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IEB poetry notes of Not waving but drowning by Stevie Smith
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- English Home Language
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- 12
detailed IEB poetry notes of Not waving but drowning by Stevie Smith
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By: erna30 • 2 months ago
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Not Waving But DrowningBY STEVIE SMITH (1902 - 1971)
poet was depressed & well known for her eccentric behavior. poem draws
parallels from poets life
Intention: To show people to be aware of overall tone: Despairing and detached
others and not disregard their emotions
Themes: the coldness of society
structure: - 3 stanzas spiritual death
- 4 lines (quatrain) per stanza perception vs reality
Nobody heard him, the dead man, he is not dead yet, but his fate has been
first voice: poets perspective
no one could hear his cry for help sealed: his life is slowly eddying away and
he's as good as a dead man. (paradox)
But still he lay moaning :
introducing an explanation to what pain he was in colon shows the mans words
I was much further out than you thought
(could be the poet speaking herself) perception: bystanders mistook
And not waving but drowning. his drowning for waving
repetitive: highlights societies failure to recognize other
peoples suffering (dealing with their own problems)
Poor chap, he always loved larking IRONY:
insincere tone,
larking means to joke around,
they thought he was just having fun
second voice: bystanders
And now he’s dead
as if they didn't know him well (perc vs real)
(society) perspective
cold tone, very blunt and impersonal
Ittheymust have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
heart attack- shifting blame
ae not accepting the guilt that it was their fault he died, they are
blaming it on the cold. Trying to find a reason to pity him
They said.
underlying apathy: they are not really
interested in his death- selfish
Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
back to first voice: poets pers
life itself was too cold- figurative
speaking from experience
creating a fast pace with interjection: empathetic tone
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
parenthesis: reminding us that he is dead because they weren't listening.
points a finger towards society.
I was much too far out all my life enjambment shows how he wanted life to
end quickly, to be over with.
CENTRAL MESSAGE: people hide vulnerability
And not waving but drowning.
tone of finality: repetition
Literally: uses analogy of drowning & waving
Figuratively: how people turning a blind eye
could be fatal
philosophical; how can people be so ignorant?
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