Sorting Laundry

"Sorting Laundry"
Elisavietta Ritchie

In this poem, Ritchie uses an extended metaphor of folding laundry to represent the speaker's relationship. By describing the different pieces of laundry such as the sheets, towels, and shirts, that the speaker is folding, the speaker also describes her relationship. "Pillowcases, despite so many/washings, seams still/ holding our dreams" (Ritchie). The speaker's relationship is old as shown in the phrase "so many washings". Despite its length, the relationship is still strong as described by the
"seams still holding our dreams". The pillow case shows that no matter how old the relationship may be, it has remained strong throughout time. Another description of clothing describes "all those wrinkles/ to be smoothed, or else/ ignored" (Ritchie). The wrinkles in the couple's clothing represents problems in their relationship. Despite their problems, the couple has remained together. The couple has been able to work through some problems as described by the phrase "to be smoothed". In addition, the couple has also ignored some problems. The couples problems were small enough to work through or ignore which suggests that the couple has a stable relationship.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
John Donne

In this poem, Donne used an extended metaphor to express the love between the speaker and his lover. The two lovers are compared to the legs of a compass. The two will be connected by their love just as the legs of the compass are connected to each other. One leg of the compass would stay planted. This firmly planted leg would be the woman. No matter where the man would travel, she would still be connected and attracted to him as long as she still loved him. "It leans, and hearkens after it, and grows erect, as that comes home" (Donne). In addition, the man would return home as long as the woman still loved him. "Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end, where I begun" (Donne). His beginning was his home with his lover, so his end would be the same. Through this metaphor, the speaker expresses that, no matter where he traveled, he would love his lover and would return to her if she still loved him.