In The Snack Bar Quotes Flashcards
“A few heads turn in the crowded evening snack bar.”
Word choice: ‘few heads’ / ‘crowded’. Only a few heads turn because people don’t care or don’t want to know. The old man gets no help as a result. Writer pointing out those in need of help are often ignored.
“Slowly he levers himself up, his hands have no power.”
Word choice: ‘slowly levers’ / ‘no power’ - shows old man is weak, feeble and in need of help. Still no one has attempted to help him - even when people can see he needs help, they do nothing.
“The face not seen, bent in the shadow.”
Word choice: ‘not seen’ - either because it’s hidden or ignored. Shadow has sinister and evil connotations: how others see him. Writer saying that others avoid helping him because they are afraid.
“The trickle of his water is thin and slow, an old man’s apology for living.”
Word choice: trickle, thin, slow and apology. ‘Apology for living’ is metaphor. Makes him seen pathetic and weak, unclean. Others might avoid him in disgust or think he deserves it.
“He asks doubtfully, ‘Can I - wash my hands?’
uses dashes - breaks up his speech, makes him seem timid and weak. He doesn’t know if he will get help, as he’s not had help before. Being avoided has a crushing impact on his self-esteem.
“Wherever he could go it would be dark and yet he must trust men.”
Always faced with darkness - blind and depressed. Wants reader to become one of the people he can trust. Says you have a responsibility to be one of those people.
“His life depends on many who would evade him.”
Word choice: ‘life depends’ / ‘evade’. Shows he needs a massive amount of help. Writer saying that us choosing to help or not can have big impacts, positive and negative.
“Dear Christ, to be born for this!”
Word choice: ‘Dear Christ’ - shows a strength of feeling. The writer is both sad for the old man and angry at those who won’t help. Underlines the need for us to set a good example for others.
“A cup capsizes along the Formica slithering with a dull clatter. A few heads turn in the crowded evening snack-bar.”
The alliterative use of the letter ‘C’ sounds like the cup falling. When you read this line aloud, the hard ‘C’ sound gives the reader an idea of how loudly the cup clatters of the hard formica surface. Even after such a loud noise has been made, only a small number of people look over to help the old disabled man. This represents the lack of care a society shows its more vulnerable members. The rest of Stanza 1 is devoted to describing the old man’s disabilities through the eyes of an outside observer. This is where we are judging the book by its cover and produces a series of disturbing descriptions of the old disabled man.
“The dismal hump looming over him forces his head down.”
Dismal means rather gloomy or depressing. However, it is not the hump which is depressed but the old man. His feelings of depression are transferred to the cause of his depression (the hump). It makes the hump seem like it has the control over how the man feels. The word ‘looming’ has connotations of an unbeatable, large monster looking down on somebody weak. The hump is like that powerful monster looking down on the weak man and making him depressed. It is an effective word to choose. ‘Forces his head down’ could have a double meaning. The hump literally forces the old man’s head down but also mentally forces his head down by making him feel sad. Think of players on a football pitch who shout “Keep your heads up” when they are trying to be positive.
“He stands in his stained beltless gaberdine…
…I notice now his stick, once painted white
but scuffed and muddy.”
A stained jacket with missing belt implies the man is uncared for and may have no family to help him. It makes him seem more vulnerable and makes us feel sorrier for him. This is backed up by the state of his cane.
“Like a monstrous animal caught in a tent.”
This description makes the man seem like a sub-human oddity. Nobody would like to be described as an animal or monstrous. The word “caught” reminds us that the old man is trapped in a body that does not work. “Long blind, hunchback born, half paralyzed”. This line describes his disabilities and is a useful quote to remind you of the extent of his problems. Uses a simile: makes the man appear as if he is a monster, or trapped like an animal in his body. He thinks he is trapped, others think he is a monster - if others think he is a monster they won’t help him.
“I want - to go to the - toilet.”
The poet uses dashes to act as pauses at points we would not expect one to pause. This shows that the old man has difficulty in speaking.
“A few yards of floor are like a landscape.”
In the long second verse, the poet enters the poem and sympathizes with the old man. We now see how difficult his life is and go from feeling scared of the old man to feeling pity for him. This compares a few simple yards of the floor to a vast landscape.
