Free Poetry Analysis: Money By Dana Gioia Essay Example

Accented and Unaccented Syllables

/ u / u / u

Mo/ney, the lo/ng g/reen, Trochaic

/ u / u / u / u

Ca/sh, sta/sh, rhi/no, ja/ck Trochaic

u / u / u
or just p/la/in do/u/gh. Anapestic
/ u / u

Cho/ck it up, fo/rk it over, Trochaic

/ u / u

She/ll it out. Wa/tch it Trochaic

/ u u / u

Bu/rn holes through po/ck/ets. Anapestic

/ u / u / u / u
u / / u
me/ga/bu/cks and Ginnie Maes. Anapestic
u /

It greases the palm, fea/thers a nest, Iambic

/ u
holds heads above wa/ter, Trochaic
makes both ends meet.

Money breeds money. u / u

Gathering in/ter/est, compounding daily. Anapestic
u / / u u

Always in cir/cu/la/ti/on. Dactylic

Paraphrasing the Poem
Dana Gioia’s poem “Money” targets the subject which usually runs in the minds of the many, including those who owns much of it. Gioia used a clever and humorous approach in his poem. The language used is full of truth or phrase that people use or say about money in the real world. Ever verse is given a different approach of the subject. The poem will somehow be able to provide some mirth about money for someone who has had a struggle with finances. In stanza 1, there is the use of slang synonyms to represent money. Three is the placement of certain words by the writer to rhyme in between the lines. The use of words like “the long cash, stash..” is a good example of such words. In stanza 2, there is use of participles by the writer to bring out the use of money to buy something. “Watch it burn through pockets!” This is a common problem by the people who have money. They must just spend the money provided they have it. The expenditure is carried out to the extent that no money remains in the pocket, and that’s when one realizes of the empty pocket and began looking for more money. In stanza 3, the money brought by the writer is the symbolic of people who owns a lot of it. The grammatical tool applied by the writer in this stanza are gerund phrases: “To have it to burn!” Then he goes ahead to bring in more synonyms about money symbolizing phrases erupting from slot machines having large pay outs. In stanza 4, there is use of verbs of action together with direct objects in the verse to bring out individuals who are involved in the saving of their money and at other times money save such people.
These phrases despite being short are also metaphors which are involved in the comparison of money to other several things; placing money into someone’s hands who may fail to become individual of best sort; money is viewed as tools that the bird would use in the making of the nest more secure; money is put in the life jacket’s role preventing someone from financially sinking; money has been seen like bringing train track together, with the hope that one has got tracks that are enough for making circle and join back together, hoping to get enough money for paying bills, eating, working and playing. In stanza 5, someone making good use of money he has put him into position of making more money. “Money breeds money, gathering interest, compounding daily, always in circulation.” The poet then decided to use the banking terms to come up with suggestions of saving money as a good idea by putting it into the savings account so as to give interest. In stanza 6, the writer has given some advice which seems to be motherly. Keeping money out of your mouth, no one knows the place it has come from. Furthermore, giving some humour, if an individual puts a bet, it is advisory for him to place his money to complete that bet. His latest wisdom bit holds true; money chats. Money can afford for someone anything he thinks of, but don’t forget that it is the foundation of evils as a whole. The poet believed in the saving of money, sharing, wasting, abusing or using. Exploring money is the major objective of mankind. Earning money is the major reason for someone getting a job and decision to work. Anybody goes to any extent just for money. The imagery that the poet combines makes one reading to imagine that he exists in Fort Knox floundering within the green stuff.

Interpretation of the Poem

Having read the poem by Dana, the thought that came into my mind is the number of people gripped over money. I believe of the poet trying tom bring out money as something toxic as people are always after getting money in realm life situation, making them forget about the valuable things in life. The speaker tries to show us different words used for money in the first stanza. Money having different nicknames in the society depicts the importance of money in the society. The several uses of the word money also tries to tell us how individuals talk of money more often in daily communications for it to gain so many nicknames. Stanza 2 uses words to show how people spends money. Here, the speaker is trying to show the need for people to spend. People having money, makes them feel anxiety leading them to spend money immediately then get it. We live in a society that tells people to spend money other than saving it. Dana describes importance money has on the survival of individuals in stanza 3. The imagery of nest feathering is illustration of an individual providing for his family.
Money makes one stay afloat due to its potentiality for paying bills making them not to “drown”. In my view I believe in many making someone to grown because individuals are always getting themselves into debt. People reliance on money to keep up with lifestyles and for family purposes brings the obsession of money from the first stanza. Last stanza there is the use of personification for money; Money talks. This is seen how individuals majorly come out their ways provided they have money. People get information when they have money and you have high chances of securing what you expect. According to me, this poem is not made to explore the goodness of money. However, it is exhibiting bad aspects that money has. Money can be an obsession and this may lead to people doing anything to have money just to maintain their lifestyle or lead a more comfortable life.

Conclusion

The poem has a good selective detail due to description of money with several names. It has no rhyme scheme but that has no effect on it. Therefore I will not be in apposition to form judgement against the author for exhibiting poor taste of words which rhymes. The size of the poem is good with reasonable stanzas, not long and therefore lovely and straight to the point. I could have advised selection of more words that are colloquial when talking about money such as “thick stacks”.