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Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay
Welcome to the land of symbols, imagery, and wordplay. Before you travel any further, please know that there may be some thorny academic terminology ahead. Never fear, Shmoop is here. Check out our "How to Read a Poem" section for a glossary of terms.
There's a reason why we called this poem a mantra or even a manifesto – it outlines an entire philosophy of life. Like any good mantra, it repeats key phrases and formulations several times, which helps create a sense of stability and of increasing power. Every time the speaker begins a phrase with the words "these hips are," we begin to believe her just a little bit more!
With all the magic and power that Clifton is able to elicit by describing a woman's hips, we're a little scared to think about the strength she could unleash if she were to take on an entire body! This poem operates through the repetition of a single poetic technique: synecdoche. A synecdoche is a form of figurative language in which a part (hips) stands in for a whole (woman). Check it out:
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