20 pages • 40 minutes read
Prince EaDear Future Generations: Sorry
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Form and Meter
“Dear Future Generations: Sorry” is a free verse poem divided into five stanzas, and performed as a filmed, spoken word piece. The poem uses many rhythmical elements such as rhyme, variations in rhythm, and repetition. End rhyme is used throughout “Dear Future Generations: Sorry” to propel the piece forward and create music, rhythm, and flow. For example, in the start of the poem, the speaker states, “I hope you forgive us / We just didn’t realize how special the earth was” (Lines 7-8). These two lines end in a rhyme “us,” (Line 7) and “was” (Line 8). Similarly, the speaker repeats this in the following two lines when he states, “Like a marriage going wrong / We didn’t know what we had until it was gone” (Lines 9-10). Again, the speaker relies on end rhymes “wrong,” (Line 9) and “gone,” (Line 10) to create music in the poem.
By varying the placement of the end rhymes and internal rhymes–some come one right after the other, while some lines do not have end or internal rhymes for several lines. In this way, Prince Ea creates a feeling of suspension. When the poem uses rhyme, the language flows. When the poem does not rhyme, the language stalls. For example, in Lines 12-16, Prince Ea does not use any end or internal rhyme. Instead, he tries to explain something to his audience–an audience that, it turns out, are not familiar with the subject he is trying to explain: Trees. However, the moment Prince Ea starts describing trees (their characteristics, how they work for the betterment of humanity), the language begins to rhyme again and seems to flow effortlessly, as the memory of trees returns to the speaker: “Well let me tell you that trees are amazing / And I mean, we literally breathe the air / They are creating” (Lines 18-20). By strategically using end and internal rhyme when describing planet Earth, Prince Ea creates a natural and pleasing sense of beauty and admiration for the planet.
Alliteration
Prince Ea frequently uses alliteration in “Dear Future Generations: Sorry” to create a musical flow within the poem, and to emphasize contrasting images in the poem. For example, in Line 30 the speaker states, “And that wouldn’t make me so sad” (Line 30). The repeated “s” sound in this line with “so sad” (Line 30), combined with the multiple uses of “sorry” throughout the poem, creates a repeated sound that adds music and emphasis, emphasizing the speaker’s sorrow that the trees were cut down for money. Another example of alliteration is in Line 79 when the speaker states, “And change the climate of our souls” (Line 79). By repeating the consonant “c” sound in “change” (Line 79) and “climate” (Line 79), the speaker emphasizes climate change, literally reversing climate change in the verse, and highlighting the capacity for humanity to change the future.
One common characteristic of alliteration is that the words should flow in quick succession. This creates a musical sound, particularly when read aloud, with the rapid repetition of consonant sounds. Prince Ea uses alliteration throughout “Dear Future Generations: Sorry” to give rhythm to and play with the natural conversational tone of a free verse poem. For example, in Line 22, the alliterative phrase “food that feeds us” (Line 22) establishes a flowing rhythm within the line, particularly when following the rhyming phrase that came before it (“medicine that cures our diseases,” Line 22). Alliteration is especially useful in free verse poems where there is no set rhythm, meter, or rhyme scheme. It can establish a brief rhythm from line to line and create a sense of rhythmic consistency.
Simile
Prince Ea uses similes throughout “Dear Future Generations: Sorry.” In Line 8, the speaker compares the uniqueness of the Earth to a marriage when he states, “We just didn’t realize how special the earth was / Like a marriage going wrong / We didn’t know what we had until it was gone” (Lines 8-10). Here, humanity’s relationship to the Earth is compared to the marriage of two people. The speaker comments on how each of these things is often taken for granted. Humans take for granted the resources the earth provides (the soil, fresh water, food, sun, wind, rain, etc.)—elements that are required for humanity’s survival. Similarly, when two people are in a marriage, they can sometimes become so accustomed to each other that they begin to take each other for granted. However, only when it is too late to fix the problem (whether that be climate change or a failed marriage) is it possible to look back and realize how wonderful the earth (or the relationship with that person) had been.
A second simile is used later in the poem when the speaker calls the reader to action. Describing the farmer who looks at the root of the tree to diagnose a disease, the speaker compares humanity to that farmer stating, “Like that farmer / We must look at the root / And not the branches of the government / Not to the politicians run by corporations. / We are the root, we are the foundation” (Lines 72-76). This comparison of humanity to a farmer illustrates how important it is for humanity to be stewards of the environment and take climate change into their own hands. Like the farmer caring for his tree, Prince Ea encourages the reader to care for the planet, rather than waiting for someone else to. Simile is a powerful literary device and Prince Ea uses it in “Dear Future Generations: Sorry” to explain how important the earth is and how important it is for humanity to care about its destruction and its healing.
