Touch Flashcards
Main Message
We should all hold onto hope, although the writer went through a tremendous amount of pain in prison, he still held onto hope and believed that one day he will be released and he will heal and become the man he once was.
Prisons are cruel and inhumane instead of being rehabilitated.
Structure
- Free Verse- irregular and fragmented which shows the chaos and panic in prison.
- Enjambment - shows the ongoing pain and trauma in prison but can also show his ongoing hope of a life outside of prison.
- Short line and indentation- uncertainty and building up of voice and agency.
- Staccato (stop-start rhythm)
Tone
- devastating, pained, hurt, and despairing.
- hopeful, optimistic, and brave
Title
Touch is associated with desire, gentleness, and tenderness, however, according to the writer touch has become something unwanted, dangerous, and traumatizing. TOTAL CONTRADICTION.
When I get out
‘when’ shows his hope and optimism for the future. This sets up an expectation that he will one day be released from prison.
I am going to ask someone
Someone is refering to someone that he trusts like friends and family but not police or guards.
to touch me
very gently please
and slowly,
He desires a gentle warm and pleasurable touch.
Slow- with intention and purpose
touch me
Repetition: he has a need to be touched in a desirable and gentle manner. His deep desire.
I want
Shows his agency, he speaks up for what he is in need of, however in prison, this was completely taken away from him as he was unable to control his voice.
to learn again
how life feels
He needs to reintegrate into society and readjust himself to fit in again.
Pun;
1st meaning is he wants to be touched which is a physical feeling.
2nd meaning is his emotions and feelings.
Stanza:
On his release, he wants to be touched in the most gentle and pleasurable way.
I’ve not been touched
This is untrue; he has been hit and abused by the guards in jail.
for seven years
for seven years
I’ve been untouched
Repetition of seven years emphasizes:
1. The long length of time that he spent in prison.
2. The extent of the traumatizing pain that he went through.
‘untouched’ the good and desirable touch has been taken away.
out of touch
He has been completely isolated from society during his time spent in prison, he needs to rediscover and reintegrate into society. He has been separated from society.
and I’ve learnt
to know now
the meaning of
untouchable
‘untouchable’ means literally not touched by others, the prisoners retaliate against the guards.
He feels so diminished and vulnerable compared to the guards. The guards have no idea how the unwanted touch feels.
Stanza:
He reflects on how rejected and distanced he feels from society.
Untouched - not quite
The dash creates a dramatic pause introducing an explanation.
not quite has a sarcastic tone, because in prison he was definitely not untouched.
I can count the things
that have touched me
He introduces a list of the things that have touched him in prison. He can count these things because it has left such a impact on his life due to all the pain and trauma he went through.
One: fists
We are introduced to the violent behavior in prison. We begin to understand where all his pain is coming from.
At the beginning
fierce mad fists
The alliteration of the hard ‘f’ sound emphasises the aggression of the beating and the extreme violence.
This is a transferred epithet:
The madness and rage of the guards is transferred into their fists during the attack.
beating beating
Repetition: shows the normality of the attack as it was something which occurred often. The abuse in prison was ongoing.
Alliteration of the hard ‘b’ sound emphasizes the extreme violence and aggression of the attack.
Assonance: the repetition of the long ‘ee’ sound emphasizes the ongoing brutality that occurs every day in prison. The prisoners were completely dehumanized and treated in the most inhumane ways possible.
till I remember
screaming
screaming has connotations of fear, helplessness and desperation.
Dont touch me
please dont touch me
The repetition emphasises his disperation as he pleads to the guards to not absue him again. He has been through so much trauma and pain.
please shows he is begging which implies that he is desperate and helpless
His humanity has been taken away because of the guards inhumane actions.
Stanza:
The fierce and aggressive attack in prison is emphasised, the prisons are being completely stripped of their identity as they are dehumanised and beat until they are left traumatised.
Two: paws
This is a metaphor: the guard’s fists are being compared to paws. Paws give connotations of being a part of an animal. This suggests that the guards care to act like animals and treat the prisoners with no care or consideration.
The first four years of paws
everyday
This suggests that abuse and brutality become a normality in the prison. Prisoners were being attacked everyday.
patting paws, searching
Uncomfortable, invasion of privary and violation.
- arms up, shoes off
- legs apart
Parenthesis: conveying extra information in the form of a descriptive detail. The prisoners are being violated by the guards as their bodies are being exposed.
prodding paws, systematically
Alliteration of the hard ‘p’ sound emphasises the severity of the attack.
Symtematic= lack of care or any respect.
probing away
all privacy
prodding is external pocking
probing is internal which becomes a sexual violation.
This is a different type of abuse and pain.
Stanza
The invasive and personal attack. Shows the inhumanity in which the guards act and the dehumanisation of the prisoners.
I don’t want fists and paws
He wants to replace the hurt and undesired touch with pleasurable and tender touch. He wants the pain and abuse to end.
I want
He does not complete his sentence as he is too traumatised to even speak and voice what it is that he wants.
to want to be touched
again
He is so numb after what he endured in prison, thathe finds himself not wanted any form of phyiscal touch, however he wishes he did have the desire to want it again.
I want to feel alive
again
In prison you completely lose youself and your soul, you forget how to live.
again= he needs to rediscover himself, and how to touch and be touched.
I want to say
when i get out
He is growing confidence in what he wants.
when= he sets an expectation of when he leaves prison, he has hope that he will be released and he will reestablish his identity.
Here I am
please touch me.
He is longing for a connection with someone and to be able to feel a touch that is full of love and tenderness.
Full stop
- his time in prison is over
- his assertion around what he wants.
Stanza
He expresses his wants and desires for the future. He wants to be free and become himself again and physical touch.
