her and it’s not you and it’s definitely not life (repetition of conjunctions, or "polysyndeton") but something more.
It’s not love and it’s not ego or greed. (arguable contrast in that it contrasts love and ego/greed)
I wish it were those things because then it would make sense.
But it doesn’t make sense at all. (juxtaposition; the previous line states "would make sense" but this line is the opposite)
I just keep on as if I need to and as if I know no other way. (once again, polysyndeton)
I push harder and fight longer and suffer more.
All for what? (rhetorical question)
I still have no idea but I’ll keep on and I’ll keep going until I reach the end or figure the reason as to why I won’t stop.

Overall, the poem also uses first-person/repetitive personal pronouns in emphasising the sentimental atmosphere.

As for the journey, it sounds like a relatively nihilistic and/or downcast individual attempting to make out some sort of meaning from life. Simply said, it is the journey of becoming more persevering.