"Thanks for Remembering us" by Dana Gioia

In “Thanks For Remembering Us”, Dana Gioia uses a whimsical tone at first but then uses an accusing and dark tone. She uses simile, imagery, and symbolism to show how trust can break down in a family and how their relationship can be affected. At first it seems like the flowers are nothing to worry about but when they can't figure it out they stop laughing and then “we wonder” if one of them is actually having an affair. The next paragraph explains the breaking down of trust in a relationship and relationship itself by using the flower as a symbol. The “iris was the first to die” with “it’s sickly-sweet and lingering perfume”. This shows that the sweet and happy part of the relationship has died out. Eventually the whole flower dies and “the room smells like a funeral”. This shows how the trust in the relationship has now died out completely. Gioia’s use of symbolism, simile, and imagery shows us how trust can be broken down in a relationship over just one “small crime”.