Glasgow Sonnet No1
Edwin Morgan’s Glasgow Sonnet No1 is an unconventional sonnet, which explores themes of poverty and urban decay. The deliberate use of ‘sonnet’ in the title is intended to mislead the reader, as the connotations of ‘sonnet’ include love, romance, joy and happiness; this contrasts with the morose themes of poverty and destruction in the poem. The use of ‘Glasgow’ in the title not only denotes the setting, but the connotations may include: predominantly working class, harsh, inner-city living (obviously this is a negative stereotype).
The poem’s form is a sonnet; specifically it is Petrarchan - it’s structured into 14 lines of strict rhyme: ABBA ABBA CDC DCD. Iambic pentameter, traditionally used in sonnets, has been employed by Morgan and adds to the reader’s appreciation of the versification. The sonnet is divided into two sections: an octave and a sestet.
The octave (first eight lines) focuses on the external environment, which is unpleasant and dangerous. It’s filled with ‘trash’, ‘old mattresses’, and ‘bric-a-brac’ which ‘spill out some ash’, also, the building has ‘no windows left to smash’. The ‘black block’ is ‘condemned to stand’ (a paradox) suggesting the building is unsuitable for habitation - it should perhaps be demolished, but instead must remain (a worse fate). This might further suggest that the building has been forgotten about to the extent that it’s not worthy of the resources required to demolish it, and that its inhabitants have been abandoned and left to suffer along with the building.
The unusual use of volta in the ninth line indicates a change in the rhyme scheme from the octave to the sestet. The sestet (last six lines) explores life inside the building, and how this deprived environment affects the lives of the building’s (few) inhabitants. The ‘cracks deepen’, which reveals the building is not sufficiently maintained, and ‘rats crawl’, showing the building is infested with vermin. Unemployment is evident: ‘The man…lost his job’.
Morgan’s meticulous application of rhythm and rhyme scheme throughout the poem is significant to the reader’s overall understanding and enjoyment of the poem. Violent and harsh monosyllables are used: ‘trash, ash, smash, crash’, which are complimented by lifeless rhymes of antepenultimate syllables: ‘mattresses, mistresses, fortresses, buttresses’ – this creates an antagonistic effect, and reflects and reinforces how sorrowful life is at the building.
Imagery is integral to understanding the themes conveyed in Glasgow Sonnet No 1:
“A mean wind wanders through the backcourt trash.
Hackles on puddles rise, old mattresses
puff briefly and subside. Play-fortresses
of brick and bric-a-brac spill out some ash.”
Morgan’s word choice of ‘mean’, ‘wind’ and ‘wanders’ all open with labial consonants and close with ‘n’ – this creates a sense of the wind’s movement; however, the lack of regularity suggests its movement is aimless, perhaps also reflecting a lack of motivation or direction in the building’s inhabitants. ‘Backcourt trash’ reveals the external environment of the building is neglected. Personification is utilised: ‘Hackles…puddles rise, mattresses puff…’ suggesting fear and discomfort in the surroundings. Also, the inversion used in ‘Hackles…rise’ places emphasis on ‘rise’, showing the harshness of the weather.
