1) A Minor Role is about societal expectations:
This interpretation purports that the poem is discussing the way society expects individuals to behave. In this case, the poem deals with the way the terminally/ severely ill are expected to put on a mask that all is well.
2) A Minor Role is about Avoidance:
An alternative view is that A Minor Role is describing the human tendency to run away from things we find difficult and challenging.
3) A Minor Role is about Death:
A Minor Role clearly has morbid overtones and this viewpoint suggests that the poem is about dealing with the concept of death and our own mortality.
4) A Minor Role is about Performing:
This final interpretation claims that A Minor Role is about putting on an act and pretending to be something/someone you are not.
*Some of these interpretations work well together such as societal expectation and performing, but it is also possible to claim that the poem is about all four of these interpretations.
Analysis of title… the title is ambiguous, but that means it can be linked to all of the four main theories (below):
- The first of these links to the societal expectations interpretation, the ‘role’ refers to the function each of us has in society and the use of the word ‘minor’ in conjunction expresses the speaker’s wish that she had a less significant position in society.
- From the avoidance perspective, the title is referring to the speaker’s desire for anonymity, smaller role with fewer responsibilities. It is, therefore, an expression of the speaker’s want to avoid the greatest challenges in life, instead of living a more mundane life.
- The title could also be seen as a reflective summary of the speaker’s life, she has judged her part in life as being a minor role.
- The most obvious link is to that of the performance interpretation. A role is another term used to describe the parts actors play, hence the conclusion is easily drawn that the title is a reflection on the part the speaker plays/will play/has played.
Form/POV… A Minor Role utilises the form of a dramatic monologue, which is important because it creates a feeling of isolation, which the poet furthers throughout the poem. If we refer back to the 4 main interpretations this could be important for all of them. All of the views convey a sense of the individual and society as distinct and separate entities (in the case of societal expectations and performing) or an individual faced with something immense (in the case of death and avoidance). As the reader, we are better able to understand the world from the perspective of the speaker. This is a useful device as it allows even people who have not been through the experience being described to understand it.
A Minor Rule uses a first person perspective. The first person perspective makes the speaker more relatable as we can understand her actions and why she took them, hence the use of the first person garners greater empathy from, us, the reader. The use of the first person also aids in immersion, though the use of first person the reader experiences the events of the poem themselves and thus develops a deeper connection with the protagonist and their plight.
Structural analysis… there is no true rhyme scheme: the lack of rhyme scheme is useful for a myriad of reasons. Without a rhyme scheme, the poem instantly gains an uncertain tone, foreshadowing an unhappy ending. This also helps to avoid the poem having an inappropriate tone for the subject matter, by keeping the poem more serious and thus evoking a pensive frame of mind from the reader.
The disjointed appearance of stanzas: The stanzas disjointed appearance create a visual representation of the speaker’s feelings on being forced into the spotlight and role she didn’t want. The appearance of the stanzas also depicts how the speaker’s personality and behaviour clash with the behaviour and personality that society expects her to have.
Single line final stanza: This final stanza is representative of the speaker being the main focus, in the spotlight and also conveys a very sorrowful message, that we are all alone in the end (and can be used as support for the death interpretation among others). However, the final stanza may be interpreted as accepting or bowing to the whims of social expectations, succumbing and allowing herself to be in the spotlight playing the role we expect her to play.
Language analysis… semantic field of hospitals: the semantic field of hospitals is used within the poem to further the distant and almost apathetic tone. The poet describes “getting on terms with receptionists” as something mundane and unimportant, yet something she likes doing as her “hearts in the unobtrusive”. The use of words such as “receptionists” creates this distant tone, as “receptionists” are typically associated with being formal and impersonal. This perhaps explains why the speaker talks so fondly of this, as the poem makes it clear that she does not enjoy putting on the act that she feels obliged to; however, in such situation as described there would be no need for facades and false niceties.
Semantic field of misery: The semantic field of misery is used to convey the speaker’s opinion on what they are relating. If we were to take it from the social expectations interpretation, then the semantic field of misery used in stanza 5 is the speaker confessing how these expectations have crushed her soul. The list in stanza 5, “tears, torpor, boredom, lassitude, yearnings” creates a seemingly endless seeming list which shows how the speaker is being completely overwhelmed and the connotations of these words further this impression of futility.
Semantic field of theatre: The semantic field of theatre that is used throughout the poem significantly furthers the case of the performance interpretation. The poet likens the life of the ill as to that of a stage performer; they are a model to the rest of us and they are there to “make you believe in life”. Fanthorpe uses prop imagery, including “spear” and “servant’s tray” as symbols for importance and unimportance. Contrary to most the speaker would “jettison the spear” and take the “servant’s tray”; however, the poem is about how the speaker is forced from her minor role into the “star part” and these two symbols are important in understanding the speaker’s decision to “jettison the spear”. The “spear” has connotations of danger, violence and uncertainty of life (doing battle risks your life), whereas, the “servant’s tray” alludes to security, a mundane but safe life.
The final stanza: The word of the final stanza “I am here to make you believe in life” can be considered as quite ambiguous. At first glance, they may appear to send a positive message to the reader, that although she is going through this horrible experience she can still make the lives of others better. However, this final line could also be seen as a scathing remark criticising society and the way it treats the ill. The fact that the statement is not elaborated upon lends weight to this argument as it implies that those who are ill ‘I’ serve only the purpose to make ‘you’ (the healthy) feel better.
Themes/Symbols… life and death are key themes that are presented within the poem as binary opposites.
Illness is another theme, which is closely linked to the theme of death; however, illness is presented as the gateway to death.
Avoidance is a theme, which is developed throughout the poem as the way in which the poet deals with her illness.
Performance and the need to conform to others ideals are considered throughout the poem and are perhaps the reasons that the speaker seeks solitude so often (where she need not conform nor perform).
The stage is one of the key symbols within the poem, it used to reflect the nature of the speaker’s position in her life. This includes her new role in society and the way she is expected to perform in social interactions.
The cat is a smaller non-pervasive symbol used in the poem. The speaker claims that the cat is “mysteriously reassuring”, which adds an almost hopeful tone to a poem, that was previously and continues afterwards, to be a fairly defeatist manner. The speaker sees the cat as reassuring for a variety of reasons. Firstly, cats are notorious for being independent and thus acting as they chose, therefore the cat acts as a symbol for the dream of the speaker getting to act as she chooses. In addition, there are many myths surrounding cats, primarily those regarding a cat always landing on its feet and of cats having nine lives. Ergo the cat also represents the hope the speaker has of still living; however, it is also important that that dream is embodied by the cat and not herself, as it implies that she has given up on the dream becoming reality and thus has separates herself from it. Yet its very presence (in the form of the cat) reveals that although she has given up on it becoming reality she cannot help but wish for it.
Poems that can be compared…
- On Her Blindness: This poem deals with similar issues to those in A Minor Role. Both consider the roles that certain types of people have within society. In the case of On Her Blindness the poet subverts the stereotype and in A Minor Role, the poet clearly challenges what society thinks is acceptable behaviour. Furthermore, both poems have key themes in common such as death (more specifically suicide) and illness/disability.
- The Deliverer: This poem can be compared with The Deliverer; they share common themes. Both poems touch upon the idea of societal roles and being trapped into certain fates as a result of them, as well as death.
Absolutely fantastic! Thanks
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