From the Journal of a Disappointed Man Flashcards
‘I discovered these men..’
Immediately presents the workmen and their masculinity as almost like a new species to the speaker.
‘paraphernalia of chains, pulleys, cranes, ropes and, as I said, a wooden pile’
‘swinging over water’
Plosive alliteration - harshness and intensity of the men’s work and their traditional masculinity.
Listing/ enjambment of ‘swinging over water’ reiterates the practical/ difficult nature of their labour. Enjambment mirrors the movement of the pile - difficult nature of work etc.
‘paraphernalia’ ‘ruminative’ vs ‘Let go’ ‘Hold tight’ ‘all monosyllables’
Speaker and workmen are contrasted in different ways they use language. Speaker is defined by thought and language, using sophisticated and descriptive language. Workmen defined by strength, action and physicality with their functional simplicity in language.
‘even the men’ ‘powerful men’ ‘silent men’
Repetition of ‘men’ separates and isolates the speaker from them, and their traditional masculinity.
‘obscure movements’
‘I cannot say what’
Fascinated by the men, and their masculinity, but unable to understand their work.
‘monsters’
Metaphor - speaker is intimidated by the men - as if they belong to another world.
‘massive affair’
‘massive man’
Repetition of ‘massive’ emphasises the vastness, powerful and imposing nature of the men,
‘like a mystic into the water’
Simile. Men are capable of deep thought and reflection.
‘trajectory of his brown bolus…on its slow descent into the same depths’
Language used is typically poetic - the speaker is not judging the men, but instead perceives their labour as profound and meaningful.
‘the most original thinker’
‘heavy kind of majesty’
Foreman is connected to qualities of grace, authority and respect - such qualities are carried like a burden : ‘heavy’
’ ,and me of course’
Caesura separated speaker and men.
Not certain what to do next, nor does he understand ‘the secret problem’ - remains a mystery to him.
Poem ends in an ambiguous and uncertain state.
