tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786207835641480928.post8484596520096778390..comments2024-03-27T11:10:57.384-04:00Comments on NeverEnding Story: One Man's Maple Moon: Night Tanka by Sheila SondikChen-ou Liu, 劉鎮歐http://www.blogger.com/profile/06235248170011255532noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-786207835641480928.post-83964695921889307342018-06-06T09:39:36.472-04:002018-06-06T09:39:36.472-04:00In the first two lines of this unique but relatabl...In the first two lines of this unique but relatable tanka, the poet reveals a contemporary setting and also hints of children (devices plugged, or “tucked,” in). She achieves a musicality appropriate for the subject matter through a strong use of assonance (my-devices-night, free-dream-screens) and alliteration (night-no-nurture) as well as a lulling metrical pattern in much of the poem. That particular pattern is temporarily interrupted in the middle line, as a shift occurs and the poet begins to reminisce about her “babies,” contrasting them with the various “screens” that tend to feature all too prominently in our lives nowadays. Personification is a literary device we don’t see all that often in tanka, but it’s used to good effect here.<br /><br />-- excerpted from judges' commentary, which can be accessed at http://www.tankasocietyofamerica.org/tsa-contest/winners-and-judges-comments/2017-sanford-goldstein-international-tanka-contest-winnersChen-ou Liu, 劉鎮歐https://www.blogger.com/profile/06235248170011255532noreply@blogger.com