The poem Bull Kelp by Jessica C. Levine does a beautiful job of using figurative language like personification and similes to paint a picture of seaweed strewn about the boulders on a beach. The theme of ocean life is a constant presence in this poem- we are reminded in nearly every line of the brine, the tides, and the seaweed, dancing along the shore. The personification brings the ocean plants like bull kelp and rockweed truly to life- they aren’t just living plants that can be found in the sea, they are frolicking and applauding in this magical scene that Jessica C. Levine creates among the boulders and the waves.

Poetry gives this theme a very different tone. In horror and nautical fiction, ocean life is portrayed as hostile and unsettling- a grand challenge to fight against. In the review article I analyzed, it was portrayed as wondrous and fascinating, but with a very clearly scientific mindset. Even in the narrative I wrote, while the killer whales are magnificent to see, they are still frightening, and intimidating. Bull Kelp has none of that- none of the fear, or the science. There is some grandness, with “boulders shaped like shoulders of elephants” (Levine 6). However, the main tone that this poem provides- in my opinion- is whimsy. It is very interesting because literature about ocean life generally has at least some amount of seriousness, whether it is focused on information or fantasy. In Bull Kelp, Jessica C. Levine describes the ocean life as intriguing and playful, fascinating and alluring and fun. It is a very different way to look at this theme, and I wonder if it is very common in the genre of poetry, or if this is more of an outlier.

Poetry is difficult to define as a genre- in general, poetry uses rhythm, figurative language, symbolism, or a variety of the other qualities of language to perhaps tell a story, convey a meaning or idea, or invoke an emotion.