please hold - ciaran o'driscoll Flashcards
free verse
ironic
technology has entrapped us
internal rhyme
shows the oppression in society
anaphora
entrapment in the maze of the system
enjambment
technology is a waste of time
we spend so much of our time just waiting
caesura
entrapment in society
‘this is the future, my wife says’
echolalia
temporal deixis
refrain which forms serious subtext
as the poem goes on this phrase can be interpreted as becoming increasingly negative and creates a sense of wariness and anxiousness
‘we are already there and it’s the same as the present’
spatial and temporal deixis - things can only get worse
present and future will eventually merge
‘your future, here, she says’
wife has accepted the future unlike the speaker
idea of ongoing and inescapable dread is introduced
‘and i’m talking to a robot on the phone’
accept and adjust
makes no sense - technology has trapped us
metaphor?
‘none of which answer to my needs’
satirical and sarcastic tone
criticising technology
is technology actually helpful?
metaphor for a loss of hope in life
doesn’t fulfil the needs of human empathy
‘wonderful, says the robot, when i give him my telephone number. and great says the robot when i give him my account number’
mocking
words are becoming meaningless
sarcastic and fed up
hyperbolic responses are unhelpful
‘(which is really the robot’s account)’
nothing is personal anymore
really belongs to the bank, not us
technology caused a loss of identity
‘i’m paying a robot for doing nothing. this is call is free of charge, says the robot. yes but i’m paying for it, i shout’
hates technology
not actually free
the effectiveness and humour derives from the contrast between the increasing rage of the speaker and the flat tone of the robot, programmed to say exactly what he doesn’t want to hear
‘i’m sorry, i dont understand says the robot’
caesura
disjointed
technology is disconnecting humans
meaningless words
‘you can say yes , no, repeat or menu’
choice is an illusion
technology only allows for a limited response, which are all meaningless
‘i scream agent!’
exclamatory
frustrated
‘and i’m talking to a robot on the phone’
constant process
trapped in technology
can’t go against the system - the problem won’t solve
‘we appreciate your patience. please hold.
they don’t care
meaningless
‘eine kleine nachtsmusik. please hold.
eine kleine nachtsmusik . please hold.
eine fucking kleine nachtsmusik’
entertainment to disguise the wait - used by big companies
extremely angry - he can’t escape
comments on how strongly a cold, corporate society can destroy pleasure – a piece of music once seen as high art is now seen as annoying
‘your call is important to us, he says.’
two different worlds
‘and my translator says , this means your call is not important to them’
fake and the real
read between the lines
protecting the company’s reputation
‘please hold means that, for all your accomplishments, the only way you can now meet your needs is by looting’
stealing forcefully
have to go outside the system - only choice
‘please hold. please grow old. please grow cold.’
‘this is the future. please hold.
defeated
internal rhyme
die
more structure
headlines
the only hope is for rebellion outside the system
technology has caused us to lose our identity
society is disconnected
modern society has become extremely uncompassionate
technology has altered the direction of society
modern society is trapped in a technological system
