MID TERM BREAK
Paragraph 1: Tone
The tone of the speaker is sombre and elegiac. In line 2, he asserts, "Counting
bells knelling classes to a close." This reveals that the speaker is already
preoccupied with death, as the word "knelling" evokes funeral bells rather than a
typical school bell, foreshadowing the tragic loss of his younger brother.
Paragraph 2: Diction
The poet employs deliberate diction to convey grief and the harsh reality of
death. In line 15, he writes, "With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the
nurses." The use of the word "corpse" suggests the speaker’s emotional
detachment and refusal to fully accept his brother’s death, treating it as a clinical
fact rather than a personal tragedy.
Paragraph 3: Imagery
The poet utilises metaphor to illustrate the fragility of life and the innocence of
the deceased child. In line 19, the speaker states, "Wearing a poppy bruise on his
left temple." This figure of speech is effective as it conveys the idea of the bruise
being temporary, like a poppy flower (a symbol of remembrance), emphasizing
how death has marked his brother in a way that seems unnatural yet peaceful.
Paragraph 4: Structure
The structure of the poem reflects the speaker’s emotional journey. In the poem,
despite the ordered tercets, end-stops and enjambment are illustrated in order to
creates irregularity throughout, representing the speaker’s shift from composure
to loss of control.
Paragraph 5: Mood
The mood of the poem is initially sombre and tense, later transitioning to calm
and reflective. In line 16-17, the speaker says, "Snowdrops / And candles soothed
the bedside," which creates a mood of peaceful resignation. This mood
contributes to the poem’s message about the inevitability of death and the quiet
sorrow that follows.
, WE WEAR THE MASK
Paragraph 1: Tone
The tone of the speaker is resigned and bitter. In line 4, he asserts, "With torn and
bleeding hearts we smile." This reveals that the speaker is deeply pained yet
forced to conceal his suffering, highlighting the hypocrisy and emotional burden
of masking true feelings.
Paragraph 2: Diction
The poet employs deliberate diction to emphasize the deception and suffering
behind the mask. In line 1, he writes, "We wear the mask that grins and lies." The
use of the phrase "grins and lies" suggests that the smiles and displays of
happiness are insincere but rather an illusion that conceals the truth , reinforcing
the theme of oppression.
Paragraph 3: Imagery (Metaphor)
The poet utilizes extended metaphor to illustrate the facade people maintain to
hide their suffering. In lines 1, 9 and 15, the speaker states, "We wear the mask…"
This figure of speech is effective as it conveys the mask as a tool for deceiving
others in lines 1 and 9, but it is also representative of the speaker's endurance and
resilience in line 15.
Paragraph 4: Structure
The structure of the poem reinforces the theme of oppression and resilience. In
the poem, end-stops and enjambment are illustrated in order to represent the
precision and control in the act of wearing the mask as well as the speaker's
concealed rage. In line 10 and 11, the enjambment is illustrative of the “cries”
spilling over. While the end stopped lines keep the poem in line even as pain broils
beneath.
Paragraph 5: Mood
The mood of the poem is somber and despairing. In line 10, the speaker says, "We
smile, but, O great Christ, our cries," which creates a mood of anguished
desperation. This mood contributes to the poem’s message about the unbearable
weight of concealed suffering and the need for genuine expression.
Paragraph 1: Tone
The tone of the speaker is sombre and elegiac. In line 2, he asserts, "Counting
bells knelling classes to a close." This reveals that the speaker is already
preoccupied with death, as the word "knelling" evokes funeral bells rather than a
typical school bell, foreshadowing the tragic loss of his younger brother.
Paragraph 2: Diction
The poet employs deliberate diction to convey grief and the harsh reality of
death. In line 15, he writes, "With the corpse, stanched and bandaged by the
nurses." The use of the word "corpse" suggests the speaker’s emotional
detachment and refusal to fully accept his brother’s death, treating it as a clinical
fact rather than a personal tragedy.
Paragraph 3: Imagery
The poet utilises metaphor to illustrate the fragility of life and the innocence of
the deceased child. In line 19, the speaker states, "Wearing a poppy bruise on his
left temple." This figure of speech is effective as it conveys the idea of the bruise
being temporary, like a poppy flower (a symbol of remembrance), emphasizing
how death has marked his brother in a way that seems unnatural yet peaceful.
Paragraph 4: Structure
The structure of the poem reflects the speaker’s emotional journey. In the poem,
despite the ordered tercets, end-stops and enjambment are illustrated in order to
creates irregularity throughout, representing the speaker’s shift from composure
to loss of control.
Paragraph 5: Mood
The mood of the poem is initially sombre and tense, later transitioning to calm
and reflective. In line 16-17, the speaker says, "Snowdrops / And candles soothed
the bedside," which creates a mood of peaceful resignation. This mood
contributes to the poem’s message about the inevitability of death and the quiet
sorrow that follows.
, WE WEAR THE MASK
Paragraph 1: Tone
The tone of the speaker is resigned and bitter. In line 4, he asserts, "With torn and
bleeding hearts we smile." This reveals that the speaker is deeply pained yet
forced to conceal his suffering, highlighting the hypocrisy and emotional burden
of masking true feelings.
Paragraph 2: Diction
The poet employs deliberate diction to emphasize the deception and suffering
behind the mask. In line 1, he writes, "We wear the mask that grins and lies." The
use of the phrase "grins and lies" suggests that the smiles and displays of
happiness are insincere but rather an illusion that conceals the truth , reinforcing
the theme of oppression.
Paragraph 3: Imagery (Metaphor)
The poet utilizes extended metaphor to illustrate the facade people maintain to
hide their suffering. In lines 1, 9 and 15, the speaker states, "We wear the mask…"
This figure of speech is effective as it conveys the mask as a tool for deceiving
others in lines 1 and 9, but it is also representative of the speaker's endurance and
resilience in line 15.
Paragraph 4: Structure
The structure of the poem reinforces the theme of oppression and resilience. In
the poem, end-stops and enjambment are illustrated in order to represent the
precision and control in the act of wearing the mask as well as the speaker's
concealed rage. In line 10 and 11, the enjambment is illustrative of the “cries”
spilling over. While the end stopped lines keep the poem in line even as pain broils
beneath.
Paragraph 5: Mood
The mood of the poem is somber and despairing. In line 10, the speaker says, "We
smile, but, O great Christ, our cries," which creates a mood of anguished
desperation. This mood contributes to the poem’s message about the unbearable
weight of concealed suffering and the need for genuine expression.
