Giuseppe Flashcards
What are the themes in the poem?
Shame and guilt
What form is used in the poem?
Dramatic monologue
What is there a debate between?
Historical realism vs myth
What is the poem about?
Mistreatment of minorities/oppressed in WW2/times of war (mermaids are an extended metaphor of this) - atrocities and their effects on an entire community
What can be inferred about the title ‘Giuseppe’?
He is the speaker’s uncle - lack of personal link between him and speaker- suggesting disconnect because of the lack of humanity his uncle has once shown - shame/guilt
‘World War Two’
Historical reference - sets tone for reader to expect inhumane behaviour. Ironically factual considering poem is about fairy-tale esque mermaid.
‘bougainvillea’ vs ‘captive mermaid’
Juxtaposition between natural world and brutal inhumanity of war - juxtaposes everyday and fantastical
‘butchered’ ‘d’ x2
Plosives - harsh/violent treatment of mermaid - allusion to military language, suggesting she is a victim of war. Aggressive/animalistic treatment - given no humanity
‘by a doctor, a fishmonger, and certain others’
Syndetic listing - long list of people compliant in mistreatment
‘She, it’
Oxymoron suggests those undergoing the cruel act of killing the creature, attempt to humanise her (sentient being) however there is an immediate objectifying - switch to strip her of humanity to excuse brutal butchering of another. Alternatively - woman as second class, objectified, woman in mans world
‘was only a fish’ ‘held one of her hands’
Juxtaposition- internal conflict of those involved
‘But she screamed like a woman in terrible fear’
Figurative language (first instance) and simile emphasising horror of event/stark reality and the volta/argument marker emphatic of contradictory emotions - dramatic
‘ripe golden roe’
Connotes value - symbolic of richness and creates humanity - egg is symbolic of femininity (alternative reading), precious/youthful/healthy - beginning of life/innocence butchered
‘egg is not a child’
Attempting to rationalise their actions
‘but refused’
argument marker - emphatic of internal conflict and contradiction. between morality vs necessity to feed soldiers
