Brooklyn cop Flashcards
Brooklyn cop - key themes
Isolation
Fear
Violence
“And who would be who have to be his victims”
Ambiguous rhetorical question
Word choice of “victims” connotes suffering or death which suggests that the cop is as much a cause of violence as he is a protecter from it
Criminals are no match for the cop and once they involve him in conflict they will become his victims
“Whose home is a place he might, this time, never get back to”
Sentence structure
Use of parenthesis in “this time” slows and lengthens the sentence which increases our sympathy of the cop and implies the danger he faces every day
Makes the reader think that although he was lucky today and made it home he may not be as lucky another day
Clear contrast between the dangers he faces while working and the safety and security he feels at home
“Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick”
Rhetorical question
Makes the reader consider who would want the job of a cop, which is necessary to protect the public, but very dangerous and undesirable
The return to the gorilla metaphor
Cop has become more and more intimidating as the poem progresses - “like a gorilla” then “he is a gorilla” and now he is still a gorilla but with a weapon added
The escalation of brutal and savage behaviour mirrors the hardening of the cop as he becomes desensitised to his dangerous environment
“Build like a gorilla but less timid”
Simile comparing the cop to a gorilla
Just as a gorilla is a huge and powerful creature, so too is the cop very large and strong
This hints at the treat of violence beneath the surface of the cop who may initially seem civilised
Word choice of “timid” connotes fear and apprehension
Suggests the cop is more scary than the gorilla, a creature which is not known more it’s calm attitude and self restraint
“Thick-fleshed”
Word choice of “thick fleshed” is a play on the phrase ‘thick skinned’ which connotes being tough and resilient
This suggests he has become desensitised to the abuse and dangers he suffers each day while working and that it is deification to hurt him
“Thin tissue over violence”
Metaphor comparing the line between civilisation and violence to a thin tissue
Just as a tissue is very fragile so too is the line between a civilised world and violence
This suggests that the world may become violent very quickly as violence is never far away
Word choice of “thin” and “tissue” connotes weak and fragile
This suggests the line between peace and violence is paper thin and could break at any moment causing the world to become a dangerous place
The cop’s vulnerability is introduced as he represents the only thing preventing society from breaking out into violence
“Between Phoebes wham burger and Louie’s place”
These are two very American sounding places that sound cheap and untrustworthy/dodgy suggesting that criminals and dangerous people may go there to hang out and cause trouble
“See you babe’ to his wide. He hope it he truly hoped it”
“See you babe” is a cliche phrase said to people’s significant others
This highlights that although the cop may seem insensitive he is however still a human with feelings and fears
Sentence structure
Repetition of “hoped it” brings back the meaning to “see you babe” which is overused and has become meaningless
This implies that the cop genuinely means these words and genuinely fears not coming home to his wife each day he is at work
He hides his vulnerable side from those around him in fear of appearing weak
“Should he plunge into violence”
Word choice of “plunge” connotes falling quickly or sudden impact
This suggests the sped in which the world could become uncontrollably violent
“Should the tissue tear”
Return to the tissue metaphor
In this context the tissue is the divide between between civility and violence and the tissues fragility implies how easily violence could occur, and how quickly the cop could be placed in a dangerous situation
The combination of the soft ‘sh’ sound and the hard ‘t’ sounds highlight the fragile barrier between peace and violence
