This document covers the poem: 'Out of the Bag' from the Poems of the Decade Poetry. I studied this poem for my A Level, Edexcel English Literature Exam as part of the poetry module. By constructing these summarises and notes these provided me with ideas and themes which I could for my essays and t...
• Sense of mystery
• Childlike sense
• Play on words from ‘let the cat out of the bag’
• Theme of revelation and secrecy
• Mystery, naivety, and curiosity
• Uncertainty. The surprises one is unable to expect
• Magician and fairy-tale like
Structure:
• Key visual aspects are the different sections numbered one to four. Splits up poem into different
sections with the aim of representing the transition in place and time at different stages in the
narrator’s life, from childhood to adult. Sense of separate poems being brought together as one
could be interpreted as demonstrating how fundamentally different the narrator’s understanding
of the world is between each section to represent transitions between past and present.
• Individual stanzas are only three lines long and this is consistent throughout the poem with
exception of a one-line stanza at end of first section. Fragmentation of stanzas suggests the
narrator's thoughts were often broken and needed to be pieced together in order to have a full
understanding of the situation. Poem is less consistent in number of stanzas between each section
with first being longer than remaining three. Reader responds to this by considering the events of
childhood have had a big impact on the development of the reader and this is why a
disproportionate amount of the poem is dedicated to this part as it acts as the foundations for
the rest.
• Not bound by line length, suggesting the persona will not be bound by people telling him he
cannot be a great doctor, despite his lack of medical skills. Evokes sympathy for the persona in his
attempt.
• Complementary effect is created through the free verse structure to place further emphasis on
the free-flowing nature of the memories and thoughts being shared as the lack of notable rhyme
scheme is seen a letting the imagery and ideas ‘speak for themselves’. Structure made notable
through use of enjambment which occurs between a range of stanza, and end-stopped line to
make structure more notable and confusing for the reader.
• Use of full stop in ‘All of us came in Doctor Kerlin/s bag.’ Sense of certainty from the beginning of
the poem. But even this creates a sense of the childhood naivety. The fact this is the full sentence
and is not elaborated on perhaps is used to highlight the certainty from the child's eye which are
lost as he ages
• Caesuras in ‘nosy, rosy, big, soft hands’. List to describe the doctor builds up a depiction of a
reassuring and protecting figure. Yet, the use of caesuras and simple adjectives expresses an idea
of the babbling nature of a child. Often use ‘and’ and simple adjectives to express themselves.
Child's interpretation focusses on features of the doctor due to their lack of understanding about
other events
, • ‘(the colour of a spaniel’s inside lug)’. Bracketed. Idea of extra information through backets
creates a story like nature to the poem. Childlike view of the birth due to their lack of
understanding
• ‘Plump ark by the keel...’. Use of ellipsis perhaps expresses the personas horror. Reader concerned
for the child. Although this could suggest a loss of thoughts. By looking to his past childhood self,
the present persona is struggling to remember what happens next. Potentially acts for the reader
to question the integrity of the story in which the persona has formed.
• ’That was next’. The use of a dash forces the reader to pause to consider what the next steps are.
Expresses the idealised view of the persona's younger self in their awa and wonder towards the
doctor.
• ‘Beyond-the-north-wind blue’. Build-up of descriptions through uses of dashes expresses the
fantasy like nature of the doctor. Yet, at the same time expresses that the child is still developing
and hence force the reader to question what the persona is seeing due to his lack of
understanding and naivety in the situation.
• Syndetic list of ‘chill of tiles, steel hocks, chrome surgery tools’ expresses the complex tools which
the persona is uncertain of their purpose. Highlight his naivety and lack of understanding towards
sincere. Yet the persona as awed expressed in the list of tools used.
• ‘Strung neatly from a line up near the ceiling-’. The use of the dash creates a pause for
apprehension. By going this Heaney expresses horror over the illicit and graphic images of the
body part. Expresses the belief of the doctor's ability to control life and death. Ironic as it
expresses the personas lack of understanding about birth yet his idealisation and fear of the
doctor who he feels is like God. Ability to bring and destroy life in this world, something the child
will never have the power to do as he lacks this omnipotent ability.
• ‘a bit like a rosebud in his buttonhole’. Sentence stands out in the poem as the only singled line.
Highlighting the end to his child. Potentially could act like the final piece to the puzzle of his
childhood.
• ‘(called asclepions)’ extra detail from the persona highlights his attempt to represent his
omnipotence due to the knowledge he has on medicine
• ‘poeta doctus’ is in italics. Suggests that although the persona is claiming to be like him.
Highlighting the difference between the two to express the naivety and lack of understanding that
the persona actually has about medicine. He is not as great as he attempts to appear
• ‘miraculum’ italics equally could potentially refer back to Doctor Kremlin. Switch between two
and remembering the words the Doctor spoke highlights a different scenario of birth. Potentially
expressing the naivety of the persona in his early life.
• ‘Midday, mid-may, pre-tourist' caesuras separating the different periods of time perhaps
represents the change of perspective of the persona that has occurred over time. Used to
highlight the develop and the growth while expressing the personas realisation of his naivety.
• ‘Lapses back/ into a faraway smile’ enjambment used to express the distance and the
continuation of this. Builds uncertainty and expresses the personas inability to save his mother.
• Speech and rhetorical question by the end of the poem ‘And what do you think/ of the new wee
baby the doctor brought for us all/ when I was asleep?’. Sense of being defenceless and useless.
Equally the rhetorical question builds a sense of apprehension and uncertainty as the persona
acknowledges he is unable to save the child from the disease and potential death in life. By having
this as spoken in compassion to the thoughts of the rest of the poem potentially suggests a sense
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