Love That Dog

Jack’s syntax continues to reflect his youthful enthusiasm. As Jack develops his skills, he implements more literary devices such as repetition, exaggeration, and diction—each choice mirroring his innocence and growth alike. He repeats words like “wow,” “really,” and “best” upon learning of Myers’s visit. This repetition not only nudges readers to pay close attention but also showcases Jack’s state of mind in an exaggerated—but no less genuine—way. He sees Myers’s visit as “the best best BEST / news / ever” (75) and later describes Myers “smile-smile-smiling” (82). Jack exaggerates without use of repetition as well, thanking the poet “a hundred million times” for taking a break from his busy life to visit (82). Jack’s diction nearly doubles as onomatopoeia, like when he describes Myer’s laugh as “bubbling up and / rolling and tumbling / out into the air” (83). He chooses sounds that express his emotions, the fast-paced rhythm of the consonants representing excitement. Jack’s linguistic creativity shows how both his mind and heart grew throughout the book.

After the climax—Jack’s heavy poem “My Sky”—he writes a shorter poem that allows readers to sit with the emotional fallout. The brief pause also signals the start of falling action, which doesn’t remain melancholy for long. Jack soon hears exciting news about his favorite poet, which provides a lively closure to another narrative thread. The book’s overall suspense lessens and the mood shifts from sad to inspired. Though Jack still grieves his dog’s death, wonderful experiences await him in the future—with Myers’s visit proving that the end of one chapter doesn’t necessarily mark the end of one’s story.

The story’s resolution manifests via Jack’s secret poem, which he sends to Myers. The poem ties a few loose ends: Readers get to read Jack’s long-hidden poem; readers fully understand Sky’s narrative and emotional context; and Jack makes himself (and his poems) vulnerable to not only his teacher and classmates but also to his literary hero.