the analysis of Stupidity Street

Stupidity Street
(Ralph Hodgson)
I saw with open eyes
Singing birds sweet
Sold in the shops
For the people to eat;
Sold in the shops of
Stupidity Street
I saw in vision
The worm in the wheat
And in the shops nothing
For people to eat,
Nothing for sale in
Stupidity Street
To appreciate poetry which is written by Ralp Hodgson, I choose A Literary
Appreciation.
A. Finding the Meaning
1. General meaning
The general meaning of the poem which title is Stupitidy Street is about relationship
between human beings stupidity, damaged nature, and future. God has been given a lot
of enjoyments for people. One kind of enjoyment is a beautiful nature. However, people
do not take care with the nature. Morever, the nature becomes damaged. Besides, people
always do bad thing to full fill their desire. Most people do not realize if their habit will
damaged the nature. Moreover, the nature cannot give suply for people in the future.
2. Detailed meaning

The first stanza of the poem is I saw with open eyes. The writer uses this
expression to express that he look environment around him carefully. He saw the nature
around him carefully and accuratelly. On the second stanza Singing birds sweet means
the beautiful and the peaceful nature. A bird can sing a beautiful song if they are on the
peaceful habitat. Moreover, the second stanza gives symbol as the beautiful nature. The
beautiful nature refers to water, plants, animals, etc. The third stanza Sold in the shops
means the beautiful nature has been exploited by human. The fourth stanza For the
people to eat expresses that the human expolited the beautiful nature and the animal just
for full fill their needed. The fifth stanza is Sold in the shops of means that people
sold all the things that they have and exploited it. They do it to make their needs is full
filled. The next stanza is Stupidity Street express that human is stupid. The stupitidy
refers to the humans mind. They do not want to think the effect of their behaviour
deeply. So, the writer express it by using the word Stupidity Street.
The seventh stanza of the poem is I saw in vision. The writer uses the word vision
to express the future. The stanza means that the writer imagine what happen to the earth
in the future is. The stanza The worm in the wheat means the writer sees many worms
in the wheat. Moreover, people can not eat the wheat because of the worm. The ninth
stanza And in the shops nothing means that nothing left in the shop to buy. The tenth
stanza For people to eat means that people do not have food anymore. Finally, people
eat the wheat which is eaten by worm because they do not have any food to eat. Nothing
for sale in means people do not have anything to sale because they have sold all the
things that he had. They sold the nature to full fill their needed. It is very ironically. The
last stanza stupitidy street means the people foolishness . Since they exploited and
sold all the beutiful nature for the needed. Moreover, they do not have food to eat.
3. Intention of the writer
Awareness
This poem try to arouse the readers feeling. This poem tells about the nature which is
in damage. The poem wants to tell the reader to be wise with nature. People will have
nothing if they exploited it. This poem also wants to ask the reader to have a good
relationship between human and nature.

B. APPRECIATION (LITERARY APPRECIATION)

1. Stuctural Devices
Contrast
The first stanza is Singing birds sweet. Actually the writer wants to tell us about
how beautiful nature that we have. Then, on the next stanza, the writer describe how the
nature looks like in this era. Besides, he tells us about the ironically condition although
people has a beutiful nature.
Illustration
Stupitidy Street which writen by Ralph Hodgson has illustration of nature. The
nature is under destruction because of human. We can take a look at the second and third
stanza. The second stanza gives illustration as a beautiful nature. The second stanza is
Singing birds sweet refers to a nature which is the home of animals and plants. The
third stanza gives illustration as human treatment of the nature. Moreover, from the first
and second stanza, we have an illustration about the poem. The poem is relationship
between human nature.
Repetition
There is a repetition on the poem which writen by Ralph Hodgon. We can take a
look at the fourth stanza and tenth stanza. Those stanza are For people to eat. The
word For people to eat emphasize that human needs to full fill their needed. The most
important thing to be full fill is food. Besides, there is also a repetition word in this poem.
It appears on the sixth and twelve stanza. It is because the title of poem is Stupidity
Street. Moreover, the writer emphasize it and he repeats it.
2. Sense Devise
A poem has a sense devices. The sense devices based on L.G. Alexander framework
are simile, methapor, and personification. On the stupitidy street poem, there is a sense
devices. I find a methapor in the poem which is written by Ralp Hodgson on the second
stanza Singing birds sweet. The singing bird is compared with the sense of sugar.
Moreover, the second stanza can be said as methapor.
Personification also appears on the sixth stanza and the twelve stanza of the poem.
The stanza are Stupitidy Street. The writer uses the word street to express humans

mind. As the result, there is no street which is stupid because street do not have mind and
brain. Moreover, the sixth stanza can be said as personification.
Unfortunatelly, there is no simile on the poem which title is Stupitidy Street.
3. Sound Device

Alliteration
I saw with open eyes
Alliteration in that line is S . the second word is saw. The fifth word is eyes. There
are repetition of consonant sounds "S" is more dominant.
Singing birds sweet
Alliteration in that line is S . The first word is Singing. The second word is birds.
The third word is sweet. There are repetition of consonant sounds "S" is more
dominant.
Sold in the shops
Alliteration in that line is S . the first word is Sold. The fourth word is shops. There
are repetition of consonant sounds "S" is more dominant.
For the people to eat
Alliteration in that line is T . We can find it at the second word. The second word is
the. The fourth word is to. The fifth word is eat. There are repetition of consonant
sounds "T" is more dominant.
Sold in the shops of
Alliteration in that line is S . the first word is Sold. The fourth word is shops. There
are repetition of consonant sounds "S" is more dominant.
Stupidity Street
Alliteration in that line is S . I find it at the first word is Stupitidy. The second word
is Street. There are repetition of consonant sounds "S" is more dominant.
I saw in vision
Alliteration in that line is N . On the third word is in. Besides, on the fourth word is
vision. There are repetition of consonant sounds "N" is more dominant
The worm in the wheat

Alliteration in that line is T . I find from the word the for the first and fourth word.
Besides, I find from the word wheat. There are repetition of consonant sounds "T" is
more dominant

And in the shops nothing

Alliteration in that line is N . I find it on the first word. The first word is And. The
second word is in. The fifth word is nothing. There is repetition of consonant sounds
"N".
For people to eat,
Alliteration in that line is T . I find it on the third word and fourth word. The third word
is to. The fourth word is eat. The There are repetition of consonant sounds "T" is
more dominant
Nothing for sale in
Alliteration in that line is N . On the first word, I find nothing. Besides, on the fourth
word, I find in. There are repetition of consonant sounds "N" is more dominant
Stupidity Street
Alliteration in that line is S . I find it at the first word is Stupitidy. The second word
is Street. There are repetition of consonant sounds "S" is more dominant
Onomatopoeia
There is no onomatopeia in the poetry which written by Ralp Hodgson.
Rhyme
The rhyme for the first paragraph is ab,ab,cb.
I saw with open eyes
Singing birds sweet
Sold in the shops
For the people to eat;
Sold in the shops of
Stupidity Street
The rhyme for the second paragraph is ab,cb,cb
I saw in vision

The worm in the wheat

And in the shops nothing
For people to eat,
Nothing for sale in
Stupidity Street
Assonance
I saw with open eyes
Assonance in those line is O . There is repetition of vowel sounds "O" is more
dominant.
Singing birds sweet
Assonance in those line is i . There is repetition of vowel sounds "i" is more dominant.
Sold in the shops
Assonance in those line is O . There is repetition of vowel sounds "O" is more
dominant.
For the people to eat;
Assonance in those line is O . There is repetition of vowel sounds "O" is more
dominant.
Sold in the shops of
Assonance in those line is O . There is repetition of vowel sounds "O" is more
dominant.
Stupidity Street
Assonance in those line is i . There is repetition of vowel sounds "i" is more dominant.

I saw in vision
Assonance in those line is i . There is repetition of vowel sounds "i" is more dominant.
The worm in the wheat
Assonance in those line is E . There is repetition of vowel sounds "E" is more
dominant.
And in the shops nothing

Assonance in those line is O . There is repetition of vowel sounds "O" is more

dominant.
For people to eat,
Assonance in those line is O . There is repetition of vowel sounds "O" is more
dominant.
Nothing for sale in
Assonance in those line is O . There is repetition of vowel sounds "O" is more
dominant.
Stupidity Street
Assonance in those line is i . There is repetition of vowel sounds "i" is more dominant.
Rhythm
The pattern of sounds which the poet used is same. It has equal pattern in each
stanzas. The writer uses a simple word to express his feeling to the reader. Moreover, the
poem is hard to comprehend. I have to read many times to comprehend it.