BROOKLYN COP - annotated Flashcards
Built like a gorilla
simile - starts with his intimidating physicality necessary trait for the job. also has connotations of being primitive - humanity hasn’t come as far as
we thought.
but less timid,
adds humour as a gorilla isn’t timid at all. Emphasises his toughness.
thick-fleshed,
double meaning - could just mean he’s big, or mean
that it takes a lot to unsettle him.
steak-coloured,
could be a reference to him being weather beaten or red in the face, angry. stereotypical image of American cop - big, tough, thick, insensitive.
hieroglyphs in his face that mean
trouble,
metaphor - comparing his eyebrows to Egyptian symbols. shows him to either be quite formidable, looking for a fight or mysterious - he’s difficult to read.
he walks the sidewalk and the
thin tissue over violence.
In NYC, violence is in the blood.
metaphor - suggests how easy it is to descend into violence. fragile layer between safety and crime - lurks just below the surface and can happen any time. poem has moved for cop’s physicality to the vulnerability of our
see you babe
colloquial language highlights the contrast between the tough, intimidating cop at the start and the loving one when away from the public eye.
he hoped it, he truly hoped it.
repetition - acknowledgement that this is the way things are - he is human with human hopes and
fears - not indestructible.
He is a gorilla
metaphor - changes from simile at start. dehumanising him - when he goes out he becomes this figure.
‘Hiya, honey’ is no cliché.
colloquial language/ alliteration - highlights his tender nature when with his wife. sense of relief. not just
a casual comment to him - feels genuine happiness to be home and safe.
Should
repetition - highlights uncertainty of NY and that
anything can happen suddenly.
tissue tear,
alliteration - creates harsh sound to represent the
violence taking over.
plunge
connotations of falling rapidly without control - reflects lack of control over the danger.
reflects structure of the poem too as the violent description comes soon after
what clubbings, what gunshots
unusual sentence structure as these should come with question marks but they are a certainty. him or criminals? thin line between society and law
enforcement.
Phoebe’s Whamburger and Louie’s Place.
names sound like mafia diners or places gangsters would hang out - gives an idea of the
neighbourhood.
Who would be him,
rhetorical question asks reader to consider who would possibly want to be in his position - makes us feel sympathy for him.
gorilla with a nightstick,
extended metaphor - cop becomes more animalistic, dangerous. phallic symbol to show masculinity. most
would have a gun - enjoys physically beating them.
home
double meaning - literal and metaphorical meaning - might not get home OR might lose his humanity through involvement with violence.
this time,
parenthesis highlights the unpredictable nature of his job.
never get back to?
rhetorical question to emphasise the uncertainty
surrounding his fate.
and who would be who have to be
his victims?
rhetorical question introduces pessimistic tone - cop serves his own kind of violent justice.
victims?
word choice - highlights that there is now no line between them - he is delivering the violence. meant to
save but looks the villain.
