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ImageryImagery is the poet develops pictures in the reader’s mind through his use of descriptive language, similes and metaphor.Imagery plays a very important part in making the reader feel sympathy for the old man. The poet’s use of imagery is particularly effective in making the reader feel sympathy when he is describing the old man’s appearance to the reader:“Like a monstrous animal caught in a tent”This is a powerful image as it dehumanises the man, making him appear more creature-like than human, and the word “caught” has connotations of the man being almost trapped or caged in this hideous body. This theme of the man being caught or controlled by his appearance is continued in stanza one:“The dismal hump/looming over him forces his head down”Again, this image creates the impression that the man is controlled by his abnormal appearance. The word “forces” emphasises the weight of the hump, both in a literal and a metaphorical sense, and is effective in highlighting the physical frailty of the main character. This frailty is confirmed shortly after when the reader is told that the blind man’s white cane is “hanging from his right arm”. This is a significant image in evoking sympathy for the old man, as the reader learns that his physical frailty is severe enough that it prevents him from controlling the one piece of equipment that can help him manoeuvre safely in strange environments.Remember - you will gain little credit for simply listing the examples of imagery in the poem, or for listing a number of random quotations. You will receive credit for:S – Stating your point. E.g. The poet uses imagery to evoke sympathy for the old man when he describes his journey to the bathroom.Q – Quoting the part of the passage that backs up your point. E.g. “a few yards of floor are like a landscape”A – Analysing on the quote. E.g. This simile is effective in conveying the toil and painstaking effort of making even the shortest trip to the bathroom. This evokes the sympathy of the reader as, to most, such a task is an everyday occurrence and not something that involves danger or determination. The comparison of “a few yards of floor” to “a landscape” is effective in this situation as it shows haw normal simple tasks become vast and epic journeys for the old man.RepetitionRepetition is when a poet or writer repeats a word, a phrase, an idea or a theme to create a particular effect. Usually it is used to emphasise the writer’s point or draw the reader’s attention to a particular idea or part of the story/poem/passage.Repetition is another prominent technique in “In the Snack-bar” and does two things. It is used regularly by Morgan when he is describing the movement of the old man, and also plays a part in evoking the sympathy of the reader.“And slowly we go down. And slowly we go down.”By repeating this phrase, the poet is emphasising how slowly the old man moves. This triggers sympathy for the old man as it again invites the reader to reflect on how tedious and time-consuming such a simple task is for this old man. The use of repetition for the purpose of evoking sympathy and highlighting the old man’s movements is repeated throughout the poem in quotes such as:- “And slowly we go up. And slowly we go up.”- “across that endless, yet not endless waste of floor.”As well as this, repetition is also a key tool in helping the reader see the narrator’s admiration for the old man, as the repeated phrases, while highlighting the pace of the old man’s movement, also serve to illustrate that no matter how slowly he is moving, the old man refuses to give up:“He climbs, and steadily enough.He climbs, we climb. He climbs”This quote indicates not only how tediously slow the man moves (which helps the reader feel sympathetic towards him), but also the fact that he refuses to give up despite the fact he is so weak, a trait which earns the admiration of the narrator and the reader. This is again highlighted by the phrase:“The faltering, unfaltering steps”The repetition has the duel effect of creating a feeling of both sympathy and admiration, as it informs the reader that, regardless of how unsteady or slow the manis on his feet, his steps remain “unfaltering? and he refuses to be beaten.Once again, remember to use S.Q.A. model to achieve maximum creditS - StatementQ - QuoteA - AnalysisNarratorThe narrator plays a significant role in shaping the reader’s opinion of the old man and in helping evoke our emotions towards him.In the first Stanza, the narrator remains quite detached from the old man as he appears to observe the old man from a distance. This helps the reader feel sorry for the old man as we concentrate on the hideous descriptions of his appearance. However, this changes as the narrator helps the man in stanza two, building up an emotional relationship with the main character which, in a way, is transferred to the reader. As the narrator’s attitude towards the old man develops from sympathy and pity to admiration and eventually to a mixture of both, so does the reader’s.The most obvious example of the narrator helping shape the reader’s views of the old man comes in stanza two when the narrator tells us that “I concentrate my life to his”.He then goes on to put the reader in the old man’s shoes by describing the scene without using sight: “crunch of spilt sugar”“hiss of the coffee-machine”This not only provides the reader with a real sense of the old man’s perspective, but also lends a dangerous feel to the man’s world through the harsh onomatopoeic sounds of “crunch” and “hiss”, which in turn makes us feel a degree of sympathy and respect for what he has to go through.As stated earlier, the narrator’s changing opinion of the old man affects our own opinion, and he sums up his mixed emotions at the end when he proclaims:“Dear Christ, to be born for this!”This sentence neatly represents both his wonderment and admiration for the man and how he copes with the hand life has dealt him, but also his sympathy and sorrow that anyone should be born into a life like that. This is the narrator’s final and very personal plea to god that shows his astonishment towards the old man’s perseverance and he is also possible voicing his own fear for the future, that maybe one day he will experience a similar struggle.Theme/MessageMuch of Edwin Morgan’s poetry is focused around “ordinary” people and society, and his poetry is often viewed as a commentary on society as he observes it.“In the Snack-bar” has a fairly obvious theme, inviting the reader to consider the place of the disabled, less-fortunate or “needy? in society. Morgan clearly feels that people do not do enough to help those in need in modern society:“His life depends on many who would evade him”This quote quite clearly indicates that the poet feels most people in society would turn a blind eye to people like the old man rather than lend a helping hand. However, “In the Snack-bar” could also be seen as a tribute to the fighting spirit of the old man, and to those in society who are less fortunate, yet refuse to give up:“persisting patience of the undefeated”This attitude from the old man is all the more astonishing given what he has to face in his life, and is one of the reason’s the reader and the narrator cannot help but feel a sense of admiration towards him.Personal ResponseRemember – in your personal response to the poem, comment on the theme of the poem. You can reflect on whether or not you agree with thePoet’s views, or whether the themes explored made you see an issue in a different light. Remember to link your personal response to what the question is asking and to comment on the techniques used by the poet and the effect you feel they had on the poem.Adapted, with thanks, from R Miller’s “In the Snack Bar” Study Notes ................
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