The Value of Figurative Language, and Lyricism Across Time

While most of my blogs up to this point have covered thematic similarities, this piece will serve to analyze the similitude between Flannery O’Connor’s writing style, and that found in lyricism. This will notably pertain to country music, but also include reference to the works of Aristotle. The Evil Bear It Away, one of O’Connor’s most acclaimed novels, is rich with descriptive language, simile, metaphor, and poetic elements in general. She includes lines like “The inside of his throat felt as if it were coated with burning sand,” or “he found her as pleasant as a shade tree,” or “he might have been Moses glimpsing the promised land,” towards the end (O’Connor — page numbers not available on my PDF). This is not only a  demonstration of her signature attributes as a writer, but also a contributing factor to what makes it a compelling read. When a character is expressing or merely experiencing their emotions, it is presented to the reader in language both elevated and figurative. They are also all elements that Aristotle considered worthwhile, and typical of quality drama/poetry. In Poetics, he writes, for instance, “To be a master of metaphor is the greatest thing by far. It is the one thing that cannot be learnt from others, and it is also a sign of genius” (Aristotle, Poetics). Evidently, he saw the value of poets and dramatists within his society — just as we have recognized and assigned inherent value to later cultural manifestations like country music and prose. Thus, even though O’Connor’s work is a novel, her employment of poetic language enriches the story’s resonance, and highlights the parallel mentioned above. Country singers were also considered poets, and “master[s]” of metaphor, as seen in the second half of episode VI of Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary. Charley Pride states, per example, that “[he] is in the business of selling feelings, lyrics, and emotions,” which of course is in reference to his profession as a country music star (Burns, 1:05:15). Clearly, there is a profound human appreciation for this sort of artistry, as an indelible value has been bestowed upon it across countless generations, spanning all the way back to (arguably) the cradle of Western Civilization. They have been recognized for their ability to contain strong and intriguing applicability, evoke (and debatably purge) emotions, bring about a sense of “oneness,” and be the product of geniuses across a vast and evolving stretch of time.