Glasgow 5th March Flashcards
Ragged diamond
WC- imperfect and broken.
diamond to describe the appearance and the sharpness of the glass.
Something perfect made imperfect due to violence
“Young”
Youth - shows the innocence of the couple which adds sympathy for them
“Arterial blood”
Suggests that this could potentially be life threatening due to the amount of blood being lost
“Star-fished out”
Reveals how the couple are falling but also their helplessness about what is happening
“Braced”
WC shows that they are preparing themselves for more pain and suffering when they land
“Surprise, shock, and the beginning of pain”
The list of emotions shows everything they’re feeling
The emotions get worse from surprise to pain
The word beginning reveals the pain will get worse for them
“Two youths”
They are young like the couple but there is no innocence to them
In contrast to the young couple
“Reaching”
Moving past the couple who are in pain and distress to get what they can (uncaring)
“Clear”
Has connotations of being able to see things without difficulty this suggests that the attack was easily seen
“Sauchiehall street”
Busy shopping street yet no one is helping
“Keep”
WC keep shows they have decided not to get involved even though they could
What are the main themes of this poem?
- the poem shows that violence can happen to anyone at anytime but as a society we tend to ignore it
- the wider comment on society and peoples reactions to violence
“Shattered”
Has connotations of violence , the imagery shows the extent of the damage
“Plate glass”
Shows the strength of the glass and reveals the power of the attack
“His girl”
Implies the pair are in a relationship
“Falling backwards”
Reveals that they have been pushed and the idea of them being out of control
“Young man’s face” and “the girls leg”
The couple are reduced to their body parts which makes them anonymous and dehumanises them - reduced to victims of crime
“White coat”
White symbolises innocence and is also in contrast to the red blood this builds up the visual imagery of the poem
“Pushed them”
A deliberate violent act
“Complete”
This implies that this was a plan that they thought about and carried out
“The operation”
This is something clinical and routine without emotion that the two youths are doing. In contrast to the emotions of the young people
Smartly
Has connotations of no hesitation this suggests they know what they are doing
