"Smoke" by Dorianne Laux

Paper Summary:

The paper examines how Dorianne Laux focuses on the physical and mental pleasure brought about by the act of smoking as well as the concomitant danger of the habit. The paper shows how the entire poem is filled with the juxtaposition of the beauty and danger of smoking, conveying that the very danger of smoking is part of its beauty.

From the Paper:

"The poem, "Smoke" by Dorianne Laux has as its central topic of focus both the danger and beauty of smoking. The assertions she makes in her poem can however be applied to all types of addiction. An addictive habit ensnares not because of its danger, but as a result of its very attractive beauty. In the poem, Ms. Laux then focuses on the physical and mental pleasure brought about by the act of smoking, and also shows the concomitant danger of the habit. The reader is left with the impression that the very danger of smoking is part of its beauty. Like life, smoking would have been neither as beautiful nor as addictive if it had not ended in death."

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