Internal Struggle in "El Viento en La Ilsa" ("The Wind on the Island"): How Can We Choose? Anonymous 12th Grade

In the poem, "El Viento en La Isla," Pablo Neruda develops the theme of internal struggle by using vocabulary and images of nature and love. This allows him to illustrate, rather than simply tell of, his own inner struggle: to stay with his lover, or to pursue his political career as a socialist. Throughout the poem, he also writes with rhetorical figures, such as metaphors and personification, to show the strong influence that the two choices have on him.

To develop the theme of internal struggle, Neruda uses short stanzas to have an effect of urgency and frankness. He does not have long or verbose sentences. Rather, he delivers his message in a clear and concise manner, but a manner that is still very powerful. The vocabulary in the poem at first glance seems ordinary and every day. For example, Pablo Neruda uses words related to nature such as "horse," "sea," "rain," "wind," "foam," "shadow," and "the lone night." He also uses words related to the body such as "arms," "mouth," "front," "bodies," and "big eyes." These words are not very elaborate or complex, but when looking closer, it becomes evident that these simple and basic words can still have very deep effects and evoke strong emotions. The vocabulary related to nature...