Week 14 - Azkah Anjum “Aphorism”

 Aphorism

(Noun) a brief saying or phrase that expresses an opinion or makes a statement of wisdom without the flowery language of a proverb

“I have grown accustomed to a lifetime of aphorisms / meant to assuage my fears, pithy sayings meant to / convey that everything ends up fine in the end” (“When people say ‘we have made it through worse before’” - poem by Clint Smith)

In the poem I chose to analyze for an essay, the word ‘aphorisms’ stood out to me. I had never encountered the word before reading it in this poem. After learning the meaning of the word, I realized that this word played a significant role in conveying the message of the poem. The poem revolves around the delusive impact of sympathies offered by others to those suffering. Therefore the word ‘aphorism’, which is similar to commonly known words such as sayings, mottos and proverbs, defines the main topic of the poem. 

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