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What Is Hayden's Word Choice

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Word choice is by far one of the most significant aspects that characterizes literature in general. However, in regards to poetry, “the choice and order of words”, known as diction, is especially paramount. Author Robert Hayden was fully aware of this fact. Consequently, he placed an exorbitant amount of effort into selecting the phrases he would employ in his works. A prime example of this, is his piece “Middle Passage” where his word choice has a particularly colossal impact (“Elements of Poetry”).

For starters, Hayden’s main diction strategy is to take on the different personas of people involved with the Middle Passage. Each of these factions has their own highly specialized jargon. In the first section, Hayden tackles the religious aspect

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