Mrs Midas Part 2 Flashcards
Simple statement ‘Separate Beds’
emphasises the damage done to their relationship, suggesting a loss of their close martial love.
word choice ‘petrified’
Suggests that Mrs Midas is afraid of her husband as if she comes into contact with him, she will turn to gold and die.
Imagery “turning the spare room into the tomb of Tutankhamun”
Just as the tomb of Tutankhamun was a room full of riches, so too is their spare room now that King Midas is living there.
Word choice “halcyon”
Suggests a happy time in the past, creating a nostalgic tone.
Simile “unwrapping each other, rapidly, like presents, fast food”
Just as fast food is something we feel passionate about, so too the couple crave each other physically.
Word choice “honeyed embrace”
Usually associated with sweetness, but it suggests something sinister as if he hugs her she will die.
Metaphor “turn my lips to a work of art”
suggests that his touch, which was once sweet and something she craved, would now be deadly.
Sentence structure “when it comes to the crunch”
emphasises her decision to prioritise herself and cast her husband out of the marital home.
Imagery “like a precious latch”
highlights Midas’ selfishness and foolishness as he has not only ruined his own future happiness but also his wife’s.
Imagery “its amber eyes”
“amber” is a precious golden coloured stone but is hard and cold, suggesting a lifeless/dead baby.
Word choice “flies”
has connotations of death, suggesting that if Midas touched her, her baby would also die.
word choice “burned in my breasts”
ambiguous as it could hint at pain and suffering but could also suggest an aching desire which still lingers.
word choice “under the cover of the dark”
suggests this foolish act needs to be hidden. She is ashamed of his selfish ways but as a result of leaving him, has become empowered as a woman.
Word choice “he sat in the back”
suggests the shift in power - he is portrayed as childlike and she is ‘in the driving seat’ literally and metaphorically.
Word choice “the woman”
suggests that she is defined by her relationship.
word choice “fool”
suggests she is blaming her husband, but there is a suggestion that by choosing her husband she is too foolish
-she now feels alone and isolated.
word choice “at first”
suggests that going to visit her husband was a short lived arrangement.
Word choice “odd”
suggests these visits are also irregular/casual in nature
- use of parenthesis suggests they are becoming more separated.
word choice “a hare hung from a latch”
links back to ‘golden pear’, where the story began.
word choice “caravan”
provides humour and is oddly juxtaposed with ‘the wilds’ as we tend to associate caravans with suburbia and middle classes.
Word choice “footprints”
suggests he has less of a physical presence and has become more ephemeral.
Word choice/minor sentence “Pure selfishness.”
suggests she is angry that his wish affected not only him but also their relationship in general.
minor sentence creates a blunt tone.
Word choice “touch”
‘The Midas Touch’ is a phrase in common usage in relation to people who seem to make money easily.
• reminds us of Mrs Midas’ physical deprivation
Word choice “thin”, “delirious”
suggests he is starving and feverish. his ‘gift’ is killing him.
