What Are The Literary Devices Used By Glasgow Sonnet Poem Analysis

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Glasgow Sonnets Essay - Rachel Watt

Glasgow Sonnet by Edwin Morgan is a realistic poem discussing poverty in Glasgow. Set in the mid 20th century in one of Glasgow's most poverty stricken neighbourhoods. A family live in lives in a derelict tenement which is crumbling around them. Morgan shows his empathy and anger at the situation the family are experiencing. Morgan uses personification, metaphors, alliteration, structure, irony, word choice to effectively describe the place which is the Glasgow Tenement. To begin with in 'Glasgow Sonnet' Morgan uses personification to effectively describe the tenements as dangerous and hostile. Morgan describes the environment surround the tenement as the 'mean wind wanders,'. The word 'mean' reveals …show more content…

The tenement flat is described as frightening with 'the kettle whimpers,'. Whilst kettles boiling aren't normally depicted as having feelings the poet uses personification of the distresses kettle to that of a person who is very unhappy. This shows the reader how unhappy the Glasgow tenements make the family members living in them feel due to how joyless the place is. Lastly, in 'Glasgow Sonnet' Morgan uses imagery to emphasise how ghastly and somber the Glasgow tenements are of a place. The poet shows us how destitute the tenements are as they are described as being very poor quality with 'roses of mould' growing on the walls. Even though the reader normally associates 'roses' with love and nature, the word mould creates an appalling picture of the spores accumulating across the room. This at first glance could be viewed as a joyful and happy image yet the place is completely opposite when we realise it is not flower but a fungus. This reveals to the reader how their is absolutely nothing positive about this place it is disease ridden, uninviting and uninhabitable. The reader forces us to think about the environment the family are subjected to living in Glasgow in this era which is a modern

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