please hold Flashcards
structure
like a long stream of consciousness
free verse represents lack of rhythm development of society brings
constantly running life on repeat
uses full stops or commas at the end of most of the lines, as well as numerous caesurae. The pauses this creates seem to lengthen the poem, highlighting the poet’s boredom, and the sense of time passing slowly.
line length
To help conform to the ‘never ending’ feeling, there are consistently short lines in the poem. While this is achieved by splitting sentences over multiple lines, short and monosyllabic words are also used so as to still convey a reasonable amount of meaning. These two combined techniques could be seen by a reader as reflecting the breakdown of developed communication
overall message
This poem describes the monotony of daily tasks in modern life, using the example of trying to phone a company’s customer services department, only to be put on hold and made to speak to an automated recording. The poet becomes increasingly frustrated as the poem progresses, contrasting starkly with the robotic nature of everything else around him.
significance of wife repeating the is the future
conforms to everyone else keeping up with society, alienated speaker
‘wonderful’ ‘great’
scripted binary repsonse
empty adjectives
adjectives important for human communication have become superficial/robotic
robot taking money significance
irony of society chasing money but robot taking jobs
money is no longer physically tangible
monosyllabic words
robotic nature of society
people must conform to society
human communication reduced by tech
use of coloquial language
speaker doesnt want to conform to expectations of society
end stanza
semantic feild of aging
starts to conform to robotic society through language showing fate of society
analysis of part 1:
‘This is the future, my wife says.
We are already there, and it’s the same
as the present. Your future, here, she says.
And I’m talking to a robot on the phone.
The robot is giving me countless options,
none of which answer to my needs.’
-‘this is the future, my wife says’
wife reinforces the principle that the narrator is forced to endure the development of society. Wife is introduced as the voice of the rest of society, all of whom adapt to technological development, unlike the speaker. this introduces the theme of alienation.
-‘Your future, here, she says’
robotic tone, reinforces sinister tone of alienation
-‘and i’m talking to a robot on the phone’
use of the personal pronoun i, shows the collective shared future of humanity (he represents the future of all humanity)
‘the robot is giving me countless options’
commentry on the matrerialistic nature of society, losing touch of inherent values
analysis of section 2:
‘Wonderful, says the robot
when I give him my telephone number.
And Great, says the robot
when I give him my account number.
I have a wonderful telephone number
and a great account number,’
‘wonderful, says the robot’
happy adjective said in a robotic voice is ironic, shows humanity losing their value as even emotions are being roboticized
‘And great, says the robot’
the repeated use of happy adjectives suggest that the robot is trapped in an automated binary response system, any deviation from the script is impossible (reinforcing that the speaker MUST conform to society)
‘I have a wonderful telephone number
and a great account number’
speakers sarcastic tone emphasisies his alienation from society. the speaker recognises that these empty adjectives show that life is losing meaning as adjectives are important for human communication yet they become robotic
analysis of section 3:
‘but I can find nothing to meet my needs
on the telephone, and into my account
(which is really the robot’s account)
goes money, my money, to pay for nothing.
I’m paying a robot for doing nothing. ‘
‘(which is really the robots account)’
implies that humanity is secondary to what the robot wants , highlights the sinister nature of developing technology. Money isnt tangible of physical anymore)
‘money, my money, to pay for nothing’
alludes to the ironity of society chasing money yet a robot is taking peoples jobs. Highlights that his personal wealth is being comodified through capitalism, he doesn’t have control in this changing society
analysis part 4:
‘This call is free of charge, says the mind-reading robot.
Yes but I'm paying for it, I shout,
out of my wonderful account
into my great telephone bill.
Wonderful, says the robot.
And my wife says, This is the future. ‘
‘free of charge’
the robot is lying, shows the deceptive culture of modernity, just like society being decieved that this is the way forward
‘I shout’
the robort can’t hear him and acts off an automated script. shows that even his anger is futile, he can’t communicate his emotions to a robot much like he can’t communicate his emotions to a blind society
‘and my wife says ‘this is the future’
the wife accepts all this without question, links to gender roles of how women are traditionallly taught to accept their situation and conform to societies expectations
analysis part 5:
I’m sorry, I don’t understand, says the robot.
Please say Yes or No.
Or you can say Repeat or Menu.
You can say Yes, No, Repeat or Menu,
Or you can say Agent if you’d like to talk
to someone real, who is just as robotic.
I scream Agent! and am cut off,
and my wife says, This is the future.
We are already there and it’s the same
as the present. Your future, here, she says.
‘You can say Yes, No or Menu’
underlying message is that this choice is an illusion, the options are actually limited, asserts the dystopian image of an impending limited future. could also be a metaphor for people who are silenced like his wife.
The use of monosyllabic words shows how communication and individuality of humanity has been reduced
‘Or you can say Agent if you’d like to talk
to someone real, who is just as robotic.’
humanity conforming to a robotic society, speaker saterises the loss of humanity in society that came with a relience upon technology.
‘I scream Agent!”
-the screaming could reference the short attention span of modernity, and the speakers impatience with society.
’ wife says, This is the future. ‘
repetition of saying this is the future emphasises how people are forced to conform to reality that they eventually become robotic themselves, like his wife. constant repitition illuminates that our entire life is being run on repeat.
analysis part 6:
And I’m talking to a robot on the phone,
and he is giving me no options
in the guise of countless alternatives.
We appreciate your patience. Please hold.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Please hold.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Please hold.
Eine fucking Kleine Nachtmusik.
‘please hold’ repetition
repetition of please hold shows jarringly intense fury of the speaker
‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’
A mozart song, often used as hold music shows the continuous cycle and lack of individuality and modernity
a is a piece which is well known for being somewhat repetitive , much like the poem itself.
‘fucking’
colloquil language. The expression of free language shows how the speaker wishes to assert his individuality in this repetitive cycle by defying social convention
analysis part 7:
And the robot transfers me to himself.
Your call is important to us, he says.
And my translator says, This means
your call is not important to them.
And my wife says, This is the future.
And my translator says, Please hold
means that, for all your accomplishments,
the only way you can now meet your needs
is by looting. Wonderful, says the robot
‘Your call is important to us, he says.’
ironic and superficial as the call is being generated into an identical programme
‘And my wife says, This is the future. ‘
‘And my translator says, Please hold’
repetition increases jarring effect
‘the only way you can now meet your needs
is by looting. Wonderful, says the robot’
exaggerated comical addition but highlights the state and distain of the world
Looting refers to stealing time (only way to get humanity back)
analysis part 8
Please hold. Please grow old. Please grow cold.
Please do what you’re told. Grow old. Grow cold.
This is the future. Please hold.
‘This is the future. Please hold.’
the speaker becomes more monosyllabic and automated as he grows old, like the robot
-final line urges us to halt and enjoy life
-use of rhyme and repetition highlights difference between humanity and robot
-semantic feild of aging
-speaker forces to conform through imperitive lines, tries to break free through rhyme but cant.
use of rhyme
The use of very short, rhyming phrases gives the impression that, if read aloud, the separate fragments of each line would be spoken repeatedly and at the same time, rather than one after the other.
use of caesurae
the frequent use of caesurae, with a full stop at the end of each phrase, emphasises the robotic nature of the voices.
pronouns
Pronouns become a central aspect of the interactions the narrator has with both the telephone system and his wife. This starts with “my wife” to form a personal and human connection, contrasting against the less personal description of “the robot”. There is also the use of “your future” which not only addresses the narrator, but also the reader, helping to draw them in to the poem and its satirical message about the increasingly impersonal world. The frequent use of “I” also helps to make the poem more personal towards a reader and build empathy through encouraging them to consider when they have experienced a similar situation.
plosives
‘p’ sounds, add to sense of annoyance
