“Glasgow 5 March 1971” by Edwin Morgan
TASK: Choose a poem in which there is a dramatic or violent incident. Show how the poet conveys the incident using various poetic techniques.
‘Glasgow 5 March 1971’ by Scottish poet Edwin Morgan effectively conveys a violent incident which occurs on a busy street in Glasgow. The incident captured in this instamatic poem involves a violent attack on a young couple who are pushed through a shop window by thieving youths. The incident is shown vividly through various techniques such as imagery, word choice and structure. Through this poem, Morgan effectively criticises society and our reluctance to help others in need.
One of the ways in which Morgan helps us understand the incident is through the use of imagery. The poem begins with a striking metaphor to describe the “ragged diamond of shattered plate-glass”. The broken glass is being compared to a diamond to help us picture the sharp, glinting edges of the window. This immediately shows how violent the incident is. He goes on to describe the man’s face as “bristling with fragments of glass”. This metaphor compared the numerous shards of glass on his face to a beard. This again highlights the pain and damage caused to the innocent “young man”. The serious nature of the injuries is also conveyed by the words “spurts of arterial blood” which creates the image of blood gushing out of the girl. Her “wet-look white coat” emphasises the amount of blood and the contrast of red blood on white which creates a strong visual image.
