Bad Day

In “Bad Day,” Kay Ryan sets a pensive and empathetic tone, using syntax and metaphor to show that even the most simple jobs come with opportunities for introspection and searches for meaning. Throughout the poem, the lines are the same length and there is very little dramatic changes in grammar. Ryan purposely does this to show the seemingly routine life of the tailor. Every day is the same, going to his job and fixing up clothing for customers. However, he uses the metaphor of the cloth to show that there is much more to this job, and the tailor sometimes has days of clarity and sometimes just can’t understand anything in his life. Although he’s doing the same job everyday, his thought processes are much different each day and his outlook on life is reflected by his job.