Under Pressure- Rhetorical Devices

• Symbolism- This is probably the rhetorical technique I use the most in this poem. Going through difficult times is often compared to many different processes, like forging a sword or running through enemy fire. I tried to use these as mini-themes in different stanzas. The first stanza (Chemistry) particularly is symbolic as one of my own personal academic struggles. The second stanza is what my family always tells me when I'm struggling, that the struggle will make me stronger. The third stanza is how it feels to be stuck between my family's and my school's push for excelence plus my own perfectionistic nature, and the physical and emotional toal it takes on me. I feel like I'm fired on from both camps, and any allies I have on the way end up taking flak as well. This burden weighs heavy and I can't always cope. (stanza 4) The pressure cannot be released until the escape has been found. (P.S: this was a very good stress reliever!!!)
• Anaphora- Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning on successive lines. In the middle of stanza 4 (lines 27-29) I intentionally kept the phrase structure the same at the beginnings to emphaisze the inability to cope with all three of the trials.
• Antithesis- Antithesis is balancing opposing parts of a sentence together. In lines 13 and 14, I balanced "blazing heat" with "chilling cold". In lines 33 and 34, I contrast an "icy grip" with a "warm beam of light"
• Personification- The Enemy and Destruction are abstract concepts that are given human-like characteristics. The Enemy "advances, approaches, waiting for the kill" and Destruction has an "icy grip".
• Imagery- I used vivid images of tempering metal to strengthen it in stanza 2 and the tactile feeling of an icy grip and a warm beam of light in stanza 5.
• Allusion- Allusion is the practice of indirectly referencing another written or linguistic work. Stanza 1 is an allusion to network solids in chemistry. Both diamond and graphite(pencil lead) are made up of only carbon atoms. The covalent bonds between carbon atoms in both graphite and diamond are not very strong on their own, but because they are arranged into network solids , they are much stronger. Since graphite has a simple cubic structure, it is easily rubbed off onto another surface and can snap cleanly. Diamond, with a complex, crystaline structure, is the strongest naturally occuring material on earth.
• Diction- I tried to make the voice seem stressed and "under pressure" (not too far of a stretch here!!!) I picked very vivid words because the narrator should be so far past just coping with what comes and desperate to find an escape. The narrator's escape at the end of the poem is intentionally left open, hence the shorter stanza. (I also felt guilty about going over the line limit!) I wanted to leave a little mystery about what the escape was, so that people listening could connect and think about what they think the escape is, whether it is death, or being saved by someone, or by the trials ending. 

Under Pressure

Under Pressure

 

The structure of the bonds-

the difference between

 indestructible diamond

 and fragile graphite.

Complex is strong,

and simple is not strong enough.

Only diamonds are formed

Under Pressure

 

One must be forged,

tempered,

cast into the fire;

Pounded and shaped;

Shocked into blazing heat,

and chilling cold,

and emerge stronger out from

Under Pressure.

 

Running the gauntlet,

taking fire from all sides.

Friends and foes alike.

The one who dares to help,

is struck down by the enemy.

And the burden of guilt

 is too much to bear

Under Pressure

 

As a weary heart grows faint:

the structures too weak to withstand,

the shocks too extreme to survive,

the burden too heavy to shoulder,

the Enemy advances, approaches,

waiting for the kill

A life is about to be extinguished

Under Pressure

 

As Destruction's icy grip tightens

a warm beam of light shatters the darkness

an escape from the misery

no longer

Under Pressure

 

 

第一篇文章：First Post

大家您好！我叫安霓可。我十七岁，十一年级。 我三年学中文。我收到一个奖学金从NSLI-Y. 这年暑假的时候， 我会去中国，西安省。在标题看看，这是我的第一篇文章。我希望写很多文章, 也我的中文越来越好。
Hi Everyone! My name's Nicole. I'm 17 and a junior in high school. I have studied Chinese for 3 years. I was awarded a scholarship from the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y). This summer break I'm going to Xian, China. As you can see from the title, this is my first post. Hopefully, though,  I will write many more and my Chinese will get better and better.

再见！
Goodbye for now!

P.S.- Shout out to Miriam Gochnauer, a fellow NSLI'er for coming up with this title and thanks for all the other great ideas!!!!!