3. SYNOPSIS
THE PERSONA SAYS THAT HE IS COMPARABLE TO
THINGS THAT ARE UNWANTED LIKE GARBAGE THAT IS
THROWN OUT FROM HOMES, LIKE A METAL RING FROM
A DRINK CAN, FOOD SCRAPINGS AND BITS AND PIECES
FROM OLD TOYS. STATIONERY OF INFERIOR QUALITY
LIKE ENVELOPES WITH NO GUM. SELLOTAPE THAT ONE
CANNOT PEEL OFF, A STAPLELESS STAPLER, A BROKEN
BULLDOG CLIP, LIQUID PAPER THAT DOES NOT WORK
OR AN UNSENT LETTER ARE USELESS TO ANYONE. THE
PERSONA FEELS UNWANTED LIKE THE FLAT BATTERY,
BROKEN-DOWN STARTER MOTOR, A LIFELESS SPARKING
PLUG, A CHOKED CARBURETTOR AND A DULL
CHROMIUM RIM. HE IS ALSO LONELY LIKE AN UNKEMPT
GARDEN, AN UNTOUCHED LIBRARY BOOK AND AN
UNFED, UNWANTED STRAY OR AN UNHEEDED PIECE OF
GOOD ADVICE.
4. STRUCTURE, STYLE AND LANGUAGE
•THE POEM CONSISTS OF FOUR STANZASAND
DOES NOT HAVE A FIXED RHYME SCHEME.
•THE STYLE IS SIMPLE AND DIRECT AND IS
WRITTEN AS A DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE
PERSON FEELING SAD AND UNWANTED.
•THE LANGUAGE IS SIMPLE AND EASY TO
UNDERSTAND
5. SETTING
•SET IN A COMMON HOUSEHOLD.
•THE PERSONA FEELS LIKE SOME OF THE THINGS
WE SEE AROUND THE HOUSEARE DISPOSABLE OR
NOT MAINTAINED.
POINT OF VIEW
•THE POEM IS IN THE ‘FIRST PERSON’ POINT OF
VIEW.
•THE PERSONA TALKS ABOUT HIMSELF AS
FEELING SAD WHEN HE COMPARES HIMSELF TO
THESE THINGS FOUND IN MOST HOUSEHOLDS.
6. THEMES
•THINGS THAT HAVE NO VALUE ARE
DISPOSABLE.
•LOSING DIRECTION WITHIN THE FAMILY AND
WITH FRIENDS.
•FEELING UNLOVED AND LOSING CONFIDENCE.
•MAINTAINING OR LOOKING AFTER THINGS WE
HAVE.
•NEGLECTING ONE’S POSSESSIONS.
•NEGATIVISM ABOUT LIFE AND HOW ONE IS
TREATED.
•SEEKING ATTENTION.
7. MORAL VALUES
•WE SHOULD BE POSITIVE ABOUT OUR STATUS IN LIFE.
•WE SHOULD LEARN TO RECOGNISE AND VALUE OUR ABILITIES
AND POSSESSSIONS.
•WE SHOULD KEEP FAITH WITH OUR FAMILY AND KNOW THAT
EVERYONE IN A FAMILY DESERVES TO BE LOVED EQUALLY.
•WE SHOULD HAVE CONFIDENCE IN OURSELVES .
•MATERIAL THINGS ARE IMPORTANT BUT SPIRITUAL BONDING IS
EVEN MORE IMPORTANT.
•WE SHOULD OPEN UP AND TALK ABOUT OUR FEELINGS
ESPECIALLY THE FEELINGS OF DEPRESSION.
TONE AND MOOD
•TONE- THE PERSONA FEELS SAD AND TAKES A SERIOUS VIEW
ABOUT FEELING LOST.
•MOOD- IT IS DISAPPOINTING TO FEEL NEGLECTED AND
UNLOVED, ESPECIALLY WITHIN A FAMILY.
8. SYMBOL
•‘SCRAPINGS FROM AN UNWASHED PORRIDGE PAN’ IS SYMBOLIC
OF SOMETHING LEFT BEHIND AND UTTERLY USELESS.
•‘THE SALLOTAPE WHERE YOU CAN’T FIND THE END’ IS
SYMBOLIC OF THE FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION.
REPETITION
•THE WORDS ‘I AM’ IS REPEATED TO GIVE EMPHASIS TO THE
PERSONA’S STRONG FEELINGS OF SADNESS.
•THE WORDS ‘NO ONE’ IS REPEATED IN LINE 5,7, AND 9 IN
STANZA FOUR.
METAPHOR
•THE PERSONA FEELS HE IS ‘A PIECE OF GOOD ADVICE’ OR A
GOOD EXAMPLE BUT NO ONE’S SEEM TO NEED’ IT.
9. PERSONIFICATION ‘THE TOOTHLESS STAPLER’
•‘THE STARTER MOTOR WHICH REMAINS INERT’
•‘THE CARBURETTOR CHOKED BY BIT OF DIRT’
ASSONANCE
•‘THE DRIED- UP LIQUID PAPER’ (VOWEL I)
•‘AN EMPTY COLA CAN’ (VOWEL A)
ALLITERATION
•‘THE SPARKING PLUG WHICH SHOWS NO SIGN OF SPARK’
(CONSONANT S)
•‘THE CARBURETTOR CHOKED BY BITS OF DIRT’ (CONSONANT C
AND B)
