This document covers the poem: 'Please Hold' 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 thes...
• Sense of monotonous and munity is created
• Sense of claustrophobia
• Irritancy of phone lines
• Having to wait- potentially a sense of impatience
• Imperative. Lack of control or freedom as them are being controlled by something else.
Structure:
• Clear structure when viewed on the page, with one long stanza and a second short stanza at the
end. The ‘narrowness’ of the poem is unusual.
• Short lines to be noticed by the reader and interpreted as giving a ‘never ending’ feeling with
line after line of text; reflecting the feeling when phoning a customer service helpline. Repeated
reference to common experience when dealing with these phone systems make the poem
effective because majority or readers have experienced something similar themselves.
Interpreted as stereotypical long wait dealing with robotic replies before finally getting through
to an actual person for only a short period of time.
• Conform to the ‘never ending’ feeling, consistent short lines in poem. Achieved by splitting
sentences over multiple lines, short and monosyllabic words used to convey a reasonable
amount of meaning. Two combined techniques seen by the reader as reflecting the breakdown
of developed communication as the narrator instructed to use fewer complex words such as
‘yes’ and ‘No’. Helps the reader accurately follow what is happening, it also reflects a typical
frustration with the phone lines.
• Repetition used to emphasise key ideas and makes the poem feel more monotonous to a
reader. Simple words such as ‘yes’ and ‘robot’ being repeated, notable phrases such as ‘this is
the future’ and ‘please hold’ are also consistently reintroduced, with the former being repeated
five times. This is noticeable to a reader considering the poem isn’t overlong to read, so creates
a sense of wariness and apprehension for potential of the negative and frustrating future.
• Written in free verse therefore making the persona rhyme scheme seeming disjointed and
chaotic. Builds frustration at the phone calls which seamlessly appear to never be answered
• Single lined sentence at the beginning of the poem ‘this is the future, my wife says.’. Answer to
the whole entire poem and from the beginning creates a sense of claustrophobia. The full stops
could perhaps suggest that they are unable to break the boundaries and implantations that has
been created by society in its keenness to progress.
• Use of frequent causer, such as ‘your future, here, she says’ creates a disjointed and tired
feeling. Expresses human's inability to rise up against the technology or doing anything about it
Equally could expresses the distance that it being created between the persona and others
• ‘(which is really the robot’s account)’. The use of brackets creates this fairy-tale like nature to
poem. Poems suggests that the persona is unable to believe the phone call conversation that he
is having. Equally builds frustration to the robot not only due to its automated nature, but due
to the fact that they are also taking the money that they worked hard to earn
, • Loss of monosyllables in ‘yes, nor, repeat or menu’ expresses the limited choices for the person.
The use of causers and frequent enjambment of the poem increases the free-flowing naturel but
as caesuras slow the pace it emphasises the struggle for the persona to be able to get any
answers from the machinery. In this case the persona is increasing in frustration to the inability
to get an answer to his question
• Repetition of ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ and the title ‘please hold’ builds tensions for the reader
that would be recognised from waiting for phone call conversations as well.
• Separate stanza with rhyme scheme creates a sense of the consistency and routine enforced by
societies dependency on technology. Creates a mundane and monotonous tone as a result of
this. Gap between expresses the idea of the phone call being switched to another robot.
Building in frustration. Assonance and consonance in final stanza as part of phonological feature
in the last line. ‘o’ against consonance ‘d’ creates a bitter and resented tone. Polysyllabic word
used in tercet ‘future’ indicates significance.
Language:
• The beginning of the poem with ‘this is the future’ to suggest the readers interpretation of the
phrase is likely to change over time as a result of repetition throughout the poem. Initially it
appears informative, but as the poem goes on the phrase can be interpreted as increasingly
pessimistic and creates a sense of wariness and anxiousness. However, other readers may
interpret this phrase as being sarcastic and critical of the new phone systems.
• Satire is used to highlight the shortcomings of people, companies or organisations, and often
associated with politicians, it is still used in other daily situations. the Common extension of
satire is caricature and hyperbole, where individual recognise this to be a satirical poem, which
may make them view the poem more optimistically as they can recognise and anticipate its
humour while considering the typical annoyance of everyday life.
• Pronouns are a central aspect of interactions the narrator had with the telephone system and
his wife. Starting with ‘my wife’ to form a personal and human connection, contrasting against
the less personal description of ‘the robot’. Use of ‘your future’ only addresses the narrator, and
the reader, helping to draw them in to the poem and its satirical message about the increasing
impersonal world. Frequent use of ‘I’ helps to make poem more persona; towards the reader
and build empathy through encouraging them to consider when they have experienced a similar
situation.
• ‘Your future, here, she says. And I’m talking to a robot on the phone’. Creates a monstrous tone
for the lack of communication occurring between people. The idea that the ‘future’ is ‘talking to
a robot on the phone’ perhaps expresses the fear of the loss of freedom and independence in
society. Robots will dominate and take over human jobs leaving theme defenceless
• The idea of ‘countless options, none of which answer to my needs’ creates a juxtaposition.
Inability to have a human communication and connection. Irony from the ‘countless’ options.
Potential used by Odriscoll to suggest that no amount of technology could ever replace the
fundamental importance of a human conversation.
• Semantic field created through ‘wonderful’ and ‘great’ suggests the fake optimism from the
robot/ Repetition of ‘wonderful’ expresses the limited vocabulary of technology. Inability to
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