Edward Field has used imagery in this poem, such as “He had thought himself a hero, had acted heroically”, “And dreamt of his fall, the tragic fall of the hero” and “But now rides commuter trains.” Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses.Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /w/ and /b/ in “What was he doing aging in a suburb?” and the sound of /f/ and /s/ in “Fails every time and hates himself for trying.”.Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “The confusing aspects of the case” and the sound of /a/ and /o/ in “No, he could not disturb their neat front yards.”.The poem shows the use of consonant sounds, such as /f/ in “feathers floating.” Alliteration: It means to use initial consonants in successive words.The poet has alluded to the Grecian mythical characters of Icarus and Daedalus. Allusion: It means to use references from society, history, or culture to stress upon the main idea.Some of the major literary devices are as follows. Analysis of Literary Devices Used in IcarusĮdward Field used various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Hicks with no responsibilities and a highly attractive reputation in the area, he wants to have drowned at that time. This routinization vis-à-vis that heroic popularity and fame has put the modern man in a quandary that despite becoming Mr. Yet, he has to come to the same routine of the world to commute here and there in the city and head or participate in the meetings of the committees. He just remembers that long ago in the past he has wings and that he has tried to break the prison. Although the man recalls that his heroic past has a mythical aura around his personality, his new life has put that heroic past into oblivion. Major Themes in “Icarus”: Memories, heroic past, and modern routinization are major themes of this poem.Therefore, it happens that this life has routinized his life into a commuter of trains and members of committees to be busy in this modern life, making him wish he has rather drowned. Therefore, he lives the life of a middle-class person yet he tries to live heroically that suits his stature and grandeur. However, it happens that the people never try to ask him about his past and he has never tried to inform them. Hicks, a nice man, and is very popular in the neighborhood. Rather he has swum to the bank to restart his life. Therefore, it transpires in the official files that the man has drowned but actually, he has not drowned. However, the police have been after him but they do not find anything except the wings and the hat. “Icarus” As a Representative of Modern Man: The poet presents a modern man who has tried to mimic Icarus by leaving this prison of the world by flying with wings and then landing in the stream.However, Edward Field’s idea is to present the situation of the postmodern man, even if, he is a pilot and has just landed after a flight. The poem is based on the mythical figure of Icarus and his father Daedalus who changed the world of trust as well as aviation.

Popularity of “Icarus”: Written by a US veteran and poet, Edward Field, this concise poem “Icarus” first appeared in 1963.He had thought himself a hero, had acted heroically,Īnd dreamt of his fall, the tragic fall of the hero Īnd wishes he had drowned. To the middling stature of the merely talented?Īnd daily in his workshop, curtains carefully drawn,įails every time and hates himself for trying. Yet all his books insisted that this was a horrible mistake: No, he could not disturb their neat front yards Nor that those sad, defeated eyes had once Never dreaming that the gray, respectable suitĬoncealed arms that had controlled huge wings Where he rented a house and tended the garden. Had swum away, coming at last to the city So the report filed and forgotten in the archives read simply Showed that anything more spectacular had occurred Only the feathers floating around the hat

Icarus poem