Diction is defined as the choice of words or the vocabulary in a poem or story. In Anne Sexton's masterpiece "Music Swims Back to Me", Sexton uses diction to her advantage to entice the reader and create visual images to convey a message. Her word choice uncovers hidden meanings of words and phrases to tell what it was like for her to be institutionalized. Sexton's choice of a dark tone adds another element to the poem.

Anne Sexton's diction breathes life into "Music Swims Back to Me" because her use of words with double meanings and certain subliminal thoughts of the way words sound. The phrase, "Oh, la la la, the music swims back to me" not only has a musical quality, it also renders elusive thoughts. Sexton's use of "oh, la la la" allows the poem to flow on giving it a poetic rhythm and can trigger...