out of the bag Flashcards
“the locked room”
imaginary room where the child believes babies are made
“out of the bag”
- introduces the theme of secrecy, the secret of where the babies come from
- speaker believes that babies come from the doctors bag
“disappear”
“reappear”
verbs connoting the theme of secrecy and mystery
“nosy, rosy, big soft hands of his”
- presents the doctor as friendly
- use of child like language
contradicts the child’s view of the doctor
“trap sprung mouth/
unsnibbed and gaping wide”
- personification of the doctors bag
- the child is frightened of the bag, where he believes the child is created
“like a hypnotist”
“hyperborean, beyond the north wind blue”
simile
describing the doctor as a powerful, magical being
bag portrayal
presented as scary yet fascinating
- acts as a focus of the child’s curiosity
doctor portrayal
- he is a mysterious, powerful figure with a type of magical power
- he has a disturbing presence with a high social status, which makes him appear even more unusual to the child
“fur lined collar”
“waistcoat satin”
doctor’s high social status
impact of the doctor creating babies
- removes the role of women in the creation of life
- traumatic experience for the speaker to endure
“realized at Epidaurus”
“I was in an open air procession”
- speaker goes to a place of mental healing (from this traumatic event)
“hallucinated Doctor Kerlin […] starting in to draw”
- in these places of healing he sees the Doctor instead of the Gods
- portrayal of an innocent and helpful figure
“women with dot breasts”
- the doctors acknowledgement in the women’s role of the creation of life
“mirraculum: the baby bits all came together”
- the speaker has healed himself from the traumatic event
- speaker now emotionally understands the creation of life, he regains an emotional connection with his mother
fourth section of the poem
the speaker has regained the lost memories of his mother
