Analysis of Poem called “ Roadwork in Jamaica” by Dave Soares

Imagine your gawking at the frustrating scene of a traffic congestion on your way to school.

‘Roadwork in Jamaica 'by Dave Soares is a poem that reflects a common dilemma associated

with roadwork in the caribbean. This analysis will dive into three core objectives: the poet's use

of literary devices. It will define the poet's thoughts as well as my personal interpretation of this

piece.

Without a doubt, the first stanza comes in with a bang ‘Men at Work!’ and then it gets silent,

“the sign screams silently” this is a strong oxymoron, telling the reader that there is an issue. The

writer in line three describes the air as a pregnant person, he is referring to the surrounding being

fused with the embryo of hard work and noise. “With road work there is no compromise” (line 4)

even with the heavy atmosphere this is just how it has to be there is no way around it. The use of

onomatopoeia in lines six to eight ending “or the whrr,whrr of electric motors in tow”(line 8),

has a sensual appeal to the reader's ears.

In stanza two the writer describes the silence as deafening ,this oxymoronic phrase is saying that

there is a lack of enthusiasm however that silence is broken by small boys squishing in the mud.

“Splash! Splash! Idle hands toss pebbles”(line 12) the writer has a lot to say about what is being

heard, also there could also be an allusion to the quote “Idle hand are the devil's playground”

referring to the fact that tossing of pebbles could lead to trouble on the work site. In addition,

“mired in silent sounds”(line 14) employs the fact that the pebbles may not even be heard but

eventually may clog the holding ponds.

Beyond the context of the “Roadwork” the writer moves to the “workers ” who are weak from

the physical exertion from their job, despite the hard work they reluctantly approach the

worksite, or “the land of waste”(line 16) as the speaker describes it.Without a doubt, by the

second to last line the reader has now gotten the idea that the work site is in a busy area where

motorists are traversing heavily, you could even go to say that the setting is in a rural area. In the

last line the speaker then goes to say that the flagman, and the signal artist waves them through at

a snail’s pace, which in turn is causing heavy congestion.

As the reader I notice that with every idea brought to the stanza by the writer, it seems, he is

searching for a means to address the traffic congestion surrounded by the roadwork in Jamaica

which could go even broader to include the caribbean.The writer used a compilation of

personification, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, allusion and simile to present his ideas.