Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
These poems are often written from the perspective of Forman herself.
Form and Meter
Free verse
Metaphors and Similes
Forman opens one of her poems with a simile: "I wear prayers like shoes."
Alliteration and Assonance
"These midnight moons," from "These Hips."
Irony
In "Stand," Forman tells people that it is ironic to be afraid of being told to "sit down," because they cannot please everyone.
Genre
Social commentary
Setting
20th/21st Century America
Tone
Political and philosophical
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is the speaker, and the antagonist is various societal forces such as racism and sexism.
Major Conflict
A major conflict in many of Forman's poems is coming to terms with part of her identity.
Climax
One moment of climax is found in Forman's poem "Stand":
"but here is the truth
someone will always tell you
sit down."
Foreshadowing
In the poem "Prayers like shoes," Forman foreshadows the contents of the poem with her first line.
Understatement
Forman argues that people understate how active they need to be in order to create change.
Allusions
Forman alludes to parts of her own life, such as the lessons she has learned from her mother.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Forman refers to her hips as "ripe plums."
Personification
Forman personifies poetry in the poem "Should ride the bus."
Hyperbole
N/A
Onomatopoeia
N/A
