Romeo_and_Julie

GLASGOW SONNET In the poem “Glasgow Sonnet 1” Edwin Morgan describes how an old tenement building is crumbling and falling down, and how the weather is affecting this. He goes on to talk about the last occupants and how they lived their life in the house, which is obviously due for demolition. The poem is set in Glasgow, possibly in the 1960’s, as that was when most of the tenement blocks were demolished. This sonnet of fourteen lines comprises of an octet and a sestet. There are 10 syllables per line which means the poem is decasyllabic. The rhyme scheme is ABBA ABBA CDCDCD. The poet uses several different word choices and techniques to set a tone of deprivation and poverty. One example of this is when he says “A mean wind wonders.” This gives me the idea that the wind is alive and is setting out to destroy everything. The word “Hackles” which is also personification give me an image of the hackles on a dog’s back, when it is frightened or angry. This gives me an image of what the puddle looks like and also gives me the impression that everything is scared of the wind. Alliteration is another technique used when he says “Play-fortresses of brick and bric - a - brac spill out some ash.” This helps draw more attention to it. It also makes me think that the land is deteriorating. The poet says “Condemned to stand, not crash.” Condemned usually means it will be torn down if it’s about a building. This gives me the idea that the building is past its use, and is a menace to the land and it’s just sitting there doing nothing. When the poet refers to “Cracks” and “Rats” he is suggesting that the building is falling to pieces and that the rats are the only thing living there. Edwin Morgan used an effective metaphor in line 10. He states “The kettle whimpers.” This is very effective because it makes me think that everything including the kettle is weak, and that it is also scared of the wind. He also uses effective words to suggest deprivation. The words he uses are “ashes”, “cracks deepen”, “chipped sills”, “rats crawl.” I think he uses these words as they suggest that everything is rotting away, and falling apart. Another interesting feature of this poem is the similarities between the mattresses and the man who is the last occupant of the tenement block. “Old mattresses puff briefly and subside.” This suggests that the mattresses are old and worn out similarly, “The man lies late…smokes on one elbow, letting his coughs fall thinly.” This is how he described the man, so this makes me think that the man is also old and worn out. In conclusion, whilst I enjoyed the poet’s techniques, I didn’t enjoy the content as I found it quite depressing reading about all those people who have lost their homes. I have studied social housing and I learned that tenement housing had a sense of community, and when people got rehoused into the high rise flats and council houses, they lost all sense of community. By Ashleigh Cousin