Balance sheet by John Montague - In Romney Marsh by John Davidson - A Major Road for Romney Marsh by U.A. Fanthorpe - Ninetieth Birthday by R.S Thomas - How do the poets convey feelings about a particular place?

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Usman Choudhry     10.05

How do the poets convey strong feelings about a particular place?

The poems that I will be analysing are as follows:

  • Balance sheet by John Montague
  • In Romney Marsh by John Davidson
  • A Major Road for Romney Marsh by U.A. Fanthorpe
  • Ninetieth Birthday by R.S Thomas

  The first poem that I will be examining is Balance Sheet by John Montague. This poem describes a place in Ireland, which has gone through many social changes.  Montague is comparing life now with the life of his grandfather many years before.  As the title suggests the poem is like a real balance sheet, as it lays out losses and compares them with the gains to see what is left over at the end.  When we look more closely at this poem we see that it has a very unusual layout as well as having an uncharacteristic title.  When the poem is read we are able to understand why the poet has chosen such a title and layout.  The reason being that he is trying to show the reader the change that has occurred through the times.  He has done this by separating the poem into two parts, ‘loss’ and ‘gain’.  Loss signifies the things that have been lost while gain signifies the things that have been acquired.  The poet compares the loss of the countryside for the gain of roads and modern development.  Hence the reason for the title, ‘Balance Sheet’.    

  The poets tries to get the point across that the things that have been lost were in a way more sacred then the resources that have been gained.  This is evident in stanzas one to six.  Stanza six for example tells us that by the removal of the hillocks and humps (underground burial chambers) the superstition and stories that were created by the local people have been lost; ‘The removal of all hillocks and humps, superstition styled fairy forts and long barrows, now legally to be regarded as obstacles masking a drivers view.’  In stanza five the poet ironically writes about plant names, such as; ‘devil’s bit’ and ‘pee the bed’, that when are read seem to signify wickedness.  He has written the names as though the plants have done something wrong. The reason he has done this may be suggesting to us that even though the plants are bad, there is a loss of soul in nature.  Montague might also be indicating that the names of the plants are ones given by the local people, hence together with the plants and local people the local names have been lost.  In stanza three Montague tells us about the destruction of the countryside to make way for the development of roads.  The road that has been described is a symbol of social change that has happened.  As we can see, the poet is focusing on the point of social change that has taken place in the countryside.  Montague goes on to say that due to this change the local culture has vanished taking along everything that was associated with it.  This is the main thought in the ‘loss’ section of the poem.

  In the ‘gain’ section of the poem, we see the things that have replaced the old culture.  This is apparent in stanzas one to four.  Stanza two for example tells us that even though a driver can gain an extra quarter of an hour it does not make his life any more enjoyable, thus telling us the suggestion of the poem which is that you cannot experience life if you rush it. ‘A man driving from Belfast to Londonderry can arrive a quarter of an hour earlier….’ In stanza three Montague again tells us that change has affected people’s relations with their relatives, as a local is driving ten miles per hour faster (we see again the symbolism of speed and rush between the people) to visit his relatives in a hospital or asylum.  This suggests to us that the person wants to get the visit over as quickly as possible whereas before people were cared for by their relatives and community but now the unwell person is placed into hospitals to be looked after by complete strangers, as well as having relatives who want to get the visit over and done with.  As we can now see, the things that have been gained do not balance out to the things that have been lost.  As the culture that has been lost was more rewarding than the modern gains.  At the end of the poem, Montague writes a short passage in italics, which looks like an epitaph (writing on a tombstone).  The poet is being ironic as he says his grandfather enjoys observing accidents and it is also humorous in a way, as the poet laughs at the thought of his JP grandfather getting out of his rotting coffin to penalise drivers for going too fast.

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  The poet uses a large amount of figures (like a balance sheet) in the ‘gain’ section of the poem, this suggests to us that everything now is devalued then it was before the start of social changes.  We do not get appreciated for an individual but just the same as everyone else.  The meaning of value is just in terms of financial benefit instead of the value of observing the beautiful surroundings and the general beauty of a place.

  The poet’s feelings are strong and simple and they are that the change that is happening is not ...

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