Commentary on "Auto Wreck", by Karl Shapiro

This poem is about the time following a car crash, when the ambulance is arriving, and taking the body away. The first stanza concentrates more upon the physical description of the crash, and while there is still emotion in the first stanza, through the use of emotive language, metaphor, and imagery, the second stanza is the stanza that explores the emotions felt after the car crash.
Karl Shapiro, the author, starts the poem with an image of a bell. At first, the bell seems peaceful, because of the words soft and silver, and the sibilance created by the two words. This starts the poem with…