"A great black presence beats its wings in wrath / Above the boneyard burn its golden eyes." – The End of the Weekend
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Type: Symbolic metaphor
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Analysis: The owl in this passage becomes a metaphor for death and the impermanence of human happiness. Hecht transforms a simple nocturnal predator into an emblem of existential dread, suggesting that human desires and romantic encounters are always under the shadow of mortality.
"The ghosts / Of some departed us" – Curriculum Vitae
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Type: Figurative metaphor
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Analysis: Hecht likens the fleeting breath of schoolchildren on a bus window to spectral echoes of past selves. This metaphor emphasizes both the ephemeral nature of youth and the enduring progression of life, evoking nostalgia and the tension between transience and permanence.
"The common experience of day ending and night beginning" – The Darkness and the Light Are Both Alike to Thee
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Type: Conceptual metaphor
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Analysis: The daily cycle of light and darkness serves as a metaphor for human mortality. Hecht subtly shifts the focus to suggest that even amid inevitable decline, small illuminations—moments of hope or insight—persist in the darkness.
"The sack of gunpowder failing to ignite" – More Light! More Light!
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Type: Historical metaphor
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Analysis: By referencing a botched execution, Hecht creates a stark metaphor for the failure of mercy and justice amidst cruelty. This metaphor encapsulates the unpredictable and often horrifying nature of historical atrocities.
"Ghosts from the ovens, sifting through crisp air" – More Light! More Light!
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Type: Evocative metaphor
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Analysis: The metaphor evokes the lingering presence of Holocaust victims in the collective consciousness. Hecht uses spectral imagery to connect memory, trauma, and moral witness.
"Like the surfaces of Florentine bronze" – Late Afternoon: The Onslaught of Love
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Type: Classical/artistic simile
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Analysis: This simile compares the quality of sunlight to the polished surfaces of Renaissance bronze, juxtaposing fleeting human desire with timeless artistic beauty.
"Richer than double-colored taffeta, / Amoeboid, iridescent, limp" – Late Afternoon: The Onslaught of Love
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Type: Descriptive simile
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Analysis: Hecht captures the polluted yet visually striking oil floating in the harbor. The simile emphasizes texture, movement, and color, blending natural observation with artistic flourish.
"Like imperial servants" – Late Afternoon: The Onslaught of Love
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Type: Personifying simile
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Analysis: Sunlight on a boat is likened to obedient attendants, anthropomorphizing natural elements to highlight both order and elegance in fleeting moments.
"Like voluble godliness" – A Hill
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Type: Auditory/spiritual simile
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Analysis: Everyday bargaining sounds are elevated to a divine level, showing Hecht's ability to infuse ordinary experiences with spiritual resonance.
"Working away like Jack Doyle's after he'd run the mile" – Lizards and Snakes
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Type: Comparative simile
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Analysis: Lizards and snakes are compared to a fatigued athlete, capturing labor, endurance, and the rhythm of life in natural observation.
"Like trailing silks" / "like fallen sparks" / "Like the elderly and frail" – The Darkness and the Light Are Both Alike to Thee
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Type: Visual and symbolic similes
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Analysis: Hecht likens light in olive trees and distant lamps to delicate silks, sparks, and aged human forms. The similes blend visual beauty with meditation on fragility, transience, and mortality.
