Transcript Glasgow Sonnets (i)’ by Edwin Morgan

‘Glasgow Sonnets (i)’
by Edwin Morgan
Textual Analysis
A mean wind wanders through the backcourt trash.
Hackles on puddles rise, old mattresses
puff briefly and subside. Play-fortresses
of brick and bric-a-brac spill out some ash.
5 Four storeys have no windows left to smash,
but in the fifth a chipped sill buttresses
mother and daughter the last mistresses
of that black block condemned to stand, not crash.
Around them the cracks deepen, the rats crawl.
10 The kettle whimpers on a crazy hob.
Roses of mould grow from ceiling to wall.
The man lies late since he has lost his job,
smokes on one elbow, letting his coughs fall
thinly into an air too poor to rob.
1) In the first two lines, the poet sets the scene by giving clues to the
weather.
a) In line 1, the wind is described as ‘mean’ rather than simply ‘cold’.
What does the poet gain from this word choice?
(2)
“A mean wind wanders through the backcourt trash.
Hackles on puddles rise, old mattresses”
• Personification is used to refer to the wind as if it were a
cruel / unkind person seeking out people to torment (1)
• This emphasises how hostile the environment is (1)
1) In the first two lines, the poet sets the scene by giving clues to the
weather.
b) ‘Hackles’ are the hairs in an animal’s neck which stand on end
when it is angry. What does the poet mean in line 2 when he
says ‘hackles on puddles rise’? (2)
“A mean wind wanders through the backcourt trash.
Hackles on puddles rise, old mattresses”
• The ripples in the puddles caused by the wind look like
the hackles standing up on an animal’s neck (1)
• This suggests violence and danger (1)
2) In line 3, the piles of bricks and old rubbish (bric-a-brac) are
described as ‘play-fortresses’. What does this suggest about the
type of games the children play in the tenement back courts? (2)
“Play-fortresses
of brick and bric-a-brac spill out some ash.”
• ‘Fortresses’ suggests that the children’s games are
connected to violence and aggression, (possibly suggesting
the beginnings of gang warfare) (1)
• This implies that the people on the estate are under siege (1)
• The harsh sounds of ‘brick’ and ‘bric-a-brac’ reflect the
violence they are used for (1)
Max of 2
3) The poet describes the mother and daughter who live on the fifth
floor as ‘the last mistresses’ (line 7) of the tenement.
What two feelings towards the women does the poet convey
when he uses the word ‘mistresses’ (line 7)? (2)
“but in the fifth a chipped sill buttresses
mother and daughter the last mistresses
of that black block condemned to stand, not crash.”
Any two of admiration, respect, sympathy, concern (2)
4) Look again at line 8:
‘that black block condemned to stand, not crash’.
How does the poet’s use of sound and his word choice help to
create a particularly bleak impression? (4)
“but in the fifth a chipped sill buttresses
mother and daughter the last mistresses
of that black block condemned to stand, not crash.”
Sound:
• Alliteration of ‘bl’ and ‘ck / c’ - harsh sounds = bleak (1)
• Assonance – repeated ‘a’ sound = gloomy (1)
Word choice:
• ‘Condemned’ and ‘block’ have connotations of execution (1)
• ‘Condemned to stand’ – oxymoron suggesting that the block
is sentenced to the protracted agony of a living death, rather
than a merciful end by execution / demolition (1)
5) Comment on the word ‘whimpers’ in line 10. How does the choice
of this word help to contribute to the description of the room and
its occupants? (3)
“The kettle whimpers on a crazy hob.”
• ‘Whimpers’ suggests a person or animal crying out in pain (1)
• This onomatopoeia / personification is used to suggest that
the kettle is expressing the misery of the room’s occupants (1)
• This adds to the dreary, pathetic impression of the room and
emphasises the vulnerable / sad condition of the occupants (1)
6) The poem ends by focusing on one man in bed. Suggest any two
ways in which this character seems to resemble his surroundings.
(4)
“The man lies late since he has lost his job,
smokes on one elbow, letting his coughs fall
thinly into an air too poor to rob.”
• ‘coughs fall thinly’ (1) suggest the man is weak and decrepit,
like the crumbling tenement he lives in (1)
• He is out of work / is not being used, therefore is poor like
building (1)
• He seems depressed / is of no value, like the building (1)
7) a) The poem is structured to fall into two parts. Where does this
break occur? (1)
5
10
A mean wind wanders through the backcourt trash.
Hackles on puddles rise, old mattresses
puff briefly and subside. Play-fortresses
of brick and bric-a-brac spill out some ash.
Four storeys have no windows left to smash,
but in the fifth a chipped sill buttresses
mother and daughter the last mistresses
of that black block condemned to stand, not crash.
Around them the cracks deepen, the rats crawl.
The kettle whimpers on a crazy hob.
Roses of mould grow from ceiling to wall.
The man lies late since he has lost his job,
smokes on one elbow, letting his coughs fall
thinly into an air too poor to rob.
After line 8 (1)
b) Give two reasons for your choice based on content and ideas and
rhyme scheme. (4)
5
10
A mean wind wanders through the backcourt trash.
Hackles on puddles rise, old mattresses
puff briefly and subside. Play-fortresses
of brick and bric-a-brac spill out some ash.
Four storeys have no windows left to smash,
but in the fifth a chipped sill buttresses
mother and daughter the last mistresses
of that black block condemned to stand, not crash.
Around them the cracks deepen, the rats crawl.
The kettle whimpers on a crazy hob.
Roses of mould grow from ceiling to wall.
The man lies late since he has lost his job,
smokes on one elbow, letting his coughs fall
thinly into an air too poor to rob.
Content and ideas:
• Lines 1-8 describe the back court and exterior, finally focussing on the
window of the occupied flat (1)
• Lines 9-14 describe the inside of the flat, ending with the man in bed (1)
b) Give two reasons for your choice based on content and ideas and
rhyme scheme. (4)
5
10
A mean wind wanders through the backcourt trash.
Hackles on puddles rise, old mattresses
puff briefly and subside. Play-fortresses
of brick and bric-a-brac spill out some ash.
Four storeys have no windows left to smash,
but in the fifth a chipped sill buttresses
mother and daughter the last mistresses
of that black block condemned to stand, not crash.
Around them the cracks deepen, the rats crawl.
The kettle whimpers on a crazy hob.
Roses of mould grow from ceiling to wall.
The man lies late since he has lost his job,
smokes on one elbow, letting his coughs fall
thinly into an air too poor to rob.
Rhyme scheme:
• Lines 1-8 consist of rhymes with -ash / -esses (abba abba) (1)
• Lines 9-14 have -all / -awl or -ob rhymes (cdcdcd) (1)
8) In this poem various emotions are aroused in the reader:
anger, pity, a sense of hopelessness, sadness, disgust, shock,
sympathy, a sense of hostility, despair.
Show how the poet’s use of language effectively arouses any two
of these emotions in this poem. (Use different evidence for each
of your examples)
(6)
Mark on merit (!)
You must write about two emotions, and use different evidence for each
emotion.
You must analyse use of language, not just ideas.
8) In this poem various emotions are aroused in the reader:
anger, pity, a sense of hopelessness, sadness, disgust, shock,
sympathy, a sense of hostility, despair.
Show how the poet’s use of language effectively arouses any two
of these emotions in this poem. (Use different evidence for each
of your examples)
(6)
Pity – plight of family living in uncomfortable, damp living conditions in
largely derelict building.
• Vivid word choice is used to describe the bleakness and grimness of their
surroundings: ‘trash’ is lying around, ‘cracks deepen’ in the walls, ‘rats
crawl’, ‘roses of mould’ grow on the walls.
• They are isolated, the only occupants left – ‘the last mistresses’.
• The man is ill – ‘his coughs fall thinly’, unemployed and depressed ‘lies late
since he lost his job’ and without any purpose or hope.
• ‘The kettle whimpers on a crazy hob’ - personification / onomatopoeia is
used to emphasise the vulnerable sad condition of the people, as if their
misery is expressed by the kettle.
8) In this poem various emotions are aroused in the reader:
anger, pity, a sense of hopelessness, sadness, disgust, shock,
sympathy, a sense of hostility, despair.
Show how the poet’s use of language effectively arouses any two
of these emotions in this poem. (Use different evidence for each
of your examples)
(6)
Hostility – the poet describes an environment filled with threats of danger and
violence, emphasising how hostile the environment is to those who have no
choice but to live there.
• Personification is used to describe the wind – ‘mean’ – to suggest human
aggression
• ‘Hackles’ on puddles suggest violence
• Hostile environment reinforced by military imagery – ‘fortresses’ and
‘buttresses’, suggests violent games played by children, possibly leading to
gang warfare
• ‘fortresses’ and ‘buttresses’ suggests people who live there are under seige
• The harsh sounds of ‘brick’ and ‘bric-a-brac’ reflect the violence they are
used for
• ‘No windows left to smash’ – destroyed by vandalism