A minor role Flashcards
Briefly describe what the poem is about
A woman who has a severe unnamed illness - and yet she is never given the “star role”. Instead priority is given to her health, her illness rather than her personality
“I’m best observed on stage”
Extended metaphor of acting highlights the way in which perhaps the speaker is constantly acting, if only a little, to conceal the truth behind her illness
Theatre = could represent hospital theatres
“making endless Exists and entrances with my servants platter”
assonance of soft e sound - almost like internal groaning and the fact that its in enjambment highlights the overflow of pain that the speaker tries to act over and conceal
“Yes sir, oh no sir”
Italics - highlights how accustomed she is to saying these words it doesn’t even need to be in dialogue. Its almost like its second nature
“But my hearts in the unobtrusive…..: Sustaining the background music of civility”
semi colon - illness never sops
“You may see me at home in the streets.. oh getting on getting better my formula For well meant - meant intrusiveness
Lack of confidence and assertion from the speaker
“incase” - implies its a rarity yet she still has a whole formula
“At home” - shift to her private life
” answer the phone, Be wary what i say to it, but grateful always;”
“it” - no personal emotional connection
“pretend all’s well Admit its not”
Potential allusion to Shakespeare “all’s well that ends well” except we get a subversion
“the terrible drone of the chorus: Yet to my thinking this act was ill advised It would have been better to die. No it wouldn’t!”
Speaker chooses to embrace her illness and live her life even if it is only a minor role and encourages us to do the same
“I am here to make you believe in life.”
Carpe diem ending. Encourages us to realises the brevity of life and argues that we should enjoy yourselves while we can.
