EDWIN MORGAN POEMS (slate, hyena and winter)

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  • Created by: emd001
  • Created on: 15-01-17 15:14

SLATE

there is no beginning. We saw Lewis

laid down, where there was not much but thunder 

and volcanic fires; watched long seas plunder 

faults; laughed as staffa cooled. Drumlins blue as 

bruises were grated off like nutmegs;bens,

and a great glen, gave a rough back we like 

to think the ages must streak, surely strike,

seldom stroke, but raised and shaken, with tens 

of thousands of rains, blizzards, sea-poundings 

shouldered off into night and memory.

Memory of men! That was to come. Great 

in thier empty hunger these surroundings 

threw walls to the sky, the sorry glory 

of a rainbow. Their heels kicked flint, chalk and slate

analysis-

'there is no beginning'

- these words are in present tense while everything else is in past tense. Morgan is trying to make scotland seem eternal

'We saw lewis'

- a voice that is outside history and is looking in

'but thunder and volcanic fires'

-word choice, to show the brutal formation of scotland.  

'seas plunder faults'

-personification, the seas interact with the landscape, scotland sufferering from the elements 

''drumlins blue as bruises'

-simile, political suggestion that scotland as a nation is bruised and hurt 

'rough back'

-metaphor, the spirit of Scotland cannot be crushed, scotland is embodied, given a living body, not just a chunk of geology 

'streak, surely strike, seldom stroke'

-sound effects, draw our attention, gives the reader a sensory experince, makes us feel more involved like we can hear it. sound effect make scotland lively, vibrant and noisy making it seem scotland is something that catches our attention. 

'rains, blizzards, sea-poundings'

-list, shows all the brutal weather scotland has to go through, all the weather sthat have afffected the landscape

'memory of men!' that was to come .

-shows aburpt appearance of mankind, shows how breif mankinds history has been. 

'empty hunger'

-a nation isn't made by geology, a nation is made by its people and by what they do, the new scotland is empty adn hungry without us.

'the sorry glory of a rainbow'

-metaphor, a rainbow is a glorious thing but also a sad thing as it only ever comes after rain. metaphor, to show that there is still hope for a more independent future for scotlad even after the failed referendum (rain, sad event)

'their heels kicked flint'

- means to be waiting, impatetienly, scotland is still waiting for its better future.

'slate'

- the title of the poem comes last, may have the meaning that somtimes things omly come togtehr at the last minuture, it may take time for scotland destiny to be fufilled.

themes:

the inevitablity of CHANGE- landscape have been transfromed over millions of years, landscape and politics and socirty is constanly changing 

NATURE, the STRENGTH-strong resillent landscapes, HOPE for better future (link to hyena, the hyena has to adapt and be vicious just to survive in the harsh weather and enviroment of the aftrica. The people of scotland are strong because of the harsh beatings scotladn went through it

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Eviehepworth

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so many spelling mistakes