PosterĄG Teresa at 12:24:34 3/17/98 from c445-10.svdcc.fju.edu.tw
MentionedĄG
| THis poem was written by a realistic poet called
Jonathan Swift. In this poem, the speaker talks primarily about the morning life fo common people. The spot of the poem is in London which is usually regarded as a city of wonder. But the poem describes the other side of this modern city. Instead of describing the luxurious life of upper class, the speaker adopted the groomy materials to present the misery of lower class people who live in London in the eighteen century. First of all, it mentions that it's hardly to see hackney-coach appear in this area. It reveals that the coach is not the essential of their commomplace life, and it also shows that the inhabitant in this zone must not have good financial cicumstance and have to work by the manpower as labors. In the following sentences, the speaker mentions "slip-shod prentice," "Moll,"The youth," "The small-coal man" and "chimney-sweep." These forms of address give me an idea that they are all young guys. Especially the "chimney-sweep" must only kids can be. Because you can get into the chimney merely you are thin and tiny, and only kids have this kind of figure. Besides cleaning the chimney, they stll have to get up early to do some other hard physical works instead of going to school to have education. From this part, we can be told that the lives of upper class and lower class are vastly different. All of the lower class people almost have to work hardly enev you're just a child. In the midst of the poem mentions a sentence, "The kennel-edge, where wheels had worn the place." If the wheels are soach wheels, where are they from? In my opinion, i think those coaches are belonged the lord. when they pass by the poor area, they never stop but just speed their coaches. That's why the worn place appear. In the latter part of poem, the speaker tells the readers some humble and petty positions such as "Dun" who want to get his money eargly, "brickdust moll" which suggests the prostitute and "turnkey" who charge with guarding the prisoners. Each of them reminds the readers again that the murky side of the lower class. In the last third line it says,"Duly let out a-nights to steal for fees." It reveals the bad public security of the lower society. This also proves that the destitution can really be the motive of crimes. Although the title of this poem is called "A Description of the Morning," we can't smell any similar feature of the morning in this poem. Generally, we regard "morning" standing for the "hope," "brightness," "liveliness" and "happiness." But actually, the contest of this poem is totally opposite to these features. So even the title is a contract. About the last second line, originally it quite confused me. But I found that perhaps this line is related with the last fourth line. THe turnkey let "his flock' out may want them to steal something to bribe him. Even bailiffs get aware of this situation well, he pretends nothing happens. He just follows the bad example of the turnkey. So actually, it's quite ironic to use "watchful" to describe the bailiffs here. In the last line of the poem, it mentions the situation of the children who are going to school. In fact, I'm a little confused with this line. Because if they have to work in the morning, how can they go to school? Or this is just the reason that they lag with satchels in their hands. Usually, we go to school happily when we were still very young because there had not a lot of tests and heavy pressure waiting for us. But the description of this line can't be felt any cheerful and joyful atmosphere. So what on earth the reason that the schoolboys lag? Are they too tired? Or it's the established practice of the lower class? |