A Minor Role Summary:
Explores adoption of stoicism amidst suffering through speaker’s dutiful care for chronically ill
patients
Key Themes:
Illness, Isolation, Selflessness
Technique Effect
Title Foregrounds notion of inferiority which is explored through central
‘A Minor Role’ conceit of life being tragedy that reflects speaker’s experiences as one
who nurses chronically ill patient
Irregular Stanza Structure Shift from regular to irregular structure reflects volatility of speaker’s
experiences
Dramatic Monologue Centralises speaker’s experiences thereby creating irony as speaker is
required to give attention to patient
Free Verse Lack of rhyme provides plain, conversational tone which befits speaker’s
minor role
Metaphor Indicates speaker’s supportive role
‘I’m best observed on stage, Assonance elongates description conveying tedium of marginal role
propping a spear, or making
endless exits and entrances with
my servant’s patter’
Monosyllables Brevity of speaker’s language, emphasised through caesura and
‘Yes, sir. O no, sir.’ monosyllables, reflects her minimisation
Heteroglossia heightens tension and conveys speaker becoming
overwhelmed by illness
Enjambement Enjambed conditional clause hints at persona’s avoidance of becoming
‘If I get these midget moments self-centred
wrong, the monstrous fabric Alliteration links words through sound thereby highlighting speaker’s
shrinks to unwanted sniggers.’ inferiority
Sibilance evokes sniggers and imagined repercussions of speaker not
fulfilling minor role
Juxtaposition Conjunction indicates personal significance and pride of speaker in minor
‘But my heart’s in the unobtrusive, role irrespective of societal attitudes towards caregiving for chronic
The waiting-room roles: driving to illnesses
hospitals, parking at hospitals.’ Polysyllabic adjective and caesura disrupts flow reflecting disruption
illness causes in persona’s life
Parallelism Alliteration and present participles enhance rhythm of asyndetic list to
‘Holding hands under veteran indicate persona’s selfless commitment to caring
magazines; making sense Semantic field of suffering from (‘veteran’, ‘dosages’ and ‘consultants)
of consultants’ monologues; indicates trauma
asking pointed questions politely;
checking dosage dates; getting on
terms with receptionists;
sustaining the background music
,of civility.’
Oxymorons Contrast accentuates persona’s frustration at requirement for
‘At home in the street you may euphemistic responses due to societal taboo against illnesses
see me walking fast in case Diacope of present participle highlights speaker’s copious polite
anyone stops: getting on, getting responses
better my formula for well-meant
intrusiveness.’
Metaphor Indented line highlights shift from public to private setting thereby
‘At home, thinking ahead: Bed? A elucidating reader on speaker’s continued requirement to stoically
good idea! (Bed solves a lot);’ disregard emotions in privacy of home
Further conveyed through irony of aside
Semantic Field of Courtesy Shows speaker’s obligation to preserve civility and reluctance to accept
‘Answer the phone, be wary what I tedium of role
say to it, but grateful always;
contrive meals for hunger-striker;
track down whimsical soft-centred
happy-all-the-way-through novels;’
Juxtaposition Light-hearted tone of aside conveys speaker’s dismissal of reality of
‘Find the cat (mysteriously tiresome minor role
reassuring); cancel things; pretend Generic connotations of descriptions shows speaker’s avoidance of
all’s well, admit it’s not.’ mundane and lonely reality
Asyndetic List Verb choice ‘conjugate’ reinforces speaker’s characterisation as avoidant
‘Learn to conjugate all the genres b/c connotes systematic, impersonal responses that present falsely
of misery: tears, torpor, boredom, reassuring outlook
lassitude, yearnings for a simpler Primary stress on first syllables emphasises speaker’s misery in
illness, like a broken leg. Enduring providing care for chronically ill patient
ceremonial delays. Being referred
somewhere else. Consultant’s
holiday. Saying thank you, for
anything to everyone’
Rhetorical Question Speaker’s repudiation of suicide, alluding to remark from chorus in Greek
‘Not the star part. And who would tragedy ‘Oedipus Rex’, emphasises speaker’s commitment to serve
want it? I jettison the spear, despite mundanity
the servant’s try, the terrible drone
of Chorus: yet to my thinking this
act was ill advised it would have
been better to die*. No it wouldn’t!
Declarative Statement One line stanza asserts speaker’s adoption of stoic outlook and
I am here to make you believe in embracement of challenge of caregiving
life. Shifts tone from pessimistic to optimistic
,An Easy Passage Summary:
Adult speaker observes passage of 13-year-old girl, emblematic of transition from childhood to adulthood, which
induces nostalgia for freedom of youth
Key Themes:
Identity, Passage of Time, Nostalgia
Technique/Quote Effect
Title Ironic title due to girl’s precarious journey from exterior ‘porch roof of her
‘An Easy Passage’ family’s house’ to interior ‘shade of the house’ symbolising difficult
transition from adolescence to adulthood
Omniscient narrator provides detached perspective suggesting
challenges of maturity are not distinct to girl
One Stanza Reflects continuity of childhood contrasted w/ hecticness of adulthood
Free Verse Reflects freedom of 13-year-old girl
Also conveys persona’s nostalgic stream of consciousness
In Media Res Surreptitious entry into house conveys excitement of adolescence which
‘Once she is halfway up there’ contrasts monotony of adulthood
Compound adjective suggestive of girl’s maturity and being halfway to
adulthood
Visual Imagery Summerly connotations suggest freedom of girlhood and
‘Crouched in her bikini’ unselfconscious behaviour
Modifier Family house implies both security of childhood and infantilization
‘On the porch roof of her family’s Participle connotes speaker’s fear of precarious physical situation and
house, trembling,’ emotional situation of maturity
Isolating verb in parenthesis reflects alienation of speaker and identity
crisis pertinent to adolescents
Enjambment Syntax creates suspense, which is emphasised by sibilance and modal
‘She knows that one thing she must verb
not to is to think of the narrow Reflects progression from childhood to adulthood apace
windowsill’
Consonance Harsh plosives enact dangers of girl falling
‘Sharp drop of the stairwell’ Contrast b/w long descriptions and staccato create freneticism thereby
expressing difficulties of maturity and precarious passage home
Diacope Emphasises intimacy of childhood friendships
‘She must keep her mind on the Caesura reflects temporary relief friendships provide from overwhelming
friend with whom she is half in love demand to mature
who is waiting for her on the blond Oxymoron of ‘blond gravel’ symbolic of antithetical childhood/adulthood:
gravel somewhere beneath her, blond connotes vibrancy of colour contrasted w/ tedium of adulthood
keep her mind on her’
, Symbolism Window symbolises freedom of childhood contrasting domesticity and
‘And on the fact of the open window, restrictions of adulthood
the flimsy, hole-punched, aluminium
lever’
Juxtaposition Strength connoted by aluminium juxtaposed w/ lever’s fragility showing
‘The flimsy, hole-punched, girl’s instability
aluminium lever towards which in a Accumulating consonance builds momentum
moment she will reach with the
length of her whole body’
Personification Portrays domestic environment as comforting, emphasised by soft liquid
‘Leaning into the warm flank of the sounds
house’ Suggests house symbolises childhood yet to be forsaken by girl
13 line long sentence suggestive of overwhelming transition from
adolescence to adulthood
Visual Imagery Evokes discomfort of girl’s physical position, which emblematizes
‘But first she steadies herself, still uneasy emotional position of maturity
crouching, the grains of the asphalt Caesura emphasises instability
hot beneath her toes and fingertips’
Metaphor Polysemic modifier evokes thrills of childhood
‘A square of petrified beach’ Alternatively, implies house is a relic of girl’s past
Visual Imagery Suggestive of persona’s adolescence and unnerving changes in body
‘Her tiny breasts rest lightly on her
thighs’
Rhetorical Q Aside from speaker provides moralising, portentous tone suggesting
‘What can she know of the way the girls will be constrained by societal expectations
world admits us less and less the Juxtaposition b/w diacope of ‘less’ w/ comparative adjective ‘more’
more we grow’ shows adulthood lacks freedom and flexibility of youth
Collective pronoun suggests speaker is reminiscing on former joys of
girlhood
Semantic Field of Light Vehicle of simile suggests intrinsic hope and promise of youth which
‘For now both girls seem lit, as if diminishes w/ age
from within, their hair and the gold Earrings convey child’s desire for adulthood
stud earrings in the first one’s ears’
Metaphor Suggests adulthood is a monotonous journey, disparate to lives of youth
‘For now the long, grey eye of the Anaphora reinforces transitory phases of life
street’
Parenthesis Contrast b/w irresponsible girl and mature mother highlights disparity
‘Far away from the mother who does b/w childhood and adulthood
not trust her daughter with a key’
Contrast Exhilaration of adolescence contrasted w/ dreariness of adulthood to
‘The workers about their business in emphasise nostalgia of speaker
the drab electroplating factory over
their road’
Explores adoption of stoicism amidst suffering through speaker’s dutiful care for chronically ill
patients
Key Themes:
Illness, Isolation, Selflessness
Technique Effect
Title Foregrounds notion of inferiority which is explored through central
‘A Minor Role’ conceit of life being tragedy that reflects speaker’s experiences as one
who nurses chronically ill patient
Irregular Stanza Structure Shift from regular to irregular structure reflects volatility of speaker’s
experiences
Dramatic Monologue Centralises speaker’s experiences thereby creating irony as speaker is
required to give attention to patient
Free Verse Lack of rhyme provides plain, conversational tone which befits speaker’s
minor role
Metaphor Indicates speaker’s supportive role
‘I’m best observed on stage, Assonance elongates description conveying tedium of marginal role
propping a spear, or making
endless exits and entrances with
my servant’s patter’
Monosyllables Brevity of speaker’s language, emphasised through caesura and
‘Yes, sir. O no, sir.’ monosyllables, reflects her minimisation
Heteroglossia heightens tension and conveys speaker becoming
overwhelmed by illness
Enjambement Enjambed conditional clause hints at persona’s avoidance of becoming
‘If I get these midget moments self-centred
wrong, the monstrous fabric Alliteration links words through sound thereby highlighting speaker’s
shrinks to unwanted sniggers.’ inferiority
Sibilance evokes sniggers and imagined repercussions of speaker not
fulfilling minor role
Juxtaposition Conjunction indicates personal significance and pride of speaker in minor
‘But my heart’s in the unobtrusive, role irrespective of societal attitudes towards caregiving for chronic
The waiting-room roles: driving to illnesses
hospitals, parking at hospitals.’ Polysyllabic adjective and caesura disrupts flow reflecting disruption
illness causes in persona’s life
Parallelism Alliteration and present participles enhance rhythm of asyndetic list to
‘Holding hands under veteran indicate persona’s selfless commitment to caring
magazines; making sense Semantic field of suffering from (‘veteran’, ‘dosages’ and ‘consultants)
of consultants’ monologues; indicates trauma
asking pointed questions politely;
checking dosage dates; getting on
terms with receptionists;
sustaining the background music
,of civility.’
Oxymorons Contrast accentuates persona’s frustration at requirement for
‘At home in the street you may euphemistic responses due to societal taboo against illnesses
see me walking fast in case Diacope of present participle highlights speaker’s copious polite
anyone stops: getting on, getting responses
better my formula for well-meant
intrusiveness.’
Metaphor Indented line highlights shift from public to private setting thereby
‘At home, thinking ahead: Bed? A elucidating reader on speaker’s continued requirement to stoically
good idea! (Bed solves a lot);’ disregard emotions in privacy of home
Further conveyed through irony of aside
Semantic Field of Courtesy Shows speaker’s obligation to preserve civility and reluctance to accept
‘Answer the phone, be wary what I tedium of role
say to it, but grateful always;
contrive meals for hunger-striker;
track down whimsical soft-centred
happy-all-the-way-through novels;’
Juxtaposition Light-hearted tone of aside conveys speaker’s dismissal of reality of
‘Find the cat (mysteriously tiresome minor role
reassuring); cancel things; pretend Generic connotations of descriptions shows speaker’s avoidance of
all’s well, admit it’s not.’ mundane and lonely reality
Asyndetic List Verb choice ‘conjugate’ reinforces speaker’s characterisation as avoidant
‘Learn to conjugate all the genres b/c connotes systematic, impersonal responses that present falsely
of misery: tears, torpor, boredom, reassuring outlook
lassitude, yearnings for a simpler Primary stress on first syllables emphasises speaker’s misery in
illness, like a broken leg. Enduring providing care for chronically ill patient
ceremonial delays. Being referred
somewhere else. Consultant’s
holiday. Saying thank you, for
anything to everyone’
Rhetorical Question Speaker’s repudiation of suicide, alluding to remark from chorus in Greek
‘Not the star part. And who would tragedy ‘Oedipus Rex’, emphasises speaker’s commitment to serve
want it? I jettison the spear, despite mundanity
the servant’s try, the terrible drone
of Chorus: yet to my thinking this
act was ill advised it would have
been better to die*. No it wouldn’t!
Declarative Statement One line stanza asserts speaker’s adoption of stoic outlook and
I am here to make you believe in embracement of challenge of caregiving
life. Shifts tone from pessimistic to optimistic
,An Easy Passage Summary:
Adult speaker observes passage of 13-year-old girl, emblematic of transition from childhood to adulthood, which
induces nostalgia for freedom of youth
Key Themes:
Identity, Passage of Time, Nostalgia
Technique/Quote Effect
Title Ironic title due to girl’s precarious journey from exterior ‘porch roof of her
‘An Easy Passage’ family’s house’ to interior ‘shade of the house’ symbolising difficult
transition from adolescence to adulthood
Omniscient narrator provides detached perspective suggesting
challenges of maturity are not distinct to girl
One Stanza Reflects continuity of childhood contrasted w/ hecticness of adulthood
Free Verse Reflects freedom of 13-year-old girl
Also conveys persona’s nostalgic stream of consciousness
In Media Res Surreptitious entry into house conveys excitement of adolescence which
‘Once she is halfway up there’ contrasts monotony of adulthood
Compound adjective suggestive of girl’s maturity and being halfway to
adulthood
Visual Imagery Summerly connotations suggest freedom of girlhood and
‘Crouched in her bikini’ unselfconscious behaviour
Modifier Family house implies both security of childhood and infantilization
‘On the porch roof of her family’s Participle connotes speaker’s fear of precarious physical situation and
house, trembling,’ emotional situation of maturity
Isolating verb in parenthesis reflects alienation of speaker and identity
crisis pertinent to adolescents
Enjambment Syntax creates suspense, which is emphasised by sibilance and modal
‘She knows that one thing she must verb
not to is to think of the narrow Reflects progression from childhood to adulthood apace
windowsill’
Consonance Harsh plosives enact dangers of girl falling
‘Sharp drop of the stairwell’ Contrast b/w long descriptions and staccato create freneticism thereby
expressing difficulties of maturity and precarious passage home
Diacope Emphasises intimacy of childhood friendships
‘She must keep her mind on the Caesura reflects temporary relief friendships provide from overwhelming
friend with whom she is half in love demand to mature
who is waiting for her on the blond Oxymoron of ‘blond gravel’ symbolic of antithetical childhood/adulthood:
gravel somewhere beneath her, blond connotes vibrancy of colour contrasted w/ tedium of adulthood
keep her mind on her’
, Symbolism Window symbolises freedom of childhood contrasting domesticity and
‘And on the fact of the open window, restrictions of adulthood
the flimsy, hole-punched, aluminium
lever’
Juxtaposition Strength connoted by aluminium juxtaposed w/ lever’s fragility showing
‘The flimsy, hole-punched, girl’s instability
aluminium lever towards which in a Accumulating consonance builds momentum
moment she will reach with the
length of her whole body’
Personification Portrays domestic environment as comforting, emphasised by soft liquid
‘Leaning into the warm flank of the sounds
house’ Suggests house symbolises childhood yet to be forsaken by girl
13 line long sentence suggestive of overwhelming transition from
adolescence to adulthood
Visual Imagery Evokes discomfort of girl’s physical position, which emblematizes
‘But first she steadies herself, still uneasy emotional position of maturity
crouching, the grains of the asphalt Caesura emphasises instability
hot beneath her toes and fingertips’
Metaphor Polysemic modifier evokes thrills of childhood
‘A square of petrified beach’ Alternatively, implies house is a relic of girl’s past
Visual Imagery Suggestive of persona’s adolescence and unnerving changes in body
‘Her tiny breasts rest lightly on her
thighs’
Rhetorical Q Aside from speaker provides moralising, portentous tone suggesting
‘What can she know of the way the girls will be constrained by societal expectations
world admits us less and less the Juxtaposition b/w diacope of ‘less’ w/ comparative adjective ‘more’
more we grow’ shows adulthood lacks freedom and flexibility of youth
Collective pronoun suggests speaker is reminiscing on former joys of
girlhood
Semantic Field of Light Vehicle of simile suggests intrinsic hope and promise of youth which
‘For now both girls seem lit, as if diminishes w/ age
from within, their hair and the gold Earrings convey child’s desire for adulthood
stud earrings in the first one’s ears’
Metaphor Suggests adulthood is a monotonous journey, disparate to lives of youth
‘For now the long, grey eye of the Anaphora reinforces transitory phases of life
street’
Parenthesis Contrast b/w irresponsible girl and mature mother highlights disparity
‘Far away from the mother who does b/w childhood and adulthood
not trust her daughter with a key’
Contrast Exhilaration of adolescence contrasted w/ dreariness of adulthood to
‘The workers about their business in emphasise nostalgia of speaker
the drab electroplating factory over
their road’
