The Cop and the Anthem Critique
The main character soapy is homeless and trying to get thrown in jail for the winter so he will have a warm place to stay and food to eat. Colloquialism is used in this story when Soapy refers to jail as the island. This Colloquialism reflects the culture of Soapy. The author does this to show the setting of the story, which is New York. The “Island” symbolizes a refuge, a place distanced from crowds and noisy civilization. And a place where soapy can be comfortable. This is used by the author to show Soapy’s situation as a homeless person and the importance of Soapy’s need to survive the winter.
Allusions are used several times in this story. The first allusion is to the government. In the story it says Soapy has to become a Committee of Ways and Means. I didn’t notice this at first but when I re-read it I thought this had to serve a specific purpose. The Committee of Ways and Means is a part of the government that makes decisions on matters such as the how the budget is spent. Therefore, Soapy has to become a Committee of Ways and Means because he has to decide where to spend the winter. The author uses this allusion to show sopay’s dilema and the decision he must make. The second allusion comes when the author is discussing why soapy doesn’t accept charity. An allusion to William Shakespeare’s The tragedy of Julius Caesar is made. He states “As Caesar had his Brutus, every bed of charity must have its toll of a bath, every loaf of bread its compensation of private and personal inquisition.” Looking at the relationship of Brutus and Caesar, Brutus is the close friend and servant of Caesar. Brutus ironically is the one who kills Caesar. So the author to show that for Soapy, accepting charity means he will pay the price for the charity uses the allusion to The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. This price is humility.