Shoulders

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1994

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

“Shoulders” is an 18-line free verse poem, meaning there are no consistent patterns of rhyme, rhythm, or meter throughout the entirety of the piece. The poem contains six stanzas, or groupings of lines, each of varying lengths. Nye allows herself and the reader the space to focus on the language of the poem rather than the form by writing in free verse. Readers are not preoccupied with identifying the rhythm or rhyme scheme. Instead, they can focus on the vivid imagery and overall narrative that Nye crafts across the six stanzas of “Shoulders.”

Nye uses each individual stanza to introduce a new detail within the familial portrait central to the poem. Stanza 1 gives readers an overview of the scene, introducing “the man,” “the street,” the “rain” (Line 1), and the child asleep on the man’s shoulder (Line 3). However, by Stanza 4, Nye zooms in to focus specifically on the child, his “breathing” (Line 10), and “the hum of [his] dream / deep inside him” (Lines 11-12). With each stanza, readers gain a clearer picture of the scene, making the abrupt shift of Stanza 5 even more startling (see: Poem Analysis) as they become aware of their own active participation within the world of the poem.

Capitalization

Capital letters usually denote the start of a new sentence or idea. They draw attention to proper nouns, therefore adding specificity to written content. Traditionally, the first letter of the first word in every new sentence is capitalized, as is the pronoun “I.” Nye follows this format almost to a tee in “Shoulders,” excluding Lines 8 and 9. The speaker describes the child in the poem as “sensitive cargo” (Line 6), despite the fact that “nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE, / HANDLE WITH CARE” (Lines 8-9). The capitalization of the phrase “FRAGILE, / HANDLE WITH CARE” makes it seem like the speaker is screaming those words, drawing attention to the central argument of the poem (see: Themes). This deviation from traditional grammar and style conventions clues readers into the fact that it shouldn’t take obnoxious signage to treat strangers with kindness. Nye’s adept use of capitalization adds depth to an otherwise simple portrait of ordinary life, making the content of “Shoulders” all the richer.

Consonance

Consonance is a sonic device wherein a consonant sound is repeated several times in a sequence of words to intensify the atmosphere of the poem. Consonance is one of many poetic devices that heightens emotion and enhances the imagery of a piece of writing. In the first four stanzas of “Shoulders,” Nye utilizes sibilance—a subcategory of consonance used to distinguish consonant sounds with a hushing or hissing quality, namely the “s” and “sh” sounds—to create the deary, somber mood of the poem. The consonant “s” is heard a total of 28 times throughout the first four stanzas of the poem, mimicking the sound of rain falling and the rush of cars driving across wet pavement. The “s” sound is used in succession in Line 3, where the speaker says, “his son is asleep on his shoulder” (Line 3), and similarly in Line 6: “This man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo” (Line 6). Nye’s use of this sonic device immerses readers into the scene, playing with their senses to bring the poem to life.

The repeated “s” sound has a calming effect, acting as white noise. However, in Stanzas 5 and 6, Nye repeats harder consonant sounds such as “d,” “g,” and “r,” marking the shift in the poem’s content with an abrupt shift in the poem’s sonic qualities. Nye uses the harshness of consonant sounds in the lines:

We’re not going to be able

to live in this world

if we’re not willing to do what he’s doing

with one another (Lines 13-16),

to reinforce the central message of the poem: Kindness is essential to creating a brighter future, and if individuals are not a part of the solution, then they are a part of the problem.

Related Titles

By Naomi Shihab Nye