"The silent battle" by Joelle
Alone at midnight, in the silence
Thoughts penetrating my mind. The 'Sequence' begins. I run through it Restlessly. and yes, i have emerged a victor But wait - Have I won? Have I really won the battle between me and that dreadfully familiar other It starts again, the silence disappears, as the screams from my mind fill the space. |
Joelle: BiographyJoelle, the author, does not have a biography available due to privacy settlements with the organization: OCD-UK.
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"Organizing Everyday Disarray." Visual News. N.p., 29 Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.
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Poem Analysis
This poem is subtle and unpretentious about its reference to OCD. For Joelle, her rituals and sequences begin at midnight, leaving her fretful because of undesirable thoughts swarming her brain. She alludes to herself as a flawed victor, like both Edna and Janie from The Awakening and Their Eyes Were Watching God. These women spent their entire life battling against society, their thoughts, and forces of nature, and when they've finally "won," they come to the realization that they haven't won much whatsoever. In fact, their stories end tragically. Joelle, the author of the poem, ends up "tragically" battling her ongoing thoughts for the duration of the night, every night.
The rhetorical devices used are primarily rhetorical questions and metaphors. She figuratively alludes to herself as an emerged victor and afterward questions herself, "Have I truly won the fight… " when she understands she needs to keep battling and that the fight is never truly over.
The rhetorical devices used are primarily rhetorical questions and metaphors. She figuratively alludes to herself as an emerged victor and afterward questions herself, "Have I truly won the fight… " when she understands she needs to keep battling and that the fight is never truly over.