![]() Because of the speaker’s use of exaggerated language and irregular rhyme scheme, “Identity” can also be called a doggerel verse. Even though this poem is written in free-verse, there are a number of internal rhymes, which enhances the reading experience. The first two stanzas are tercets the following two are sestets the last stanza is a quatrain. It consists of five stanzas with a varying number of lines. “Identity” is a free-verse poem replete with metaphors and hyperboles. They have always been struggling to establish their “identity” in a culturally dislocated environment. Since Polanco was a Latino, there are various passages that can aptly relate this poem to the history of Latin Americans in the US. Through the metaphorical language, Polanco contrasts a flower with a weed, embracing individuality against the convention and revealing the life that parallels being unique. ![]() He describes multiple circumstances that stand in sturdy opposition to societal norms and expectations by portraying the idea of being alone, being unique, and being one’s true self in a positive light. In “Identity,” the speaker resists conforming and shows conformity as a weakness. In using the metaphors of two plants, “flowers” and “weed,” the speaker expresses his innermost desire to attain freedom by being alone, being unique, and by being a “weed.” Meaning Yet are “harnessed to a pot of dirt” and therefore are always trapped. He rejects to be a “pleasant-smelling flower,” who, albeit, is well-praised, guarded, and admired. The speaker gives his main message of accepting one’s true self and admiring one’s uniqueness rather than adopting a herd mentality. Through metaphors, hyperboles, symbols, and paradoxical language, the poetaster paints the vivid contrast between individuality and conformity to show how the emancipation of an individual is linked with their robust refusal to be part of the crowd. Julio Noboa in his famous poem “Identity,” uses the extended metaphor of an unwanted “weed” to render the idea of freedom through individuality.
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