Picture 1: The first picture in the poem is a picture of a man staring at a city. We interpreted this picture to be standing against the stare of death which means he is facing a battle that he does not know if he can overcome.
Picture 2: This picture is clearly a picture of Obama and Putin giving each other the stare of death. “With head to head, I felt its gruesome breath” is the line we directly connected this picture to because in the poem, we interpreted in the sense that he is head to head with this battle that he must overcome and this is a good picture to represent that.
Picture 3 : This picture is an eye with fire and it represents the fire in the eyes of the man who is getting sparked by the crimson eyes of his demons.
Picture 4: This picture is relating to a scythe and it connects to the poem because in it, it says “Its scythe around my neck, which drew this line” and we believe that it signifies the turning point in his fight. The point where he is going to fight his battle, this is where we believe the mans limits are pushed too far and now is he is fighting his battle.
Picture 5: This is a picture of Logan from the movie “Logan”. “I walk with pride, although the scar is seen”. This is a perfect connection because Logan is a man full of pride and he has scars in this picture which relates to the poem of this man who is trying to regain his pride despite the mental scars.
Picture 6: “Although I could give up, Somehow I feel” This picture is a powerful picture of a man kneeling with the sunset behind him. He looks like he has almost given up but not fully given up. It connects because in the poem, the narrator seems to be giving up has not given up yet.
Picture 7: “There are some tasks I must and shall fulfill”. This shows that the narrator hasn’t given up yet and is ready to battle. This picture has a great connection because it shows a man climbing out of a dark place approaching the light. The narrator is in the dark and is trying to climb and fight this battle.
Picture 8 : This a creepy but simple picture, it just represents the demons the narrator has come across.
Picture 9: this picture is a woman screaming in agony. It relates to the poem because it is talking about how the narrator has let these demons drain his soul and we can connect that to agony.
Picture 10: This a motion picture of a man punching a punching bag until he knocks it down. The last line of the poem is “So I shall use what’s left to make them fall”. He is referring to these demons that he is battling and how is fighting to get rid of them. It connects to the poem because he is trying to knock down these demons as the man in the motion picture is doing to the punching bag.
Iambic Redemption is a poem about a man struggling to fight even when the whole world is against him and his inner turmoil is shown through metaphors with demons: “The cursed demons I have come across” (Massada). The poem addresses a psychological phenomenon since the man is facing an internal conflict within himself. He addresses this to the reader because he is placed in a setting of doubt and anguish in terms of who he is a person and whether or not he should fight again. The poem is a serious contemplative outlook on the perspective of a man who’s lost, such as: “I walk with pride, although the scar is seen”, “Although I could give up, somehow I feel” (Massada). Towards the end of the poem however, his tone shifts from a gloomy angry state at the fact that he is lost to a fight and he is willing to not back down from it. The whole poem itself is explained in iambic pentameter where each single line in a stanza is stressed towards the end. AABB rhyme scheme. It is a closed poem as it follows basic rhyme patterns and stanzas. This poem contains metaphors, similes, hyperboles and personification such as: “As I have let them slowly drain my soul”, “Alone I stood, against the stare of death”, “With head to head, I felt its gruesome breath” (Massada). The poem in summary is intense, dark, and proud of what it set out to accomplish for readers – it is a concrete poem telling the story of a man seeking to overcome his demon, toss aside his problems, and fight the world even though the odds are against him.