The Poem Stripper by Mervyn Morris

The poem Stripper by Mervyn Morris speaks of a poet who, after a long day decides to treat himself to wine and music at a club but, unfortunately had to part-take in the performance of a female exotic entertainer which was not a part of his plan. Though, the poet had no intention in watching the entertainment, at the end of the poem it shows how much of an inspiration the entertainment and the ambiance had on him. The poem also speaks of the discomfort the performer had as if she had no voice as to what goes on but, merely have to accept it and do her job. Morris uses pun as his main device to create humour and to place emphasis on what exactly is the meaning beneath what is being illustrated in the poem. As the poem stated the Stripper, Morris places the focus on the character and documents her every move and actions in order not to question if the title complements the poem. The uses of different images and devices are evident throughout the poem which at the same time enhances the tone and mood of the poem. In this essay the effectiveness and use of devices including the continuous use of pun, the exploitation of women, and descriptive aspect of the poem will be documented.

Morris use of imagery helps to enhance the strength of the piece in a way that evokes one’s peculiar senses. He begins the poem describing the venue as ‘sleazy’ which means dirty, disreputable or unpleasant a word often associated with prostitutes. Why stop at a place like this when he could have chosen a different venue? One may ask. Though, he describes the ambiance as such, poets usually gets inspired by the weirdest things, from the weirdest places ironic isn't it? Morris use of descriptive words also helps in embodying the atmosphere and what takes plac...

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.../ the poet felt his symbol growing hard” (18-19), is effective in a sense that though this poet had no intention in part-taking in the stripping that was taking place, and he could have chosen a more subtle environment that would not be as distracting as a strip club. At the end of the day he got aroused in a sense that his symbol that went hard can relate to the symbol in his head that has gone concrete so he can travel home and put pen to paper about the experience he had in that scenery.

In concluding, Morris’s poem entitled stripper complements the context of the piece. It shows that a non mediocre poet can get inspiration from anything and anywhere even in the heart of a strip club where, what takes place can be rather a distraction. Morris use of pun in its entirety throughout the poem created that fitting match with the environment within the poem on a whole.