Edwin Morgan poems Flashcards
A cup capsizes along the formica,
Plosive alliteration highlights the harshness of the sound; also alludes to how threatened and intimidated the old man feels.
slithering with a dull clatter.
‘slithering’ triggers thoughts of a snake – again suggesting a threatening presence. The alliteration of the ‘c’ sound is continued. Seeming oxymoron in ‘dull clatter’
An old man is trying to get to his feet
from the low round stool fixed to the floor.
‘trying’ highlights the struggle such a simple task is for this character, a task made more difficult by the height of the stool and its immovability
Slowly he levers himself up, his hands have no power
VOCAB: Inversion = reversing/changing the expected order of words in a phrase to draw attention to a particular idea
The task is onerous, strenuous. He is helpless, frail. Inversion used to emphasise slowness.
He is up as far as he can get. The dismal hump
**VOCAB: Transferred epithet = when an adjective is used to describe a thing other than the person/thing which it actually affects, often used to describe the thing causing the effect.
Transferred epithet in ‘dismal hump’; the man’s depression and gloom is transferred onto one of its causes – his humped back. Signifies that the hump has control over the man’s emotional state.
looming over him forces his head down.
‘looming’ implies a menacing oppression – the hump is a powerful monster intimidating him. Idea of control repeated in ‘forces’. Double meaning perhaps implied in this last phrase – physically his head is pushed forwards but could also be interpreted metaphorically; the hump keeps his spirits low.
He stands in his stained beltless gabardine
VOCAB: Gabardine = a long, loose coat made from a sturdy, tightly-woven fabric
His appearance is unkempt, dirty. Pitiful image created. He clearly has no-one who cares for him – this makes him seem more vulnerable and pitiable.
like a monstrous animal caught in a tent
in some story. He sways slightly,
Simile relates the man to a feral animal which has been unwillingly caged; creates notion that he is simultaneously nightmarish/sub-human, frightening to those around him and trapped by his wretched, deformed body.
the face not seen, bent down
in shadow under his cap.
His features are concealed – dehumanises him, encourages the notion that he is considered by those around him as a thing rather than a man.
Even on his feet he is staring at the floor
or would be, if he could see.
The suppression of this last detail – almost as an add-on – makes it more tragic; as if he does not suffer enough with the hump, he is also blind.
I notice now his stick, once painted white
but scuffed and muddy, hanging from his right arm.
Repeats idea that he is shabby, un-cared for.
Long blind, hunchback born, half paralysed
This list drives home the extent of his disabilities and so his pathos.
he stands
Placed alone on a line to suggest he is admirable, almost heroic, for standing despite the hardships just listed. Heroism the quickly diminished with:
fumbling with the stick
and speaks:
‘I want – to go to the – toilet.’
Halted speech shows his hesitance, reluctance to speak, doubt.
It is down two flights of stairs, but we go.
I take his arm. ‘Give me – your arm – it’s better,’ he says.
Inch by inch we drift towards the stairs.
The journey is slow, laborious. ‘drift’ highlights the suffering pace.
A few yards of floor are like a landscape
to be negotiated ,
Simile reminds us how arduous such an insignificant journey is for him. Details unworthy of our attention become huge hurdles, obstacles.
in the slow setting out
time has almost stopped.
Progress is so stilted that time itself does not seem to pass.
I concentrate
my life to his:
‘concentrate’ suggests both the narrator’s focus on his dependent but perhaps also the notion that a ‘normal’ life must be condensed, reduced to fit to that of this poor man.
crunch of spilt sugar,
slidy puddle from the night’s umbrellas,
table edges, people’s feet,
hiss of the coffee-machine, voices and laughter,
smell of a cigar, hamburgers, wet coats steaming,
and the slow dangerous inches to the stairs.
This extended list reminds us how threatening and hazardous daily life is for the man, how we unwittingly make life even more difficult for the disabled.
I put his right hand on the rail
and take his stick. He clings to me. The stick
is in his left hand, probing the treads.
I guide his arm and tell him the steps.
We see how helpless and dependent the old man is – utterly at the mercy of his aid. ‘clings’ highlights his vulnerability – conjures images of a helpless child clinging to its mother.
And slowly we go down. And slowly we go down.
Repetition used to emphasise crawling pace.
Repetition used to emphasise crawling pace.
Contrast; his dishevelled state is made more prominent when he is placed in a pristine environment. Our sympathy is again evoked.
I set him in position, stand behind him
and wait with his stick.
His brooding reflection darkens the mirror
Narrator tries to give the man privacy but cannot avoid his miserable, bleak reflection in the bathroom mirror.
but the trickle of his water is thin and slow,
Physically decrepit. An action we take for granted. ‘trickle’ effectively implies there is no strength to his flow, just as there is no strength to the man.
an old man’s apology for living.
Metaphor; this pathetic stream of urine represents his remorse for his very existence. Very emotive.
Metaphor; this pathetic stream of urine represents his remorse for his very existence. Very emotive.
Transferred epithet; the sensation this struggle causes is transferred onto the excessive length of time this struggle persists.
I do up the last button for him.
He asks doubtfully, ‘Can I – wash my hands?’
Unsure if the narrator will be willing to prolong this chore.
I fill the basin, clasp his soft fingers around the soap.
‘soft’ reminds us he is unprotected, vulnerable, childlike.
He washes, feebly, patiently. There is no towel.
I press the pedal of the drier,
draw his hands gently into the roar of the hot air.
But he cannot rub them together,
drags out a handkerchief to finish.
Despite constant challenge, the old man persists, struggles on. Our sympathy is mingled with respect
He is glad to leave the contraption, and face the stairs.
‘contraption’ suggests a torture device; so much so he is ‘glad’ to ‘face’ his next ordeal.
He climbs, and steadily enough.
He climbs, we climb. He climbs
Repetition shows his determination.
with many pauses but with that one
persisting patience of the undefeated
which is the nature of man when all is said.
Our respect intensifies as the narrator uses this old man to exemplify the resilience and determination of humanity – that all adversity can be overcome with simple patience and perseverance.
And slowly we go up. And slowly we go up.
Repetition echoes the earlier descent, emphasises slowness.
The faltering, unfaltering steps
VOCAB: Paradox = a statement or situation which seems impossible, where two simultaneous elements cannot both be true or seem to contradict each other
Here, paradox suggests that the steps are hesitant, clumsy yet unrelenting.
take him at last to the door
across that endless, yet not endless waste of floor.
Another paradox. The journey feels endless but is, of course, not. ‘waste’ suggests a dangerous wasteland to traverse.
I watch him helped on a bus. It shudders off in the rain.
The conductor bends to hear where he wants to go.
Wherever he could go it would be dark
‘dark’ is both literal (blindness) and metaphorical (bleak, hopeless future)
and yet he must trust men.
Without embarrassment or shame
he must announce his most pitiful needs
in a public place.
Narrator reminds us the old man has no choice but to set aside dignity and place himself at the mercy of those who might avoid or abuse him.
No one sees his face.
Literally – he is hunched over so his face cannot be seen; metaphorically – no-one looks past his disability to see his personality, humanity.
Does he know how frightening he is in his strangeness
under his mountainous coat, his hands like wet leaves
stuck to the half-white stick?
Again, he is dehumanised, seen as a thing rather than a man
His life depends on many who would evade him.
But he cannot reckon up the chances,
having one thing to do,
to haul his blind hump through these rains of August.
The man cannot allow the potential for abandonment or abuse to deter him from seeking the help he needs – he is powerless to avoid such a risk.
Even Scottish weather cannot show kindness.
He is hindered, burdened by his own form.
Dear Christ, to be born for this!
Morgan’s compassionate indignation is pointed in this closing exclamation. He deems it a travesty that life must be endured in such conditions, with nothing to compensate for its struggles.
He seems almost outraged at a God who would subject a man to such misery from birth.
“The young man carries a new guitar in his arms
The girl on the inside carries a very young baby
The girl on the outside carries a chihuahua”
The happy group and the items they carry symbolises happiness and hope, and contrast is created between the cold weather and the inviting
Three wise men carrying gifts
The guitar represents the gift of giving
The baby represents Jesus and the chihuahua represents the animals present at the birth of Christ
“Their breath rises in s cloud of happiness”
Shows the contrast of the warmth of their friendship compared to the cold winter setting
The cloud is almost protecting them from negativity
Ophean sprig! Melting baby! Warm chihuahua!
Draws attention to the objects and the theme of 3 (3 wise men, 3 gifts)
The baby in its white shawl
White shawl symbolises purity, continues with the idea that the baby represents Christ
The vale of tears is powerless before you
The sorrows of the world cannot harm you at Christmas
The trios happiness cancels out sadness
