“After Midnight” vs. “Summer Night” The poems “After Midnight”, by Louis Simpson, and “Summer Night”, by Antonio Machado, both had their differences and similarities. First of all, both the poems have a visual image of dark elements. However, the poem uses imagery for dark houses. “Who lives in these dark houses? ” (Simpson 9). This quote shows that the poem uses imagery for dark houses, which differentiates from the poem “Summer Night”. This poem uses imagery for black shadows. “Stone benches, burning bush, and acacias / trace their black shadows / symmetrically on the white sand. (Machado 6-8). This quote uses imagery by using the words “black shadow”. These two words refer to a type of darkness. Both poems use imagery for dark elements, but both the poems use the dark element with different words. Secondly, both the poems include a type of lonely feeling; however, they both differentiate in their own way because of the choice of words used by the authors. The poem “Summer Night” uses different wording to imply the loneliness. “I walk through this ancient village, / alone, like a ghost. ” (Machado 11-12).

In this quote from the poem, the word that intends a lonely feeling is “alone”. This word is used along with a simile, comparing loneliness like a ghost, which distinguishes from the poem “After Midnight”. In this poem, the choice of wording is different. “I am suddenly aware / I might live here myself. ” (Simpson 8-9). This quote uses the word “myself” to infer a lonely feeling. In this case, the loneliness is not compared to anything like the other poem. Both poems however have a lonely feeling, but both differentiate due to a choice of words.

Lastly, when comparing the two, both poems are using the poetic device, simile. In the poem “After Midnight”, the quote “With only a drugstore glowing / Softly, like a sleeping body”, (Simpson 2-3) shows that the simile used is referring to the drugstore’s glow, which is being compared to a sleeping body. The poem “Summer Night uses simile in the quote “I walk through this ancient village, / alone, like a ghost. ” (Machado 11-12). This quote is referring to the narrator’s loneliness. The simile is used to compare the loneliness to a ghost.

Both quotes however are using the poetic device, simile. The two poems “After Midnight” and “Summer Night” are both very interesting poems that include different elements, making each poem unique; however, both poems have their similarities and differences; both poems use imagery for a dark element, but the dark element is different in both case; both poems include a lonely feeling at the same time both authors have worded their poems accordingly to their writing style; and both poems include a simile by comparing two things together using “like” or “as”.