from the journal of a disappointed man Flashcards
I discovered these men driving a new pile into the pier.
There was all the paraphernalia
of chains, pulleys, cranes, ropes and, as I said,
a wooden pile, a massive affair, swinging
I discovered- etablishes a clear bridge between him and these men
new pile into the peer-plosive masculine blunt p sound reprated. Introducesnmetaphor of the working classn being the foundation of society doing essential jobs. we depend on their labour.
paraphenalia- contrastsbthe monosyllabism of the working class men, immediately etablishes the speaker as having a different identity. references disparity in education.
chains, pulleys, cranes, ropes- unlike upper class this is what is associated with working class men. hard masculime labour.
over the water on a long wire hawser.
Everything else was in the massive style
as well, even the men; very powerful men;
very ruminative and silent men ignoring me.
hawser0 a massive rope made of wire. probably not used by the working class, highlighting the disparity between not only the speaker but the audience and these men (who may have access to education)
massive style- masculine values, idealise. emphasises these men are massive like the pile. they are the stoic machinery supporting society.
observation of these men sets apart the speaker
rumative- thoughtful, lost in the world
silemnt men ignoring me- he feels isolated from this ideal figure of a man- shows how so many in society are lost, including these men
Speech was not something to interest them,
and if they talked at all it was like this –
“Let go”, or “Hold tight”: all monosyllables.
Nevertheless, by paying close attention
Speech was not something to interest them,-stoic silenece - traditional idea that hysterics are reserved for women
let go, ghold tight- monosyllabic/primitive/ animalistic way of talking. the speaker idealises the image of the ‘primitive, idealistic man’
doesnt express emotion in language, suggests a sense of indiffernec to their work.
to the obscure movements of one working
on a ladder by the water’s edge, I could tell
that for all their strength and experience
these men were up against a great difficulty.
waters edge- sense of uncertainty, danger represented by waters edge. could represent the shared uncertainty of men around the world
up against a great difficulty- metaphor for these men blindly trying to fix the past, represented by the pier, just like we are blinly idealising these men not thinking about the problems they face
I cannot say what. Every one of the monsters
was silent on the subject – baffled I thought
at first, but then I realised indifferent
and tired of the whole business.
i cannot say what- ambiguous language of speajer]
monsters- dehumanising and recalls widespread perceptions of the working clss as as ‘primitive’, lacking education etc.
-suggests that this speaker is a whit collar man. sets them apart even further in a tone of judgement.
silent on the subject- ndifferent to upper class perceptions on the matter and indifferent to their work. they accept the opportunity (or lack their of) that they are given
so tired of the whole business- tired with judgement of society so they do not show a reaction
The man nearest to me, still saying nothing
but crossing his strong arms over his chest,
showed me that for all he cared the pile
could go on swinging until the crack of Doom.
still saying nothing- not using his voice recalls the traditional symbol of a man not being able to express emotion
crossing his strong armys- both a orotective and dismissive gesture. shows how he uses physicality to express emotion rather than his voice
that all he cared for- conforms to the idea of idleness associated with the working class
could go swinging on till the crack of doom- tired of the whole manual labour and hardship of working class life- tone of dismissiveness and meaninglessness (men who are the epitome of strength are not vioent but rumative of the life enforced upon them)
reference to doomsday through colloquil phrase- states they dont care until the end of time. maybe that this cycle of masculinity and class will always be there.
I should say I watched them at least an hour
and, to do the men justice, their slow efforts
to overcome the secret problem did continue –
then gradually slackened and finally ceased.
shows tiredness of life and life enforced upon them. lack of care shows that even the ideal stoic man is unhappy
-
One massive man after another abandoned
his position and leaned on the iron rail
to gaze down like a mystic into the water.
No one spoke; no one said what they saw;
water- nature; dissociation
no one said what they saw- nobody wants to speak or give into the vunerability of emotion. plays into traditional gender role
though one fellow did spit, and with round eyes
followed the trajectory of his brown bolus
(he had been chewing tobacco)
on its slow descent into the same depths.
fellow did spit- masculine gesture, tries to reinforce his masculinity in this moment ratherv than giving into emotion
round eyes- round connotesinnocence and uncertainty in the guise of the world. show the vunerability behind the masculine facade
tabacco- masculine symbol
depths- it disappeas into the unknown much alike how many are forced into an unknown path into an uncertain future whilst lives progress
The foreman, and the most original thinker,
smoked a cigarette to relieve the tension.
Afterwards, and with a heavy kind of majesty,
he turned on his heels and walked away.
majesty- alludes to another type of social hierarchy within the working class (highligting how there will always be hierarchies)O, shows that working class respect those within their class more
turned on heel- lost and uncertain, avoidance
With this eclipse of interest, the incident
was suddenly closed. First in ones and twos,
then altogether, the men followed. That left
the pile still in mid-air, and me of course.
the pile still mid air- leve sthe pile subject to decay. the past crumbles away, unable to fix society.
our lack of communication leaves society flawed and without support, likw the peir without the pile.
and me of course- reinforces his osolation to these men. reinfores that we are all uncertain
STRUCTURE
doesnt have a ridgid rhyme scheme or meter
-consistent layout
-enjambement adds story like feature
-haphazard punctuation
