212. Money by Victor Contoski

The poem Money by Victor Contoski is about the bad side of money, and what it does to a person. The major literary device used in the poem is personification. Throughout the entire poem, money takes on the acts of a human. The use of this personification helps the overall theme of the poem by stating many examples of what money will do and how it will eventually take over a person. For example, the poem begins with "At first it will seem tame" - the speaker is introduced to the money, and everything is calm. The next stanza begins "It will nest in your pocket" Contoski is now describing how the money is getting comfortable; back to the personification, money doesn't nest in a pocket, but by saying this, the reader understands that the money has settled in the speaker's life. In the third stanza, the money "will delight your friends" and "lick the legs of women" - the money is winning over the public. Of course, money cannot do this, but by saying this in the poem Contoski is showing that the money in the speaker's life is becoming more of a popular thing. By the fifth stanza, the money will "repay you with displays of affection" when you water it - saying that at the point in time, the speaker believes that by spending more money, he or she gets more out of it. In the sixth stanza, the money will "bite you gently on the hand" - representing the turning point in the money/person relationship. After a certain amount of time, the person is inferior to the money.


Other literary devices Contoski uses are similes and metaphors. Throughout the poem, he is constantly comparing the money to animals. The two similes he uses in the poem are "like a dog" and "like an amoeba" - Money is compared to a dog when it is described as licking the legs of women - an act of sucking up, and showing affection. It is compared to an amoeba when it's described as making love "in secret only to itself" - this simile is showing how the money may act as though it loves the person, but in actuality, it only loves itself; it doesn't care about the speaker. In the 7th stanza, the money is also referred to as an animal when it bites the person on the hand. An animal biting it's owner on the hand is a sign of them overpowering the owner, so in this stanza, Contoski is stating again that the money takes over and controls the owner. Finally, in the last stanza, the money is referred to as a poisonous animal. "There will be no pain but in thirty seconds the poison will reach your heart" The money, before you know it, takes control; like the venim of a snake after being bitten.


Personally, I like this poem. I agree with Contoski with his views on money. Money does take control of people, and it has become a serious problem in our society. I like how the poem is also like a story, telling the journey of how a person becomes consumed by their money. This poem is definitely one of the more interesting poems I found in the back of the book, and probably one of the more comedic ones as well.