The poet uses the word “door” 8 times in his short poem, because he wants to emphasize on the importance of this word towards him, perhaps this could refer to an emergency exit, which shows that he is paranoid and thinks that there will be something bad happening. The word ‘kneading’ shows how the industry is constantly working, without any breaks, which shows the constant effort in which workers need to put up with in order to earn their low waged salary. The poet uses many words to describe the negative attitude in which there is in the factory, such as “drift” and “dying”, which in this case would mean that the workers are wandering along, and not really knowing what they are doing. Also knowing that the factory is “dying” this means that these are only temporary jobs, therefore you can’t expect to permanently work there.
Hone Tuwhare wrote “I really ought to be looking for another job before the axe falls” which means before the industry closes down or is replaced by other employees which have probably lower wages, such as immigrants. The words “console myself” demonstrates that he would be ready to boost his morale up in case he would have to change job, which might suggest that it’s not his first time that he’s changed industry. Ending the poem with the question “you know” might show that it’s emphasizing on the authors in security.
The first three stanzas of the poem describe what the workplace is like, and explains that he works near a door and that the conditions of his work are awful, but he puts up with it and is happy with what job he is busy with. Describing the workplace as a messy and noisy place “smoke rising, machines thumping and thrusting, people kneading, shaping, and putting things together” gives the reader a proper image of what the industry is like.
There isn’t any rhyme or any particular rhythm in this poem, but the poet did include alliteration which was “cold creeps” but he includes more assonance which is located in the third stanza “rising, thumping, thrusting, kneading and shaping”. This may affect the speed of the tempo, and might bring more excitement to the reader.
The ‘Monologue’ is a great example a monologue poem, but Hone Tuwhare mostly focused on his own point of view, and he could have mentioned other workers points of view about the industry which he is working in, or about the narrator, for example he could over hear them whispering strange things about him as he passed by. On the whole, this is a good poem, although it is mostly pessimistic.
