A Consumer's Report Flashcards
What are different pieces of contextual information that we can use to explain why Peter Porter chose to write “A consumer’s report”?
The poem was written in 1970 in London, which was a time of peace and prosperity. This led to a rise in consumerism among the general population, which encouraged Peter Porter, a copywriter witnessing the boom of the industry, to write this poem.
What are two big ideas/messages in “A consumer’s report”?
- People are increasingly leaning on material things rather then spiritual things for contentment
- Life itself has ironically become a commodity(metaphysical conceit), even though that is technically impossible/paradoxical
What device is used in “I had a gift” and what effect does this have in the poem?
“gift” is used as a symbol for life, it expresses life as free and unsolicited. Perhaps the speaker is implying that life is unwanted, which shows his ambivalent feelings about it. We can link this to the context that Peter Porter attempted suicide twice
What device is used in “although the instructions are fairly large”
“instructions” is a metaphor for the laws, ethics, religion and philosophy that exist in the word. He is expressing their overwhelming, contradictory, and confusing nature, and raising the questions of “are we doing the right thing?”
What meaning does “it’s just to keep its maker in a job” convey and how?
“maker” can be interpreted as God, or a higher force. Perhaps the speaker is implying that the cynical commodification in the world is so powerful, even the maker of the word has been overtaken by it.
What meaning is conveyed in “sizes and colours should be uniform” and how?
In “should be uniform” the speaker condemns diversity, which perhaps shows the extent to which he has been dehumanized by commodification. Another interpretation is that the speaker believes diversity is an ‘inconvenience’, as it gives rise to conflicts.
What meaning is conveyed in “it’s very difficult to get red of”, and how does this link to context?
The speaker is alluding to death, as if life is hard to get rid of. This might be a direct reference to porters 2 failed suicide attempts in the 1950’s. This links back to the theme of life as an unwanted or unsolicited, so called “gift”.
What meaning is conveyed in “the competitive product you said you’d send” and how?
Perhaps the “competitive product” is a metaphor for death, that the speaker is almost looking forward to. This poem ends in a depressing tone, undermining the value of life and conveying the insignificance of it. No end stop in the poem shows that the speaker is waiting for a better, promised product - death
The poem is free verse, and informal. Explore the effect of this.
The irony here is that the speaker steers away from the format of a report(usually formal). This perhaps reflects their belief that humans are steering away from what is important.
