The poem deals with the day-to-day lives of the unemployed people and compares them to the lives of
the rich people. The speaker notes how the unemployed resemble the wealthy in doing no work and
sleeping late. Meaninglessness of their lives. Poet is jealous of their leisure’s.
Third person POV
Moving Through the Silent Crowd
Speaker is aware of the silence and lower positions held in society. Creates
Moving through the silent crowd a sad and bleak image of the lower class. Highlighting their
A sombre tone is created Boring
Who stand behind dull cigarettes Transferred epithet→ suggests their lives lack interest. meaninglessness
Sense of discrimination- they are made to look lazy and irresponsible
The unemployed Waste time
These men who idle in the road
I have the sense of falling light. Hope is fading
Unemployed
Gives a personal point of view. The people he sees look hopeless and pessimistic.
Unemployed people are being discriminated against and are thought of being lazy.
They lounge at corners of the street
These people convey an atmosphere of hopelessness
Anaphora: And greet friends with a shrug of shoulder
monotonous due to their lack of work to do and the money to spend
routine And turn their empty pockets out, with for their needs. Thus, bringing them to poverty.
Mocking Comparing imagery between the rich and the
The cynical gestures of the poor. poor. Rich “sit at desks” whereas the poor “lounge
Sarcasm: stating that men who work in offices are at corners”, the rich “take much pay” but the poor
better men (according to society) “turn their empty pockets out”.
Now they’ve no work like better men ➔ Simile
Who sit at desks and take much pay
They sleep long nights and rise at ten
To watch the hours that drain away.
Employed
Sarcastic: The poet is jealous of the intensity of the
deprivation and misery experienced by the
I’m jealous of the weeping hours
unemployed.
Transferred epithets→ they are starving as they lack money and
Anaphora: They stare through with such hungry eyes,
food.
The speaker
cant
I’m haunted by these images
Expressing his concerns
interfere as
I’m haunted by their emptiness.
he is just the
observer.
• STRUCTURE IRONY
Free verse The unemployed resemble the
No set rhyme scheme except in stanza 3 (he sees their structured, wealthy in doing no work and
sleeping late. Both the poor
predictable lives as confining and limiting) and wealthy live meaningless
lives.
Regular structure- indicated predictability of jobless routine.
Informal register
Enjambment: movement of the speaker walking through the crowd also
monotony and predictability of their lives
• THEME
Unemployment/silence/forced helplessness
• TONE
First 2 stanzas → judgmental/critical
Last 2 stanzas → guilt/self-critical
the rich people. The speaker notes how the unemployed resemble the wealthy in doing no work and
sleeping late. Meaninglessness of their lives. Poet is jealous of their leisure’s.
Third person POV
Moving Through the Silent Crowd
Speaker is aware of the silence and lower positions held in society. Creates
Moving through the silent crowd a sad and bleak image of the lower class. Highlighting their
A sombre tone is created Boring
Who stand behind dull cigarettes Transferred epithet→ suggests their lives lack interest. meaninglessness
Sense of discrimination- they are made to look lazy and irresponsible
The unemployed Waste time
These men who idle in the road
I have the sense of falling light. Hope is fading
Unemployed
Gives a personal point of view. The people he sees look hopeless and pessimistic.
Unemployed people are being discriminated against and are thought of being lazy.
They lounge at corners of the street
These people convey an atmosphere of hopelessness
Anaphora: And greet friends with a shrug of shoulder
monotonous due to their lack of work to do and the money to spend
routine And turn their empty pockets out, with for their needs. Thus, bringing them to poverty.
Mocking Comparing imagery between the rich and the
The cynical gestures of the poor. poor. Rich “sit at desks” whereas the poor “lounge
Sarcasm: stating that men who work in offices are at corners”, the rich “take much pay” but the poor
better men (according to society) “turn their empty pockets out”.
Now they’ve no work like better men ➔ Simile
Who sit at desks and take much pay
They sleep long nights and rise at ten
To watch the hours that drain away.
Employed
Sarcastic: The poet is jealous of the intensity of the
deprivation and misery experienced by the
I’m jealous of the weeping hours
unemployed.
Transferred epithets→ they are starving as they lack money and
Anaphora: They stare through with such hungry eyes,
food.
The speaker
cant
I’m haunted by these images
Expressing his concerns
interfere as
I’m haunted by their emptiness.
he is just the
observer.
• STRUCTURE IRONY
Free verse The unemployed resemble the
No set rhyme scheme except in stanza 3 (he sees their structured, wealthy in doing no work and
sleeping late. Both the poor
predictable lives as confining and limiting) and wealthy live meaningless
lives.
Regular structure- indicated predictability of jobless routine.
Informal register
Enjambment: movement of the speaker walking through the crowd also
monotony and predictability of their lives
• THEME
Unemployment/silence/forced helplessness
• TONE
First 2 stanzas → judgmental/critical
Last 2 stanzas → guilt/self-critical
