Out of the Bag

Question 1

Who is the speaker in Out of the Bag?

Answer 1

Collective pronouns
- represent a universal ‘childish’ figure trying to understand where babies come from

Question 2

What are the key events of Out of the Bag?

Answer 2

First section: doctor prepares for birth
- emphasis on his hands = powerful figure

Second section: references to ancient Greece and Lourdes and incubation
- suggests speaker is disorientated and philosophical

Third section: fragmented references and images
- speaker in their current state thinking about doctors

Fourth section: reflects on life after birth and meeting their own baby

Question 3

Quote for listing of childish adjectives in Out of the Bag (section 1)?

Answer 3

“nosy, rosy, big, soft”
- use of both half and full rhyme to influence the rhythm

Question 4

Quote for extended personification in Out of the Bag (section 1)?

Answer 4

“spaniel-coloured”
- juxtaposition of pleasant connotations of dogs “fur-lined”
- indicating real fur made from animals is intriguing
- feeding into the idea of ‘creating’ babies and brutal descriptions of tools

Question 5

Quote for onomatopoeic word choices in Out of the Bag (section 1)?

Answer 5

“a toe, a foot and shin, an arm, a cock”
- horror-inspiring image
- possibility of dismembering a child

Question 6

Quote(s) for greek lexis (section 2)?

Answer 6

“epidaurus”

“poeta doctus”

Question 7

What is the tone of Out of the Bag?

Answer 7

Shifts in tone and focus

Question 8

What is the structure of Out of the Bag?

Answer 8

Decasyllabic tercets

Cyclical ending with the birth of a boy

Question 9

Themes in Out of the Bag

Answer 9

Childhood

Family relationships

Birth and death

Linking of past and present

Secrets and mysteries