Analysis of BROWN PAPER BAGS (A Sharon Toner poem) By Nwafor Oji Awala

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Brown Paper Bags



As a child

I always felt

I was, nothing

Yes, nothing

Insignificant

No matter

How hard, I tried

My efforts felt, in vain

All I felt, was pain

I internalised my suffering

Hardly ever, said a word

As, once, when I did

The punishment, was absurd

Brown paper bags

Became a source, of comfort

In my hour of need

I’d tear bits off

And chew them

To satiate and feed

Quelling the pain inside

All done in secret

I couldn’t tell a soul

I don’t know how or why

This brought me some relief

I only felt

If I stopped

I would never

Live long enough

To have the chance

To be seen

It was a coping mechanism

That as a child, made sense

To all the nonsense and absurdity

It became, my only defence

Now, I look at brown paper bags

With, a kind of fondness

Being all grown up

Knowing, I’m not nothing

That, I was, always, something

I was me, then

And now, today

I’m totally, me, for sure

I’m the me, I was meant to be

Even with, all my hang ups

And insecurities

I’m no longer

Nothing

Anymore.

 

© S E Toner

 

ANALYSIS

INTRODUCTION: Sharon Toner, a poet who reflects on her own experiences, wrote the poem Brown Paper Bags. It talks about coping strategies, early trauma, and the path to self-acceptance.
On April 25, 2025, the poem was posted on the Metaphorical Poems Facebook platform.

Brown Paper Bags describes and communicates the intricacies of early emotions of inadequacy and the eventual recognition of one's individuality and worth. It functions as a universal investigation of development and recovery as well as a personal story.


THEME: Sharon Toner's poem "Brown Paper Bags" examines issues of self-acceptance, coping strategies, and childhood trauma. It examines the speaker's early experiences of grief and insignificance in contrast to their adult journey of self-awareness and affirmation.


SUBJECT MATTER: The topic of discussion centers on the speaker's experiences as a young child who felt ignored and unimportant and who turned to chewing brown paper bags as a coping mechanism for emotional distress. In the end, the poem emphasizes the journey from feeling like "nothing" to accepting one's actual identity, delivering a message of development and resiliency.


LANGUAGE: The language in the poem is poignant and evocative. Words like “insignificant,” “suffering,” and “pain” convey deep emotional turmoil, while terms like “comfort,” “fondness,” and “relief” suggest healing and acceptance. The repetition of "nothing" emphasizes the speaker's feelings of worthlessness, while the transition to affirmations like “I was always something” marks a significant shift in self-perception.

LITERARY DEVICES: Imagery: The brown paper bags serve as a powerful image representing comfort and a coping mechanism, painting a vivid picture of the speaker’s childhood.
Metaphor: The brown paper bags symbolize more than just an object; they represent the struggle for survival and emotional relief.
Repetition: The use of the phrase “nothing” underscores the speaker's internal battle and heightens the emotional impact of their journey.
Alliteration: Phrases such as “punishment, was absurd” and “suffering, hardly ever, said a word” create a rhythm that emphasizes the internal struggle.

SOUND AND RHYTHM: The poem's organic, conversational tone is made possible by its free verse form. There are times when the rhythm evokes a sense of movement and flow even when it does not strictly follow a syllabic pattern or rhyme scheme. The reader can absorb the weight of each line thanks to the reflected aspect created by the use of pauses like commas and line breaks.


STRUCTURE

Stanzas: The poem's organic sense is enhanced by the fact that it is composed of multiple stanzas of varying length.

Line Breaks: Line breaks are frequently employed to highlight specific words and encourage introspection, which heightens the words' emotional impact.

Rhyme Patterns: The speaker's feelings and experiences are chaotic, and this is reflected in the poem's lack of a consistent rhyme scheme.

Punctuation: The reader is guided through the poem's emotional highs and lows by the rhythm that is created by the employment of commas and periods.

Nwafor Oji Awala

Nwafor Awala is a poet, publisher and media personality. 

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