Amena Gibran

Period 6

English 8

October 31, 2019

Emotion in Poetry

According to English poet William Wordsworth, “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of

powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity.” A poem can

change how a person feels entirely. The poem “Style Is” by Quincy Troupe is one of those

poems, as it includes many literary devices that affect the reader’s mood while describing

attributes of people with “style.” The poem explains what beauty is like and how it connects to

style. In “Style Is” by Quincy Troupe, the narrator creates the feeling of relaxation and

light-heartedness by using figurative language which uses comparison to help the reader

understand ideas, sound devices that help communicate a tone, and sensory details which creates

images in the mind.

The speaker changes how the reader feels with the use of figurative language. For

example, the statement ​“Good taste trailing like fresh waterfalls [...] sing like morning birds”(10)

demonstrates two examples of similes in one sentence to convey the feeling of blissfulness.

“Sing like morning birds” compares the singing of someone to that of the sound of morning

birds. By comparing the person’s voice to morning birds, it makes the reader think about the

pretty songs birds sing and how beautifully melodic their voices are. Additionally, “Good taste

trailing like waterfalls” is another example of a simile and acknowledges that their style and taste

is “trailing” like a waterfall. When the author states that they have a taste that trails like a “fresh
waterfall” it makes the reader think of a powerful waterfall that extends for a distance, implying

that the person is not only leaving their good taste wherever they go but also that their style is

spreading quickly to everyone around them.

Furthermore, the poem’s narrator impacts the emotions of the reader by using sound

devices. The use of onomatopoeia and alliteration in the phrase ​“Bebop” (1) and “They strut their

sweet stuff blooming cologne” (7) creates rhythm and the feeling of pep and jazziness ​in the

reader’s mind. The first thing the narrator describes in the poem is the definition of style to be

“bebop” which is an example of onomatopoeia. The word “bebop” has a jazzy, enthusiastic

connotation that lifts the reader’s spirits. Another example of sound devices in the poem is

alliteration, where the appearance of the beginning consonant letter s is repeating in a sentence.

The alliteration in the sentence ​“They strut their sweet stuff blooming cologne” ​adds a more

peppy and playful effect to the poem which has a positive impact on the reader’s emotions. All

of the usages of sound devices contribute to the reader's perception of the poem.

Lastly, the author uses the stylistic technique of imagery and sensory details to influence

the reader’s fondness of the poem and to produce a sense of delight in the reader’s mind. The

author chose to use sensory details in the quote “Their voices cascades of honeyed syllables like

[...] breezes licking silver tongues, kissed through shivering wind chimes.” This use of imagery

depicts that the person’s voice is smooth, soothing and the words that come out of their mouths,

off of their “silver tongues,” is like a breeze through wind chimes. The author compares the

person’s voice to a breeze and the glorious sounds it makes when blowing through wind chimes.

The colorful language activates the reader’s sense of taste by using the word “honeyed” which

causes the reader to imagine the sickeningly sweet taste of honey in their mouth. The word
“breezes” appeals to the reader’s sense of touch as they imagine the feeling of a cool breeze on

their skin. To summarize, the poem puts the image of wind chimes moving to create music in the

reader’s head and to appeal to the reader’s sense of hearing by compelling them to imagine the

sound of wind chimes jingling in the wind.

Poet Quincy Troupe’s use of literary devices creates a feeling of blissfulness and joy for

the reader. In “Style Is” by Quincy Troupe, the narrator creates the feeling of bliss and

light-heartedness by using figurative language, sound devices, and creating images in the mind

with sensory details. These stylistic techniques cause the reader’s emotions to change because of

certain words used in the poem which causes the reader to have a generally positive reaction.

The importance of literary devices such as figurative language and imagery must be known when

an author is writing a poem if they want to produce a certain emotion in the reader’s head.

Style Is by Quincy Troupe

Style is bebop, cool jazz slick strolling

words phrased through space in a blue span
of time, is hip-hop, rap, & attitude cruising
a deep way of thinking rooted in a stance, is a man,
or a woman, dressed to fashion plate perfection, their clothes hung just so,
“Clean” as a Miles Davis muted solo,
they strut their sweet stuff blooming cologne
& perfume behind them, are wrapped inside a bearing,
good taste trailing like fresh waterfalls, their voices
cascades of honeyed syllables sing like morning
birds, or breezes licking silver tongues,
kissed through shivering wind chimes