Edwin Morgan In the Snack Bar

Edwin Morgan Poems

In the Snack Bar

>Alliteration of hard C sound " a cup capsizes along the formica" Hard C sound grabs reader's attention makes us focus on the line just as the actual hard sound of the cup falling grabs Morgan's attention

> Realistic details "A cup capsizes along the formica, Slithering with a dull clatter. A few heads turn in the crowded evening snack-bar" ‘Capsizes’ present tense and, like ‘Good Friday’ and ‘Trio’, makes the poem seem as if it is happening in front of us Formica- material unique to basic cafes Details of a crowded café gives more realistic details

>Present tense ‘trying’ ‘levers’ ‘sways’ Makes the poem seem realistic and as if it is happening now

> Personification "forces his head down" It is as if the man is a slave and his body is being controlled by a slave master forcing him into disability and dehumanising him

> Alliteration of hard 'st' sounds "he stands in his stained beltless gabardine" Draws attention to the man’s dirty clothes suggests that there is no one caring for him at home

> Alliteration of 'p' sounds "He climbs with many pauses but with that one persisting patience of the undefeated" In  case our attention has wavered whilst reading Morgan draws us back in  he is about to write the message of the poem

> Transferred epithet "dismal hump forces his head down" His hump is causing him grief because he cannot stand up straight to look at people when he talks to them He can’t keep his head up physically or emotionally because there is nothing for him to be happy about because he cannot do much

> Transferred epithet "blind hump" His hump is not actually blind but it could represent the man- a blind hump Connotations of humps are unnecessary growths taking up space and time The man can be seen as an interfering time waster

> Dashes "I want-to go to the-toilet" Pauses or breaks in speech perhaps: The man’s disability affects his speech He is embarrassed to ask for help to go to the toilet He is nervous about speaking to strangers in case they make fun of him, hurt him or play a nasty trick on him (eg leave him while he’s halfway down the stairs

> Similes "like a monstrous animal caught in a tent" He looks threatening and hideous He looks as if he is trapped in his tent-like coat Like an old circus tents where ‘freaks’ were on display to be mocked

> Similes "like a landscape to be negotiated" The space inside the café is not big but to the man it is he must choose his path wisely, however because he can’t see he must trust the author to guide him

> Oxymoron "dangerous inches" Inches are small and walking an inch is never very dangerous to the man everything becomes hazardous and dangerous

> Repetition of 'inch' "inch by inch we drift….. slow dangerous inches" Emphasises how small the steps are and how long it is taking for the man and the author to walk across the room

> Repetition of 'climb(s)' "He climbs, and steadily enough. He climbs, we climb. He climbs" Again, emphasises how long it is taking for the man and author to climb the stairs Makes them seem never ending, like climbing a mountain

> Repetition of whole sentences "And slowly we go down. And slowly we go down And slowly we go up. And slowly we go up." It’s as if the author has said the first line but realises that it is taking so long to go down the stairs he writes it again to fill the silence and re-emphasise how slowly the man is walking Has the same slow effect. It shows the authors impatience

> Use of senses- Hearing "hiss of the coffee machine, voices and laughter" Losing one sense makes the others stronger We start to become like the blind man and are more aware of the sounds around him

> Use of senses- Touch "slidy puddles….table edges, people’s feet" Again, we concentrate on what is happening around the man We begin to sympathise with him as he can’t see these obstacles in the way

> Use of senses- Smell "smell of a cigar, hamburgers, wet coats steaming" Tells us what the café is like shows us how others are not helping as they are too busy eating and smoking Details of the weather show us that the day may have been harder than usual due to the rain it would be easier for him to slip and people would not take notice of him as they would be rushing to get out of it

> Contrast "White tiles and mirrors at last. He shambles uncouth into the clinical gleam" The man seems dirty and unclean compared to the brightness and cleanliness of the bathroom The bathroom could reflect society- not 100% clean but looks clean  compared to the man Society is not perfect but the man stands out as imperfect due to his disabilities

> Contrast "His brooding reflection darkens the mirror but the trickle of his water is thin and slow" The man seems dark, strong and intimidating against the ‘clinical gleam’ of the bathroom his urine reflects what he is really like- slow and weak

> Exclamation "Dear Christ, to be born for this!" The author has discovered how unfair the old man’s situation is He is perhaps calling out to a higher being to ask why this man has such an awful situation He is wondering why this man has been born into suffering and relying on others

> Example of a phrase with literal meanings and metaphorical meanings "The dismal hump looming over him forces his head down" The man is being pushed down by his hump it is a literal weight on his shoulder it is metaphorical one as he has the burden of having to ask people for help with everything he does

> Example of a phrase with literal meanings and metaphorical meanings "No-one sees his face" Literally, no-one can see his face as it is facing the ground due to his hump Metaphorically, no-one sees his face because he is not known or accepted in society, he has no friends or support

> Examples of the writer seeming to contradict himself "The faltering, unfaltering steps" The man’s steps are hesitating but they are not because of his perseverance

> Examples of the writer seeming to contradict himself "that endless yet not endless waste of floor" The floor is not endless but it feels endless because of the amount of time it is taking to walk across it 

> Connotations "formica" Hardwearing made to get dirty and easily wiped greasy spoon cafe  

>Connotations "few" little not many

>Connotations "crowded" busy packed full little space

> Connotations "tent" big campsite circus makes him a freak

> Connotations "sways" unsteady swing unbalanced

> Connotations "hanging" loose not in use dangling

> Connotations "fumbling" unsteady movement not controlled nervous

> Connotations "we" more than one together connection to narrator

>Connotations "drift" float uncontrolled unknown destination driftwood helpless

> Connotations "clings" tight grip not letting go needs narrators help

> Connotations "probing" testing poking examine explore

> Connotations "doubtfully" unsure nervously

> Connotations "gently" Carefully protectively softly quietly

> Connotations "contraption" Gadget device complicated unreliable

> Connotations "face the stairs" turn start to climb view challenge

> Connotations "shudders" shiver cold anxiously

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