The Spirit Is Too Blunt an Instrument Flashcards
What is the meaning of the poem?
The speaker describes their view that the perfection of a baby’s body has been impeccably crafted by millions of years of “ignorant” biological processes.
According to the speaker human emotions are too clumsyto have crafted the complex details of the baby’s body.
What is assonance?
Repeated vowel sounds in words near to one another. e.g. “shell” “complexity “ i.e. repetition of the ‘e’ sound.
What is consonance?
Repeated consonant sounds e.g. “intricate exacting particulars” - lots of ‘c’ and ‘t’ consonant sounds.
What is an oxymoron?
Two words next to one another that appear to be contradictory
What is the effect of the consonant sounds in line 4/5: “the intricate exacting particulars?”
Perhaps it mirrors the ticking of a clock - the time it takes for the baby to grow.
Perhaps the consonant sounds also reflect the knitting together of the growing human form - ligaments / bones/ connecting tissue etc.
Why might the poet have included so many syllables in the following line: “infinitesimal capillaries?”
The many syllables might reflect the complexity of the baby’s body
Why might the stanzas each be 9 lines?
To reflect the nine month human gestation period
What do we know about the speaker in this poem?
That they are mavelling at a newborn baby
Why does the poet use so much medical terminology? e.g. “tendons”, “ganglia”, “vertebrae”
To convey their view that the formation of the body is a biological process. These words convey a mechanical process.
Why does Stevenson think that human passions are so “unskillful?”
The speaker cannot reconcile the minute perfection of the human body with the chaotic and messy human spirit which creates it. Therefore Stevenson concludes that it must be mechanical, biological processes which form life not the spirit.
Why might there be an end stop after the first two lines: “The spirit is too blunt an instrument to have made this baby.”
To convey that this is a fact. It cannot be disputed.
Why might Stevenson use a semantic field relating to nature in stanza 2: “crescent” - moon shaped, and “shells”
To reinforce their view that is nature/ biology which directs human creation.
What does the poet mean when they say that “habit”, “indifference” and “ignorance” are the creators of life?
Refers to the coincidental, unconscious biological processes involved in creation of life.
What different views about creation might the oxymoronic phrase “ignorant precision” suggest?
a) Our human body is ignorant of what it does - this is amazing to the speaker.
b) there is a contradiction in “ignorant precision” - some may question whether there might be an intelligent designer behind creation…. how can something that’s “ignorant” indeed create such precision?
c) does this oxymoron cause the reader to pause and reflect on their own viewpoint?
