The Dumka College Essay Example

and lifeless “mannequins” (line 24) of men. The “memory of dust” (line 18) that settled over mantles triggers memories of dreadful dust storms that “smear[ed] the sky green with doom” (line 13), but yet satisfies the old couple thinking about the repeated hardships they had to survive through.

The repetition of “the homecoming” (line 26-27) emphasizes the relief that people experience as the war ended and the economy began to prosper with “green lawns” (line 28) and “a new piano with its mahogany gleam” (line 28). Now, their lives have changed vastly, and only memories intact to remind them of the continual suffering they had to experience. Through the speaker’s technique of using strong imagery to display significant events in the couple’s lives, one can see that the poem possesses strong contrast.