Transcript John Montague

John Montague
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Key theme is the poet’s problematic relationship with his mother. Another
related theme is the effects of poverty.
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Direct speech brings his mother to life, communicating the essence of her
personality.
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The poem reflects the poet’s sympathetic personality.
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As the mother and son get close, suddenly the possibility of building a lasting
relationship is dashed. His mother rejects him again.
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She is a woman who has been hurt before and does not want to suffer the same
pain again. Montague understands this ‘harsh logic of a forlorn woman’.
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Key adjectives underline the sorrow and harshness of his mother’s life.
(‘mournful and chill’)
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There is no bitterness in the poem, there is no anger. Montague shows
compassion.
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The mood of the poem is predominantly bleak but it ends on a happy consoling
note with an image of the locket – symbolic of his mother’s love for him.
‘The Locket’
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‘The Cage’ is a metaphor for James Montague’s condition: trapped, confined,
exiled, imprisoned.

Key theme is the poet’s relationship with his father. The unhappiness of the
exile far from home is another, related theme.

The poet describes his relationship with his father in an honest open manner.
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Use of conversational tone draws us into the poem.
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The cage is the key symbol in the poem, suggesting both his father’s daily
physical imprisonment in the ticket booth and his sense of spiritual entrapment
in an alien environment.
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The noisy, confined world of the subway: ‘listening to a subway shudder the
earth’, ‘bars of the small booth’) is sharply contrasted with the beauty,
tranquillity and freedom of the Ulster countryside: ‘we walked together across
the fields of Garvaghy to see the hawthorn on the summer hedges’. – a moment
of hope for a joyful reunion.

A classical allusion (the legend of Odysseus and Telemachus) highlights the
problematic nature of the poet’s relationship with his father.

Like in ‘The Locket’, there is no blame, no bitterness, and no anger. It is a poem
of understanding of and pity for his father.
‘The Cage’
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Dolmens dominate a landscape –they stand out – so to do these characters in
Montague’s memory.
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Key theme is the reality of the Ireland in which Montague grew up – a world
of poverty, loneliness, superstition and sectarianism. The poem is about
moving away from these things and growing up.

The poet portrays a variety of old characters from his childhood in a
sympathetic light.
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Language combines the conversational (Jamie MacCrystal sang to himself’,
etc.) and the descriptive (Dead eyes serpent-flickered’, etc.).
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Use of memorable imagery.
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Effective use of sound: Alliteration (‘Famorian fierceness’), onomatopoeia
(‘drums banged’) and sibilance (‘Silent keepers of a smokeless hearth’)
‘Like Dolmen’s Round my
Childhood’

Key theme is the reality of life in rural Ireland.
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Montague goes beneath appearances, goes beneath the exterior to see the
real human being. That is what he does in this poem.
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He portrays the old woman not as a threat, not as a monster, but as a human
being ‘hurt by event’.

The wild dog rose is a symbol for the old woman – it represents vulnerability,
weakness and the old woman’s resilience.
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Detailed description
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Use of memorable imagery (‘my bones melting’)
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Effective use of metaphor – ‘a moving nest of shawls and rags’ and simile –
‘like old friends, lovers almost’.
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Effective use of alliteration (‘beating…break…bolt’) and onomatopoeia
(‘snapping’, ‘yelping’).
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The tone is sympathetic.
‘The Wild Dog Rose’
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While the first three poems we have studied have a local focus (private pain
and loneliness) this poem has an international dimension (he can also focus on
suffering on a gigantic scale)
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The poem shows what he saw and then what his reaction was – it awakened
his conscience and made him aware of what ‘total war’ meant

The title has a double meaning, first it is the gaunt survivors welcoming the
allies who have come to set them free and secondly it refers to them as
welcoming Montague and his friends to the cinema.
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Key theme is the horror of the Nazi concentration camps Montague is
horrified by man’s inhumanity to man. Another theme is Ireland’s isolation
from the rest of Europe.
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Montague feels as though they are looking at him as a protector but he feels
helpless. The Irish are detached from these awful atrocities.
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Montague’s faith is undermined as he thinks of the awful crimes these
Christians have committed.
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Language combines the conversational and the metaphorical
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Imagery is usual, often challenging.
Tone varies from one of horror to one of frustration.
‘A Welcoming Party’
 Key theme is our indifference to the suffering of animals.
 Vivid detail captures the horror of the pig’s death.
 A series of metaphors are employed to convey the idea of a uniquely extreme
sound.
 Language is generally ordinary, everyday but is rich in suggestion and meaning.
 Layout of the poem and regular use of full stops prompt the reader to pause and
reflect on different stages of the killing.
 Effective use of sound: onomatopoeia and assonance.
 Montague’s sympathy for the pig is implicit throughout.
‘Killing the Pig’