Ferlinghetti crafts images of acrobats flying through the air all while reacting the high wire act to that of writing poetry. The imagery in this poem is quite clear and effective. For example, “perforce perceive” and “stance or step”. There is no end punctuation, meaning that every line flows into the next and it is usually cut off at an uncomfortable spot before the reader would like it to.Īlliteration is another formal technique that is seen through the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. It can be seen in the transition between every line of the poem. These include but are not limited to:Īs stated above, enjambmentis one of the most important techniques. Enjambment is one of the most important techniques at work in ‘Constantly Risking Absurdity’.įerlinghetti makes use of several literary devices in this piece. Ferlinghetti certainly takes advantage of this fact.

Without a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern ( free verse), the poet is free to do whatever he wants to with the language and line breaks. Rather, the lines move back and forth across the page, mimicking the movements that Ferlinghetti emphasizes in the text. ‘ Constantly Risking Absurdity’ by Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a thirty-three-line poem that is not separated out into stanzas. Truth, Beauty, the perfect poem are all out of reach even if one is able to make some progress across the high wire.

Through writing, poets seek out the truth, something that is ultimately unattainable. He is interested in the quest to rich the ultimate, high “perch” on which Beauty exists. The poet focuses, through circus-related images, on what it means to write poetry. The major theme that pervades ‘Constantly Risking Absurdity‘ is that of writing/literature. He walks across the high wire, entertaining them with his amazing feats. He’s in the air, balanced on the eye beams or the attention of the men and women below. Throughout the lines of ‘Constantly Risking Absurdity,’ the speaker describes the high flying, dangerous acts of a poet/acrobat. ‘ Constantly Risking Absurdity’ by Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a clever poem filled with figurative language comparing a poet to an acrobat.

A coney island of the mind