The Man With Night Sweats Flashcards
What is an elegy?
A poem which expresses sorrow for the dead
In what decade did the AIDs epidemic affect the gay community?
1980s
What real life experience is this poem based on?
Gunn lost many of his gay friends to AIDs. The disease and grief are explored in this poem
What happens to the poem’s rhyme scheme as the poem progresses.
The rhyme scheme starts of symmetrical and structured (ABAB CC). It then breaks down towards the end of the poem: (LMNOPQ) This could mirror the physical effects of AIDs ravaging a person’s body. It could also mirror the turmoil of grief and loss.
What person perspective is the poem told from? Why?
First person “I”. Perhaps this reveals how intensely personal the subject matter is to the poet.
How does the poet convey the loss of health and of joy?
Through the use of contrasting imagery: e.g “cold” and “heat” e.g. the “heat” representing his previous healthy vitality whereas “cold” hints that he is now close to death.
Also the poet juxtaposes the past and present tense “prospered” - “I wake” - he remembers the life he once had.
What device is used in the following line: “My flesh was its own shield”? What is the effect
Metaphor
It suggests that his body was strong and able to defend itself against illness. It seems he took this forgranted
What does the extended metaphor: “The given shield was cracked” suggest?
Gunn outlines that if a person contracts HIV, their body is now defenceless - they are vulnerable
What feeling/ tone does the following line suggest? “Hugging my body to me”
Tone of isolation and loneliness - has he been ostracised/ isolated by society which was afraid of the AIDs virus?
What word class is “to shield” in this line?
Why is that significant?
“As if to shield it from
The pains that will go through me,”
A verb
Perhaps conveys the pointlessness of trying to fight off the disease
What is the HIV/AIDS virus?
A virus, which at a late stage of development affects the immune system, triggering a range of symptoms. AIDS is the most advanced stage of the HIV infection. During the 1980s there was no treatment.
When was this poem written?
1992
What is the outcome for those with HIV today?
Between 1988–1995, 78%of people infected with the virus died – a staggering number. Between 2005 and 2009 that number dropped to 5%. Today, if a person with HIV begins antiretroviral medication early, they are expected to have normal life span
What is enjambment?
Where there is no punctuation included at the end of a line. The line runs onto the next without a pause.
What can enjambment often convey?
Increased pace/ excitement/ passion
