After the Lunch Flashcards
Context
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Structure
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“On Waterloo Bridge, where we said our goodbyes,”
Begins with a refrain that repeats itself at the beginning of each stanza emphasising the importance of the location. An iamb followed by an anapaest (2 unstressed syllables followed by 1 stressed) creates lively pace.
“The weather conditions brought tears to my eyes.
I wipe them away with a black woolly glove,
And try not to notice I’ve fallen in love.”
Mixes the mundane with the romantic. The black woolly glove is unglamorous. The parting is a practical one yet the reader knows that this simple parting hides deep feelings.
“On Waterloo Bridge I’m trying to think:
This is nothing. You’re high on the charm and drink.
But the juke-box inside me is playing a song
That says something different. And when was it wrong?”
The speaker tries to rationalise her feelings and gain control. She provides herself reasons for her feelings , he is charming and she’s had a drink. “Juke-box” metaphor for her heart locating it in the past. Her feelings are out of control like a jukebox. Last line asks rhetorical question suggesting she is acknowledging her heart is reliable and if it is telling her she is in love then she is.
“On Waterloo Bridge with the wind in my hair
I’m tempted to skip. You’re a fool. I don’t care.”
“Wind in my hair” is classic trope for romance, signifying freedom and joy. The caesurae could represent the jaunty rhythm of skipping.
“The head does its best but the heart is the boss -
I admit before I am halfway across.”
She argues with herself as her head tells her to be sensible, her heart dismisses the anxiety. Heart is metaphor for love and mind is metaphor for rationality.
