In the third stanza, we see the atrocities of the accident. “Assembling her body”, the accident is so bad that her body is like a jigsaw puzzle and the paramedics are trying to assemble it. The young girl’s body is so messed up they do not know who she is, “who she is they do not know”. This quote is a contrast to what she was when she was alive. “Foolish virgin” this quote indicates that her foolishness cost her life. This is a contrast to the first stanza, which she is described as a “careful virgin”
The poet uses personification “his tenderness heaped on her head”; tenderness is a feeling, which is being personified. Through the poem
there is repetitions of metaphor “unholy” and “unwilling” marriage
The poet, David Holbrook uses metaphor and personification so that the poem is bough to life. “Mixed. Undressed”. This is a personification comparing her body to disgusting mixed food, which indicates how horrendous the accident was.
There is a sense of intrigue in the poem, we don't know precisely who the man was, which the young female who had the accident was with. Was it her husband? Her lover? This is also similar to the second poem (Street Accident), which a pair has an accident but we do not know who they are.
The fourth stanza starts with oxymoron, which is similar to the title “unwilling marriage”; this oxymoron is affective because it is opposite to what is showing. In the fourth stanza simple colloquial language is used describing the event before her death and how her partner had bought her death by buying dangerous “machine able to do a ton”. There are also a lot of slang words in the fourth stanza. The event leading up to the ghastly accident is described precisely, with no superfluous language. “Ton”
This poem contains a pun; “ no wheel has built -in sense” works well because there is a play on the word incense, candles scents and it gives image of death.
Sensuous image is used in the fifths stanza, “there came a heavy tail without a light” this works well because it makes the reader feel they are there. There is also alliteration of the b sound (blood, brain, bone) which indicate the bones crushing with each other. A simile is used showing the strength of the oil setting to fire when the bike they were on crushed to the back of the lorry. “Poured like a unleashed wind or fire from bag”.
The poem is six stanzas and each stanza contains six lines.
In all of the stanzas, a pattern emerges, on the fourth line of each stanza the last word is “breast”. The first stanza is parallel with the last as the first stanza begins with the parents and last stanza ends with the parents.
There is a rhyming at the end of each line in this poem.
Each couplet rhymes within itself, “bed/head; know/ blow.” This gives each couplet an air of finality and completeness, and reminds us how the careful virgin was.
The second poem (Street Accident) is very comparable the first poem. Street Accident is about a pair who have an accident due to “carefree adventure”, wich the carefree accident cost them their life like the first couple. The story is told by one of the paramedics who were
called to the accident.
The title of the second poem, “Street Accident” emphasis what the poem is about. In the first line of the first stanza, a metaphor/cliche is used for journey of life. “In the road ahead of me”. The style of Street Accident is narrative, like story telling.
In the first stanza, an oxymoron is used to describe the “sickeningly familiar” atmosphere. The atmosphere is so quiet, it’s like a shocked person. Once again, we see the atrocities of the accident in this poem, like the first. “Sexless, Shapeless”. Another oxymoron is used to describe the dead couple. “Living-dead”. This oxymoron is affective because it is a contrast, the couple has been something but no longer are.
The couple has been so badly injured the sensuous are compared to a stone, which indicates their sensuous is gone. “By the blanket side like stone”.
In the third stanza, personification is used to describe the sickeningly atmosphere. “Hesitate to bring relief”. This personification shows that the paramedic is shocked that he/she can’t even help to carry the dead couple. The paramedic's sensuous are numb, so he/she can‘t even help the dead.
The dead in this poem are unknown, a rhetorical question is used in the poem which indicates the paramedics are unsure who the dead are.
“Who they are, who they were”. “Man and Wife, maybe, or lovers” This quote reminds me of the first poem, the uncertainty of their relationship.
Like the first poem religious images are used, indicating the accident did not take at a right place and it was not the right place to die. “Through false sacrilege of blood”.
Towards the end, the poem becomes more personal, which makes us, as the readers feel sorry for the dead couples. “With the irrational guilt at hear” We look again ere we depart” This quote shows that the people/paramedics feel guilty but are incapable of doing anything. They are powerless. Slang words are also used towards the end “ere”
The last line of the poem provides a parallel to the opening of the poem as metaphors are used in both first and last line. “Save for handkerchiefs and a stain” This metaphor/cliche for journey of life
By
Abdi Ismail
11A
