Please Hold - Ciaran O'Driscoll Flashcards
What is Please Hold about? (2 points)
This amusing, satirical poem describes the poet’s experience with the frustration and helplessness when waiting on the phone
Beneath the wry humour, however, is a serious sub-text of how modern technology can negate communication and squeeze the humanity and warmth out of life
What is the structure of Please Hold? (2 points)
The poem comprises two stanzas, one long and one short, in free verse
The poem largely depends on repetition and pithy short sentences and phrases that express the poet’s frustration
What is the language and imagery of Please Hold? (4 points)
The voice is that of the speaker, probably the poet, using the first person singular pronoun ‘I’
The sentences are rambling, long and short, with repetition to imitate his increasing frustration
The language is that of everyday speech, with no poetic device, other than clever repetition to reflect the increasing frustration of the speaker
The second short stanza at the end is compressed, repetitive, and encapsulates the poem’s grim message
