She believes that peace exists in that painting and that dying in that state of mind is the way that she wants to go. Using the elements of poetry, she expresses that basic theme of dying and being in a better place. Sexton magnificently uses elements such as voice, diction, figure of speech, and symbolism to create a dramatic view of how she wants to die and how she sees her much anticipated death as hopefully being peaceful and solemn.

             Figurative language, as opposed to literal language, is used in "The Starry Night." The author purposely hints around about what she is trying to say. She also uses simile in the poem; for example, ".one black-haired tree slips up like a drowned woman into the hot sky" and ".to push children, like a god, from its eye." These phrases are used to signify what these objects look like, not to describe exactly what they are. Personification is also used in this poem. Words such as "boil" are used when describing the sky and "bulges" when talking about the moon. These inanimate objects are given lifelike characteristics because they further explain how real this scene truly is. She is depicting a scene of night, of peacefulness and serenity. Therefore, the poet uses certain words and phrases to make the effectiveness of the poem more concrete. Sexton's desire to die is easier to understand when she uses figurative comparisons because she uses these to create universal feelings in her writing. .

             Symbolism is one of the most important elements of "The Starry Night". In Sexton's poem, she uses many symbols to help describe her feelings. The "black-haired tree" represents her because it is the only object noticed in the town, or rather, in society. She is visualizing the town and seeing herself there, being alone and gazing out into the sky. She also uses allusions to show how evil and tormented she feels. The poem reads, "The night boils with eleven stars.