... enters, the situation of the woman he has come to visit is conveyed by a powerful image: "She lies/ in a white cave of forgetfulness". The cave is perhaps the effect of curtains around the bed or the pillow and sheets into which she seems sunken. The phrase ... 's limited consciousness of the world around her; she is withdrawn and remote in a cave of the mind. The word "white" also seems appropriate, often being associated with mental confusion (for example, "white noise") or sensory blankness. The frailty of the woman shown by the image in lines 21-22: "A withered hand/ ... her weakness...

• Word Count: 929
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School