Question 2 Michael Pintard’s book, ‘Still Standing’, is a collection of poems that focuses on issues such as social inequality, injustice and poverty. In addressing these issues the poet uses various literary devices to arouse deep emotions in me. Two poems from his collection, "Still Standing" and "Beyond the Rage" touched me deeply as they addressed issues such as betrayal, deceit, poverty and inequality. The poem ‘Still Standing’ covers the themes of betrayal and deception. Michael Pintard shares his experiences of how he was deceived by the ones who were close to him. In the first stanza, Pintard uses a metaphor to bring out the theme of betrayal and show the readers how painful hateful rumors can be.
“Though smiling lips in my face
Conceal deceitful tongues
That send fiery darts to pierce My back, my heart, as I walk That confident walk I am still standing.”
This metaphor compared the words uttered about Pintard to fiery darts. I envisioned those whom he thought were his friends, gossiping about him behind his back, and this makes me angry. I can relate to this kind of deception and I am disgusted by a person who would actually take pleasure in causing others this kind of pain. This incident helped me to understand that some of my friends are not true friends. Even though they pretend to wish me well they are only wishing for my failure and to see me fall. This saddens me, but it opened my eyes to the deceit that exists in society. Furthermore, Pintard used imagery to convey the hurt and the brokenness he felt, after being deceived and betrayed.
“Scent of blood in my nostrils, Its taste in my mouth, My body where not numb Feeling foreign to me. Sweat dripping, mouth groaning, Sending up pleas ‘God preserve me’ Truly, nobody knows the trouble I see Nobody knows my sorrows. But, I am still