Seeing 1
In House by the Railroad, Hopper directs the attention to the house, but makes the reader view it as if it were a person. His descriptions bring the reader's attention to the elements surrounding the house. The situation is quite desolate, and the over all tone seems to be one of hopelessness. The house has been abandoned both by the sky above it and the earth below it. No trains pass by on the tracks. It is a sad and lonely picture. The "last afternoon shadow" is vivid both in the poem and picture. The house seems to become more desolate the longer it is stared at.
Seeing 2
Hirsch's poem makes the picture come alive. He focuses on attributes of the house itself as well as its surroundings. It makes the viewer see the painting as a person, with emotions and feelings such as shame. He uses words and phrases like "being stared at"and "gawky". He also uses the overall themes of someone holding their breath under water in anticipation and general loneliness. When he repeats these phrases and themes toward the end, it is clear they describe him, a real person, as opposed to personifying the house like they do at the beginning of the poem.
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