The Pairing of Terns is a love poem; it is seen as a comparison to what humans feel when they are in love: "...Humans lovers only know it in their dreams". The love which the terns are expressing is compared to human love as a plain imitation. The love these seabirds are expressing have more depth and strength in comparison to human love. This use of comparison is used consistently throughout each stanza in the form of similes and metaphors:"...wings taunt as the sharp stretched skin of a pterodactyl..." "..quick as a kite..", “... riding the weird and unguessable surf of the air, blown round the compass” “wind on the waves of a twilit bay”, “...row back hard plying with swift strokes their strong feathered oars, beating into curd the thick vortices of air”. There are also many metaphors of love throughout the poem, “riding the weird and unguessable surf of the air”, “locked in pairs by invisible steel”, “their love is everything for which we have only metaphors”. Also, through the use of a paradox, “wild oceans of distance, and feathertip closeness”, the strong loves of the terns are shown. This text works as a love poem as the author has used the paradox of ‘distance’ and ‘closeness’ to express the unconditional love of the terns. The paradox is saying that it doesn’t matter how far away the terns are from each other, their love will always stay strong. They will embrace the fact that they are ‘oceans’ away from each other and through their love, they will feel as close as they will ever be. The use of the techniques simile, metaphor and paradox emphasize O’Connor’s strong use of vivid imagery to make the reader feel as if they are actually there experiencing the love of the terns with their own eyes.
Another Mark O’Connor poem is ‘Turtle's Hatching’, this poem contemplates the mystery of birth and death through the close observation of turtles hatching. It is a known fact that turtles return to the same beach every year to lay their eggs, and from this, their young make a hard journey across the sand to the sea to begin their life's journey. Throughout the entire poem, O'Conner's precision for image and photogenic detail creates the almost perfect outlook for the readers which can be depicted as 'picturesque'. This is shown through the use of both a simile and a metaphor, “great horny claw like a parrot’s beak had crushed the midsection, sheared off the head, and behind moved the armoured tarantula legs of a hairy scuttle with lobe-stalked eyes”.
Mark O'Connor starts the poem with a single line which emphasizes the information he is giving the audience, which continues into the next line, producing a sense of importance. The poet uses imperative sentences and personification in the line, for example in the second stanza: "...Downhill, fast; when you hit water, swim", this is used to permit the reader inside of the turtle's head. O’Connor also created stress on words at the beginning of the lines, such as 'last, will be picked', this creates a tone of determination and established the chance of survival.
In the fourth stanza, the poets uses hyperboles like "castles and every hole an abyss" to create a vivid imagery emphasising the danger of the turtles situation. "Scrambling, sand, scrabbling, slime, sculling and sand pools" are all examples of alliteration, and adds onto the growing environment that O'Connor is attempting to convey to the readers. The simile, "as a dry handshake" is used to help create a description of a turtle, depicting the impression of a childish pleasure.
Throughout the entire poem, O'Connor uses heavy description and literary terms which develops the environment he is describing, creating the clear image in the audience's mind. His choice of words, though is effective and corresponds with the scenery of the poem. This statement can also be referred in the previous poem, ‘The Pairing of Terns’.
Therefore, I believe that O’Connor writes with a precision of imagery and accurate, almost photogenic detail. I have shown this through the two chosen poems: the Pairing of Terns and Turtles Hatching. Mark O’Connor’s strength in ability to create vivid imagery and realism is shown throughout the two poems in order to entertain his readers.
