Dreams and Pains, Essay Example

The Boy’s Pocketsspeaks about a boy with big dreams who has some obstacles in his way that he needs to get over in order to start following his dreams. One of the major obstacles in his way is that he is suffering abuse from, his father. Since the boy is at a youngage, anything that happens to him will stay in his memory all his life. Therefore, the boy, like other boys his age in this situation, needs to find a way to forget the bad memories and continue his life.The Boy’s Pocket poem by Logan Phillips shows the reader that the boy has dreams and will protect them all the ways that he can. Phillipspersuades the reader primarily by using metaphors, hyperbole, and symbolism and these literary elements are repeated throughout the poem.

In the poem, we learn that the boy has dreams that are as big as the world. The world is enormous in size, and the boy cannot actually fit the world in his pockets.This is symbolic because it shows that the boy’s dreams may be too large to be realistic because this is an outrageous idea.Therefore, the world is a symbol for what the boy cannot achieve. In addition Phillips writes “seven seas spilling out of the holes in his jeans” (Phillips).He uses this statement to show that the dreams of the boy are so big that even if they go into his pocket, they will fall out. In this situation, the author here is using hyperbole because he is exaggerating upon the boy’s beliefs.

The boy is carrying many things in his pocket, and we know this because Phillips says “back pocket: a crushed flower. Back pocket: Black Cats” (Phillips).Although many items are listed, the one that interests me the most is the box of matches. It gives us two perceptions of the boy; first of all, it is possible that he smokes or he may want to use the matches to burn something. Burning things symbolize the want to have a new beginning; it destroys the bad and allows the good to regrow from the ashes. Another item contained within his back pocket,crushed flowers, serve as a metaphor for his hopes and dreams. The boy hopes are crushed like the flower he is carrying, although they were once beautiful and full of life. Lastly,  “Black Cats” is a type of fireworks and he is carrying them becauseall kids the colors and sounds they make. This represents that even though the boy is going through a difficult time and wants things he can’t have, there’s still a child-like innocence about him.

The boy lives in a house made from matches any spark can burn the house and the people living in it.Specifically, Phillipsdescribes it as a “house built of matches” (Phillips). This refers to the fact that the boy’s livingenvironment is very tense and if anything happens it could cause an enormous problem, such as his parents to fighting.This could cause his father to be mad at him and abuse him. In addition, the boy’s room emphasizes his bad living situation. The boy’s room is very lonely andhe feels that there never anyone there with him. The author uses a description of “a single match box” to symbolize this loneliness. He is left alone in a small room without light and feels scared.

As mentioned above, when the boy’s parents argue, he is more likely to get beaten byhis father. When this happens, the boy escapes toa place hidden between objects, which he believes to be. Specifically, Phillips says that he “escapes into arroyos covered in cacti” (Phillips). The boy says that this is a good hiding spot because the spikes of the cacti provide protection in addition to concealment. Cacti are plants without leaves that grow in deserts, which aredry lands that have harsh weather. Phillips used the word cactus to reflect the cruel environment he is living in. This is used to support the symbolism of the matches that was described previously. Cacti are physically dangerousand are dry and ugly. The boy uses the cactus trees to protect his dreams from his father or anyone else that stands in his way. Specifically, he says, “dreams start from ashes and maybe we are the ones that need to start it” (Phillips).  The matches therefore symbolize the start of the boy’s dreams, while the cacti symbolize the want of his father to stop him from making these dreams come true.

The purple glass is another important symbol in this story that teaches the reader more about who the boy is as a person. Purple glass ishighly praised in the west, which shows us that it is rare, beautiful, and many people want it. The purple glass is not purple originally, but is green and turns this color in the sun.The boy wants to melt the glass to make his mother a gown, which shows that even though his father is abusive towards him, he loves his mother. In addition, the sun represents goodness, and shows the boy’s desire for a man in his life that is not his father.  This demonstrates that all the boy wants in order to be happy is a man that will treat his mother right so that both she and he can be happy. The boy describes the ideal man for his mother as the opposite of his father, who“turns his skin blue and black in spots and stiches” (Phillips), In this situation, the sun represents all that is good, while darkness represents evil.

The boy dreams to be like the other kids in the other neighborhood, where they make their beds from clouds and where kids play with fireworks. These, again, symbolize the boy’s ideal life; once he is able to get rid of his father, he believes that his life will become happier and more magical.The boywants to forget everything and start a new life with his mother.Even though the boy is trying to find excuses for his father at first, he cannot find any, and realizes that he can only be truly happen without him Throughout the poem, the boy tries to forget about the bad things that have happened to him. Therefore, the whimsical things in his back pocket symbolize happy things, like a butterfly and a balloon, which demonstrate his attempt to forget all of his family problems.

In conclusion, the literary elements included in this poem are used to emphasize the boy’s want for a new beginning. We learn that he has been abused by his father and wants to begin a new life with his mother, who he loves. Despite the boy’s troubles and the want his father has to crush his dreams, the boy is hopeful and attempts to protect these dreams from his father. Although we never learn if the boy is successful, we know he will continue to try to be happy and keep trying. Phillips let the reader imagine what is happening in the poem by describing the surroundings well, and by using symbolism, hyperbole, and metaphor.It helped the story of the boy come to life for the reader and demonstrated the usefulness of literary elements in poetry.

Works Cited

Phillips L. “The Boy’s Pockets”. 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 May 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1hJXtZxPlI>