The title of this poem has double meanings, as 'About His Person' is a term used by police when a dead body is found (and this suggests that he is dead), yet it could also mean what he has on him.
In the first stanza, the poet uses precision when he gives us a detailed account of the amount of change found in his pocket or wallet etc. The quote 'its date of expiry' suggests that the body was found on the same date that was written on the library card.
In the second stanza, the postcard is described as 'stamped... but franked', meaning it has been sent to him but is unusually blank. This leaves the reader asking questions about who sent it and why they would send a blank postcard.
The pocket diary was found 'slashed with a pencil' in the third stanza over the course of almost a month, implying that the man of which the body belonged to had been planning to go away, or had just not been busy.
The fifth stanza states that he has 'A final demand in his own hand'. This could give the reader the thought of a bill or debt that has been unpayed. 'in his own hand' could suggest that he is either holding it or that it is written in his own handwriting.
The poet has only two lines to each stanza in the poem, I think this is so that small pieces of mysterious information are read at a time, each leaving the reader time to think about the unanswered questions.
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
'Blessing' by Imtiaz Dharker
This poem describes a drought, most likely in a hot country such as Africa, and the people's reactions to a pipe bursting.
Dharker opens the poem with a simile; 'The skin cracks like a pod,' giving the reader an image of a sudden, dry action. The statement 'There never is enough water' indicates that there is a drought.
The word 'imagine' is used to show that the water is not actually there but the poet is almost tempting you. The quote 'echo in a tin mug' emphasises the emptiness and 'the voice of a kindly voice' implies that the people pray for the water as if it were a God. It could also imply that the water is a gift given only by a generous God.
The third stanza starts by emphasising the luck that the people are given when 'the municipal pipe bursts' using a metaphor; 'silver crashes to the ground'. Dharker then uses personification to show the commotion of the people wanting to taste the water and coming to it. In this stanza, there is yet another use of religious imagery when the word 'congregation' is used, as this can suggest a church-like ceremony that involves everyone. This can link back to the religious quote 'the voice of a kindly God' earlier in the poem.
The next five lines of the poem are said in a rush, as the poem speeds up due to the use of commas when listing. 'Butts in, with pots' describes the many people trying to collect and savour the water and Dharker uses 'frantic' as an adjective to emphasise the rush and panic to collect the water as quick as possible.
The last stanza contrasts with the previous, as the poet makes it clear that the adults are reacting in an excited but concerned manner, and the children are to be shown as only happy and excited. They are said to be 'screaming in the liquid sun;' this metaphor could refer to the reflections in the water or the uncontrollable spray of the water.
The quote 'polished to perfection' implies the dry skin of the people becoming moist and being treated, as 'the blessing (water) sings' which is used to describe the noise of the children enjoying it.
Dharker opens the poem with a simile; 'The skin cracks like a pod,' giving the reader an image of a sudden, dry action. The statement 'There never is enough water' indicates that there is a drought.
The word 'imagine' is used to show that the water is not actually there but the poet is almost tempting you. The quote 'echo in a tin mug' emphasises the emptiness and 'the voice of a kindly voice' implies that the people pray for the water as if it were a God. It could also imply that the water is a gift given only by a generous God.
The third stanza starts by emphasising the luck that the people are given when 'the municipal pipe bursts' using a metaphor; 'silver crashes to the ground'. Dharker then uses personification to show the commotion of the people wanting to taste the water and coming to it. In this stanza, there is yet another use of religious imagery when the word 'congregation' is used, as this can suggest a church-like ceremony that involves everyone. This can link back to the religious quote 'the voice of a kindly God' earlier in the poem.
The next five lines of the poem are said in a rush, as the poem speeds up due to the use of commas when listing. 'Butts in, with pots' describes the many people trying to collect and savour the water and Dharker uses 'frantic' as an adjective to emphasise the rush and panic to collect the water as quick as possible.
The last stanza contrasts with the previous, as the poet makes it clear that the adults are reacting in an excited but concerned manner, and the children are to be shown as only happy and excited. They are said to be 'screaming in the liquid sun;' this metaphor could refer to the reflections in the water or the uncontrollable spray of the water.
The quote 'polished to perfection' implies the dry skin of the people becoming moist and being treated, as 'the blessing (water) sings' which is used to describe the noise of the children enjoying it.
Friday, 16 March 2012
How does Shakespeare write about love in Sonnet 130?
In this sonnet, Shakespeare uses metaphors commonly used in love poems to get a message to the reader. He says 'If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun.' Referring to the time of which this poem was written, the rich would have powdered their skin to make them seem more beautiful, and this quote implies that Shakespeare's 'mistress' is an everyday person and doesn't live this rich lifestyle.
This needs to be finished.
This needs to be finished.
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
How is the relationship between the narrator and the lord presented in the poem ‘Cousin Kate’?
The story that is being told during the poem is told in the first person, affecting the reader by letting them see all from the narrator’s point of view which automatically influences them to feel empathy for her. It’s interesting for me to think of whether the reader would empathise for Kate, rather than the narrator, if she was the one whose emotions were focused on in the poem.
Throughout the poem, the narrator reveals the attitudes to love, marriage and unmarried mothers in the time in which the poem was written (over 100 years ago). She uses the similes ‘He wore me like a silken knot’ and ‘He changed me like a glove’ to describe how quickly the lord moved on after seducing and leaving her. This implies that, in this time, men could cast away a woman as they pleased. She also shows that people married for money, rather than love, by using quotes such as ‘bought me with his land’ and ‘palace home’- this wording also contrasts with the description of the narrator’s ‘cottage’ at the beginning of the poem, showing the reader the clear difference between the lives and wealth of the narrator and the lord. The narrator then shows the attitude towards unmarried mothers in this time period using quotes such as ‘outcast’ and ‘my fair-haired son, my shame’ (describing the child that was bounded on her by the lord). This tells the reader that mothers were frowned upon if they had no husband.
At the beginning of the poem, it is said that the narrator was ‘a cottage maiden’, using words such as ‘contented’ and ‘Not mindful I was fair’ to emphasise her innocence before the lord seduced her and to show that she wasn’t aware of her beauty. In my opinion, this emphasis is used to display how much the lord changed both the narrator’s life and her attitude to life by seducing and rejecting her in a short space of time.
The powerful language throughout the poem describes how the narrator was treated and the way in which she reacted to it, for example, ‘unclean’ is used to emphasise that she was a virgin until after she met the lord and that she is now frowned upon because she gave him her virginity. ‘Outcast’ tells us that she is no longer accepted as part of the community and that she is looked down on by others. The narrator then uses ‘howl’ to describe the emotional and exaggerated crying that she had little control of and implies that she thinks extremely little of the lord when she later uses the quote ‘I would have spit into his face’. Both this aggressive language and and the monosyllabic tone add to the angry tone that is used in the poem and helps the reader to really understand the narrator’s emotions and the effect these events have had on her.
Also adding to the confused and angry state of mind that we pick up from the narrator are oxymorons, which are used many times throughout the poem. For example she describes their love as a ‘shameless, shameful life’ which tells us that, although this was a happy and harmless relationship, it was not real love and she also became pregnant from it. At the end of the poem, the narrator’s son is described as ‘my shame, my pride’ declaring that, although he is her shame in other’s eyes as she is unmarried, she loves her child and is proud of him.
Finally, the last stanza introduces a different kind of love as the narrator begins talking about her son. The change of mood here makes her seem to have picked up quite a smug tone and she then describes her son as ‘fair-haired’, implying that he is pure. Also, referring back the the beginning of the poem, the narrator describes her own hair as fair, and so I believe that she is possibly saying this to show that he is more similar to her rather than his father.
Throughout the poem, the narrator reveals the attitudes to love, marriage and unmarried mothers in the time in which the poem was written (over 100 years ago). She uses the similes ‘He wore me like a silken knot’ and ‘He changed me like a glove’ to describe how quickly the lord moved on after seducing and leaving her. This implies that, in this time, men could cast away a woman as they pleased. She also shows that people married for money, rather than love, by using quotes such as ‘bought me with his land’ and ‘palace home’- this wording also contrasts with the description of the narrator’s ‘cottage’ at the beginning of the poem, showing the reader the clear difference between the lives and wealth of the narrator and the lord. The narrator then shows the attitude towards unmarried mothers in this time period using quotes such as ‘outcast’ and ‘my fair-haired son, my shame’ (describing the child that was bounded on her by the lord). This tells the reader that mothers were frowned upon if they had no husband.
At the beginning of the poem, it is said that the narrator was ‘a cottage maiden’, using words such as ‘contented’ and ‘Not mindful I was fair’ to emphasise her innocence before the lord seduced her and to show that she wasn’t aware of her beauty. In my opinion, this emphasis is used to display how much the lord changed both the narrator’s life and her attitude to life by seducing and rejecting her in a short space of time.
The powerful language throughout the poem describes how the narrator was treated and the way in which she reacted to it, for example, ‘unclean’ is used to emphasise that she was a virgin until after she met the lord and that she is now frowned upon because she gave him her virginity. ‘Outcast’ tells us that she is no longer accepted as part of the community and that she is looked down on by others. The narrator then uses ‘howl’ to describe the emotional and exaggerated crying that she had little control of and implies that she thinks extremely little of the lord when she later uses the quote ‘I would have spit into his face’. Both this aggressive language and and the monosyllabic tone add to the angry tone that is used in the poem and helps the reader to really understand the narrator’s emotions and the effect these events have had on her.
Also adding to the confused and angry state of mind that we pick up from the narrator are oxymorons, which are used many times throughout the poem. For example she describes their love as a ‘shameless, shameful life’ which tells us that, although this was a happy and harmless relationship, it was not real love and she also became pregnant from it. At the end of the poem, the narrator’s son is described as ‘my shame, my pride’ declaring that, although he is her shame in other’s eyes as she is unmarried, she loves her child and is proud of him.
Finally, the last stanza introduces a different kind of love as the narrator begins talking about her son. The change of mood here makes her seem to have picked up quite a smug tone and she then describes her son as ‘fair-haired’, implying that he is pure. Also, referring back the the beginning of the poem, the narrator describes her own hair as fair, and so I believe that she is possibly saying this to show that he is more similar to her rather than his father.
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