Kara Conlan

February 15th, 2016

Phillips

English 101

Identifying the Meaning of "You Were You" Through the Use of Literary Devices

Literary devices are a simple way for authors to convey messages throughout their work and allow readers to analyze and interpret the text in their own way. Authors use various types of these techniques to not only make their work more interesting, but to make the overall meaning less obvious at first glance. Writer, Sandra Beasley, uses literary devices in her poem "You Were You" to explain how the speaker is desperate for a man's attention, yet feels ignored and unwanted due to the presence of another girl. In the following poem, the speaker expresses how she feels powerless, love and jealousy for another man she used to know through the use of diction, personification, metaphors, and structure. 

Throughout the poem, the narrator's use of diction allows readers to understand her feelings towards the man she continuously mentions. In the beginning of the poem, the speaker begins by stating "I dreamt we were in your favorite bar." The use of the word "dreamt" provides an understanding that this is a fantasy and a situation that she constructed in her mind. Since the speaker is thinking about this man in her sleep, it is obvious that she has some type of longing or desire to be with him. The use of the word "you" throughout the poem demonstrates that the speaker knows this man on a personal level. She continues to hint at familiarity by stating, "You were wearing your best smile/ and the shirt that makes your eyes green." The man is described in a positive way where small yet significant details regarding his handsome appearance are mentioned, showing that she pays close attention to this person and is attracted to them. 

Beasley also uses diction to express the narrator's expectations and sense of powerlessness throughout the poem. She says, "I wanted to dance. I wanted a scotch" clearly showing a strong personal desire with the use of "I" at the beginning of each sentence. The repetition of the word "wanted" also demonstrates that she is eager and firmly wishing that she could enjoy his company by having a drink with him. However, since she calls herself a jukebox throughout the text, the use of the word "wanted" conveys how she is powerless in the situation and is only able to watch and want from afar. After the narrator is "seduced" by another man, the speaker says "I was loyal to you," emphasizing her belief that she has a greater relationship with this man which requires faith and trust. 

Along with the use of diction, the author also employs the literary device of personification in order to portray the speaker and the jukebox as one entity, once again showing her lack of control in the situation. The jukebox is essentially brought to life when the speaker says "I was the jukebox...I weighed 300 pounds/ I glittered like 1972." By comparing herself to the jukebox, she is demonstrating her insecurities and feelings of being unwanted by describing herself with the qualities of an inanimate object. Since she is unable to speak or move, her lack of control is emphasized through this personification. After the man leaves the bar with another girl, the speaker uses human qualities and states that, "The bubbles in my blood were singing," once again showing that she considers herself the jukebox in this dream. As an attempt to be independent without someone putting money in the machine, she tries to make her own music. By saying that her blood is singing, she is portraying her attempt to be happy again without the "you" figure in her life. However, she soon goes on to say "In the morning they came to repair me" similar to how she may have broke her heart in the process of being upset and jealous by the man with another girl. 

By using the metaphor of a jukebox, Beasley is able to depict the speaker as reliant on others, old, and unnoticed. Since jukeboxes rely on money, they are dependent on the will and selection of others in order to play.  They can also be considered machines that are simply just "used" and "played." Because the speaker seems to have a past relationship with this male, the jukebox can be a symbol for the relationship going poorly where she may have been used by him.  Since the speaker is obsessed with the man in her dream, she is reliant on him and throughout the poem does everything for him including her loyalty after a man tried to seduce her with quarters. At the end of the poem it is evident how reliant the speaker was as a result of her attempt to make music play on her own. Her destruction and need for repair is a metaphor for her broken heart and inability to cope with him being with another girl. The speaker also hints at the fact that she feels like old news compared to the new girl when she states that she "glittered like 1972." Since jukeboxes are old fashioned and no longer common, it is evident that Beasley is using the metaphor of a jukebox to compare to something that is unappealing and no longer in style. The speaker is also demonstrating that she is unnoticed and powerless. She says, "I played Sam Cooke for you,/ but you didn't look over once." The speaker is essentially background noise in her dream that is overlooked and less important than the girl her crush is with. 

With the use of diction, personification, and metaphors, the structure of the following poem influences the pace and tone of the text. The author uses quick sentences such as "I wanted to dance. I wanted a scotch" as well when she says "I weighed 300 pounds. I glittered like 1972" to demonstrate tension and drama. There is a sense of urgency and desire for what she wants and it is clear that when she personifies herself as the jukebox she is using it in a negative way because she believes the other girl is prettier. The use of "I" at the beginning of each small sentence makes the poem sound like her thought process so the readers have a more specific idea of what is going on through her mind. The structure also bounces back and forth between the speaker's attempts to get the man's attention to reminders for why she can't have him. For example, "I played Aretha, Marvin, the Reverend Al./ You kissed her all the way out the door." This structure makes the speaker  seem desperate because she is constantly doing various things in order to take his attention away from the girl he is with. When she says, "I played Sam Cooke for you,/ but you didn't look over once" it proves to be another example where the structure influences readers to believe that she feels powerless since she is unable to successfully be noticed.

Due to the use of literary devices, the overall meaning of the poem "You Were You" by Sandra Beasley could be easily identified. By incorporating the metaphor of a jukebox within the entire poem, the reader is able to extract extra information about the speaker's state of mind as well as how her feelings intertwine with the overall meaning of the story. Without identifying the actual significance of the jukebox, the poem would be a confusing story involving some jealousy with another man and woman. The quick sentence structure and use of the the word "I" multiple times reflects the speaker's unreciprocated desperate desire for affection of this man. The speaker is portrayed as a powerless and jealous woman who clearly feels as if she is overlooked and less worthy of the male character, in comparison to the woman he is with. The end of the poem produces the meaning behind the words by portraying the narrator's attempt to be independent- choosing a selection of songs for herself rather than as an attempt gain the man's approval. However, since she now requires a  repair, it is evident that she is unable to move on from  her obsession for the man she loves and dreams about. 
