THUMBPRINT ANALYSIS

Title
This poem might be about the author's thumbprint. It could also be about individuality
because all thumbprints are different and unique.

The author first talks about their thumbprint, then begins to expand with the fact that
everyone has a unique thumbprint. She then talks about her individuality as a person.

Connotation
The connotation of this poem is almost entirely literal. However, the meaning is more
in depth than just your fingerprint. It talks about your individuality as a whole.

Attitude
The tone of this poem is prideful 8about their thumbprint and their existence in life.
This is shown in lines 7-, "No other, however grand or base, can ever contain the
same." The mood created is fulfilling towards the audience. The mood is created by
words with a happy/good connotation. This is especially shown in line 5, "What a
treasure to own!", shows the pride and satisfaction of the author.

Alliteration-The author uses alliteration in the line,"Whorls, whirls, wheels" with the
"wh" sound at the beginning.

Anaphora- In the lines, "My signature", "My universe key", "my singularity", "my
own sun and rain", the word "my" is repeated to emphasize that her thumbprint
belongs to her and only her.

Extended Metaphor- The author compares her thumbprint to her personality over the
entire poem. "My own flesh", "My singularity", "Imprint my mark upon the world".

Metaphor- "Thumbing the pages of my time" represents the authors life as she affects
it. The authors life compared to a book.

Assonance- The "im" sound in "Impress, Implant" is repeated.

Metaphor- The line, "I make my own interior weather, my own sun and rain.",
compares the weather as her emotions.

Attitude
Shift
There is a tone shift in line 15. The author originally focused on her pride in her
thumbprint. After the shift, she becomes more broad in her thinking and the tone is
more hopeful for the future.

Title
After reading the poem, the title can still be interpreted as the author talking about her
thumbprint. It also could represent the author "making her mark on the world" with
her specific personality.

Theme
The theme of the poem is "Our differences make us unique". This is the theme
because in the beginning of the poem, the author states that her thumbprint is "mine
alone", which implies that no two thumbprints are the same.

Me
By Davie Huynh and Kayla Davis
I am one of a kind:

My thoughts,

My actions,

My personality,

I am me.

From the top of my head,

to the tips of my toes.

No one else can compare.

My existence,

growing and changing with time.

My one in a billion chance,

this life I was given

My social life which I have striven

I am myself!
And I am very hard to find.

All the problems I face,

I have overcome them,

solving them with grace.

And that is why,

I am one in a kind!

What are some literary devices used in

the poem "Thumbprint" by Eve
Merriam?

Eve Merriam uses sound devices, puns, and metaphors in her poem
"Thumbprint."

The sound devices she uses include alliteration, consonance, assonance, and
rhyme. In the beginning of the poem, the words "whorls, whirls, and
wheels" are strongly alliterative with the /wh/ sound, but they also have
consonance with the /ls/ sounds that occur at the ends of the words. "Flesh"
and "feelings" are also alliterative. Another example of consonance is the
/mp/ sound in the words "impress, implant." The words "contain" and
"same" are an example of assonance, or repetition of vowel sounds.
Although the poem doesn't contain a regular rhyme scheme, there are some
lines that have end rhyme. "Alone" and "own," "key" and "singularity," and
"sum" and "become" are the strongest rhymes. Finally, although alliteration
usually occurs in words that are in close proximity, the use of the word
"world" in the penultimate line creates pleasant alliterative symmetry with
"whorls" and "whirls" in the second line.

There are a number of puns, or examples of wordplay, in the poem. Lines 5

and 6 present two different meanings of the word "own." The thumb is said
to be a "universe key" and a "singularity." "Singularity" means uniqueness,
but it also can refer to matter within a black hole, giving it a double meaning
by its proximity to the word "universe." Likewise the two meanings of
"impress" are implied at the same time: to evoke admiration and to make a
mark. And the word "mark" has a dual meaning: First, it refers to having a
noticeable effect; second, it means to leave a physical sign.

The poem contains a number of metaphors, such as "universe key" and

"treasure," which cannot be taken literally. Near the end of the poem,
Merriam speaks of creating "interior weather." This is a metaphorical
description of one's mood and thoughts.

By using many metaphors, puns, and sound devices, Merriam creates an

evocative and intriguing poem.