Poetry Notes 1
When I get out
,Poetry Notes 2
I’m going to ask someone
to touch me
very gently please
and slowly, à Lewin wants to be touched ‘very gently and slowly’ when he is released.
touch me
I want
to learn again
how life feels. à he has forgotten ‘how life [beyond prison] feels’ so he is going to have
to ‘learn again’ about this
LINES 1-9:this stanza speaks about the future when he hopes to be released from
prison. In these 7 years that he has been in prison, he’s had very infrequent visits from
his family and friends. During these visits, Lewin is separated from his family by thick
iron bars. Therefore, he was unable to touch them. For 7 years, he has been starved of
any positive kind of touch.
I’ve not been touched
for seven years
for seven years
I’ve been untouched
out of touch
and I’ve learnt
to know now
the meaning of
untouchable.
LINES 10-18: this stanza plays with various forms of the key word ‘touch’. For example
Lewin has been ‘untouched’ in a positive way for years; he is ‘out of touch’ with the real
world outside of prison; and he is like an ‘untouchable’. The ‘untouchables’ are the
lowest social class in India; they are regarded with contempt (disgust) by the higher
social classes. They are despised and rejected. Lewin feels that he is also receiving
similar treatment in prison.
Untouched – not quite
I can count the things
that have touched me
LINES 19-21: this is a very short bridging stanza that links the first two stanzas about
the future with the upcoming stanzas (stanza 4 and 5à describe Lewin’s brutal and
degrading kinds of touch in prison). The poet explains that he has been touched
inappropriately in prison, and he can ‘count’ the ways. He’s just introducing the ideas of
touch in stanza 4 and 5.
One: fists à other prisoners
At the beginning à when he first arrived. Once the other prisoners resiled he was gentle and non-confrontational he was not a threat, he was
left alone.
fierce mad fists, à connotations of violence, brutality, ruthlessness, extreme force, aggression, power.
beating beating à repetition. very physical image if his heart racing from fear. Onomatopoeia.
,Poetry Notes 3
till I remember
screaming
Don’t touch me
please don’t touch me. à the poet could not help ‘screaming’ out in pain and fear,
begging the other prisoners to ‘please don’t touch me’.
LINES 22-29: this is the violent physically aggressive of the other prisoners. Prison
culture consist of gangs amongst the prisoners. There was a firmly established
hierarchy of power, with the leaders of the gangs at the top, and going down is the most
recently arrived prisoners. New arrivals were always beaten up and assaulted to ensure
they realised the packing order and did not try challenge the prisoners who had been
there for a longer amount of time and who were the leaders.
LINE 24: fierce mad fists à 2 figures of speech: a. alliteration b. personification
Two: paws à ‘paws’ belong to animals, not human beings. The poet uses this word to show that guards behave like animals , not
humans.
The first four years of paws
every day
patting paws, searching à guards frisked the prisoners , looking for illegal objects
– arms up, shoes offà double dashes introduce a parenthesis , used for extra info in the form of a
descriptive detail
legs apart – à showing how the guards searched private areas
prodding paws, systematic
heavy, indifferent à shows that the guards had a routine, a process, that happened every day. It was oppressive and
horrible feeling for the prisoners. ‘indifferent’ shows that it was nothing personal it happened to everyone
probing away à refers to the embarrassing invasion of the prisoners private parts. There was no respect for the prisoners
‘privacy’ or bodily autonomy.
all privacy.
*the last 4 lines of the stanza become steadily shorter and shorter. This matches the
way in which the prisoners privacy and rights are steadily eroded (worn away).
LINES 30-39: this is another kind of horrific touch. All the prisoners were subjected
(forced) to daily body searches around all different areas of their body. (mainly the
openings: nose, ears, mouth, naval, private areas). The body searches were carried out
by the guards who were looking for illegal substances such as drugs and poison , and
also weapons.
Not only was the poet forced to have these searches , every prisoner had to have them.
This was the daily routine.
The body searches were extremely degrading and humiliating, especially when their
private areas had to be searched. This was a violation , it was intrusive, disrespectful
and appalling.
‘Patting’ à usually has gentle , soothing connotations but not in this case
‘P’ alliteration à constant reminder that searches happened daily
, Poetry Notes 4
I don’t want fists and paws à he no longer wants to focus on the bad kinds of touch
I want
to want to be touched
again à in a kind, gentle way
and to touch,
I want to feel alive
again à he is convinced that he will get out of prison and will still have a life to live
I want to say
when I get out
Here I am
please touch me.
LINES 40-50: the poet now discusses his future when he hopes to be released from
prison. It is important that he ends the poem in a more hopeful way. He is focusing on
the positive kinds of touch rather than the pejorative (negative) kinds of touch.
In this stanza the poet repeats the key ideas from the rest of the poem.
TONE AT THE END OF THE POEM: hopeful, enthusiastic, cheerful, it ended with the
hope that things will improve for him.
When I get out
,Poetry Notes 2
I’m going to ask someone
to touch me
very gently please
and slowly, à Lewin wants to be touched ‘very gently and slowly’ when he is released.
touch me
I want
to learn again
how life feels. à he has forgotten ‘how life [beyond prison] feels’ so he is going to have
to ‘learn again’ about this
LINES 1-9:this stanza speaks about the future when he hopes to be released from
prison. In these 7 years that he has been in prison, he’s had very infrequent visits from
his family and friends. During these visits, Lewin is separated from his family by thick
iron bars. Therefore, he was unable to touch them. For 7 years, he has been starved of
any positive kind of touch.
I’ve not been touched
for seven years
for seven years
I’ve been untouched
out of touch
and I’ve learnt
to know now
the meaning of
untouchable.
LINES 10-18: this stanza plays with various forms of the key word ‘touch’. For example
Lewin has been ‘untouched’ in a positive way for years; he is ‘out of touch’ with the real
world outside of prison; and he is like an ‘untouchable’. The ‘untouchables’ are the
lowest social class in India; they are regarded with contempt (disgust) by the higher
social classes. They are despised and rejected. Lewin feels that he is also receiving
similar treatment in prison.
Untouched – not quite
I can count the things
that have touched me
LINES 19-21: this is a very short bridging stanza that links the first two stanzas about
the future with the upcoming stanzas (stanza 4 and 5à describe Lewin’s brutal and
degrading kinds of touch in prison). The poet explains that he has been touched
inappropriately in prison, and he can ‘count’ the ways. He’s just introducing the ideas of
touch in stanza 4 and 5.
One: fists à other prisoners
At the beginning à when he first arrived. Once the other prisoners resiled he was gentle and non-confrontational he was not a threat, he was
left alone.
fierce mad fists, à connotations of violence, brutality, ruthlessness, extreme force, aggression, power.
beating beating à repetition. very physical image if his heart racing from fear. Onomatopoeia.
,Poetry Notes 3
till I remember
screaming
Don’t touch me
please don’t touch me. à the poet could not help ‘screaming’ out in pain and fear,
begging the other prisoners to ‘please don’t touch me’.
LINES 22-29: this is the violent physically aggressive of the other prisoners. Prison
culture consist of gangs amongst the prisoners. There was a firmly established
hierarchy of power, with the leaders of the gangs at the top, and going down is the most
recently arrived prisoners. New arrivals were always beaten up and assaulted to ensure
they realised the packing order and did not try challenge the prisoners who had been
there for a longer amount of time and who were the leaders.
LINE 24: fierce mad fists à 2 figures of speech: a. alliteration b. personification
Two: paws à ‘paws’ belong to animals, not human beings. The poet uses this word to show that guards behave like animals , not
humans.
The first four years of paws
every day
patting paws, searching à guards frisked the prisoners , looking for illegal objects
– arms up, shoes offà double dashes introduce a parenthesis , used for extra info in the form of a
descriptive detail
legs apart – à showing how the guards searched private areas
prodding paws, systematic
heavy, indifferent à shows that the guards had a routine, a process, that happened every day. It was oppressive and
horrible feeling for the prisoners. ‘indifferent’ shows that it was nothing personal it happened to everyone
probing away à refers to the embarrassing invasion of the prisoners private parts. There was no respect for the prisoners
‘privacy’ or bodily autonomy.
all privacy.
*the last 4 lines of the stanza become steadily shorter and shorter. This matches the
way in which the prisoners privacy and rights are steadily eroded (worn away).
LINES 30-39: this is another kind of horrific touch. All the prisoners were subjected
(forced) to daily body searches around all different areas of their body. (mainly the
openings: nose, ears, mouth, naval, private areas). The body searches were carried out
by the guards who were looking for illegal substances such as drugs and poison , and
also weapons.
Not only was the poet forced to have these searches , every prisoner had to have them.
This was the daily routine.
The body searches were extremely degrading and humiliating, especially when their
private areas had to be searched. This was a violation , it was intrusive, disrespectful
and appalling.
‘Patting’ à usually has gentle , soothing connotations but not in this case
‘P’ alliteration à constant reminder that searches happened daily
, Poetry Notes 4
I don’t want fists and paws à he no longer wants to focus on the bad kinds of touch
I want
to want to be touched
again à in a kind, gentle way
and to touch,
I want to feel alive
again à he is convinced that he will get out of prison and will still have a life to live
I want to say
when I get out
Here I am
please touch me.
LINES 40-50: the poet now discusses his future when he hopes to be released from
prison. It is important that he ends the poem in a more hopeful way. He is focusing on
the positive kinds of touch rather than the pejorative (negative) kinds of touch.
In this stanza the poet repeats the key ideas from the rest of the poem.
TONE AT THE END OF THE POEM: hopeful, enthusiastic, cheerful, it ended with the
hope that things will improve for him.
