Touch

Question 1

Subject Matter

Answer 1

The yearning for gentle human touch after a prolonged physical and emotional isolation

Question 2

Purpose (theme)

Answer 2

Isolation, trauma and the innate human desire for connection. Reclaiming humanity through gentle touch

Question 3

Emotion (mood)

Answer 3

The poet expresses vulnerability, creating a melancholic and DESPERATE violent tone

Question 4

Craftmanship: Structure

Answer 4

Free verse, with uneven line lengths and varied spacing that reflect the speaker’s fragmented emotional state. Indented lines.

Question 5

Craftmanship: Language

Answer 5

Language is straightforward and demanding ie: “touch me” to convey that the speaker is desperate for touch

Question 6

Craftmanship: Imagery

Answer 6

Vivid and violent imagery ie “fierce mad fists” and “beating beating”

Question 7

Craftmanship: Movement

Answer 7

Enjambment creates flowing movement to the poem. Caesurae creates pause and diverts our expectations ie “untouched— not quite.” Colon to list traumatic experiences, how the speaker replays memories in his head.

Question 8

Craftmanship: Sounds

Answer 8

Plosive alliteration ie “patting paws” to create violence, harsh sounds.