Max Prigent

Mrs. Ward
English 10
September 18, 2015
DID Strategy for Heights of Macchu Picchu
In The Heights of Macchu Picchu, Pablo Neruda uses figurative language to express the
emotions he feels. By using specific, carefully picked words and mentioning details, Neruda is
able to paint a picture that brings the reader to his perspective.The tone of the poem is somber
because of the way he explains the poem to his reader.
First, Neruda uses words such as exhausted, beaten and wasted. These words are
all uses in a way that shows a negative outlook. He talks about how everyone has small deaths in
their lives, and that people die on the inside a little bit. When he says,the mightiest death has
invited me many times, he explains that upon seeing the ruins of the Inca a little part of him
inside has died and that it brings him closer to death. Death is a somber idea. Finally, the way he
uses cold in a way that explains that life is colorless shows why the tone is somber.
Furthermore, Neruda paints a dark and gloomy picture within the poem. The way he talks
about his surroundings by saying nighttime, weakened and dust makes it feel like a black
and white picture. He continues by saying there was no light, no fire and empty village as
well as broken wellsprings. He barely ever describes the landscape in a positive way.
Finally, he uses very definite words to get his point across. For example instead of simply
saying plant, he said hungry, hidden plant. This shows how he wanted to make it the bad guy
and portray it in a way that yet again makes the place seem like the color has been sucked out of

it. He also says, scattered clothes and fearful races, which both add up to show that somber
is the theme of the poem.
There are many, many examples of diction, imagery and details in The Heights of
Macchu Picchu, and all of them show one thing: the entire poem is written to be somber. This is
obvious to anyone who reads it, and by using that precise wording, Pablo Neruda is able to paint
a dreary picture while still creating a beautiful work of literature.