Analysis Of David Solway's Windsurfing

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“Windsurfing” “Windsurfing” by David Solway is simply a poem about a windsurfer’s experience from beginning to end. Surprisingly, the speaker is not the windsurfer, but is the author himself. It is a very positive poem, which makes it so enjoyable and easy to read. Solway uses many images in the poem. The images he uses connect to almost all of our senses, making the readers feel like they are experiencing the ride for themselves. Solway uses both visual and kinesthetic images in his first stanza when describing the windsurfing board and hot it moves across the water. We get the images from the very beginning of the poem when he says, “It rides upon the wrinkled hide/ of water, like the upturned hull/ of a small canoe or kayak” (1-3). Just…show more content…
Right from the beginning of the stanza there is a tactile image. Solway writes, “Back it comes through/ a screen of particles” (35-36). When he says, “screen of particles”, he is talking about the mist that is left over from him stirring up the water on his board. His word choice is perfect, because the reader can imagine the feeling of light mist on their skin. The reader also gets an auditory image when Solway says, “and settle in a rush of silence” (43), giving the reader that image of peacefulness and quietness. Lastly, in the last stanza Solway describes the board one last time, “the man guides/ his brash, obedient legend/ into shore” (48-50). The word “brash” (49) means energetic or highly spirited. The reader gets the image of an energetic, yet obedient board that the windsurfer controls. It is a legend because it is what helps the windsurfer do the activity. “Windsurfing” is a positive poem about a windsurfer on the water, riding waves, and his experience throughout, from beginning to end. The author of the poem is the speaker, not the windsurfer. Solway uses many images in “Windsurfing” to make sure the reader experiences the activity of windsurfing to the fullest. The reader will experience many kinesthetic images, along with visual, auditory, and tactile images. This poem is an excellent way of experiencing an activity without actually doing

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