In “I am very bothered”, how does the poet present the boy’s feelings about the girl and what he did?
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Answers
Answer:
In this unconventional love poem, ‘I am very bothered’, the Speaker reveals how, in a bungled attempt to show his attraction for a classmate, he ill-advertently scars her for life.
Explanation:
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Answer:
Explanation:
I am very bothered when I think
of the bad things I have done in my life.
(…)
in the naked lilac flame of the Bunsen burner;
then called your name, and handed them over.
The poem beings almost in a conversational style, taking the title of the poem as its opening. The Speaker tells us that he is ‘bothered’ when he thinks upon ‘the bad things’ he has done, using the simplistic language of right and wrong. Even the adjective ‘bad’ seems somewhat childish, but since he reveals that this event takes place in the ‘chemistry lab’, we know that he was a schoolboy at the time. He then gives us a specific example of a ‘bad thing’. He tells us exactly how he engineered the incident, and through the use of active verbs- ‘held’, ‘played’ ‘called’ and ‘handed’, it is clear that this is not a spontaneous decision; it is hard to feel much sympathy for him as this is meticulously planned.
Sensuous language is employed to help us imagine the scene. We are alerted to danger as he holds the scissors by their ‘blades’ and
played the handles/in the naked lilac flame.
There is something almost luxuriant in the verb ‘played.’ This also suggests that it is ‘just a game’ but we fear what will happen next. This long sentence, describing his actions scans over 5 lines.
He is taking his time, and we can almost see the shimmering flame. The fact that it is lilac, not even orange, lends it an even more ferocious heat and the adjective ‘naked’ heightens the sense of risk. As well as the alliteration of ‘b sounds’ in ‘Bunsen burner’ we hear the word ‘burn’ and wonder what the Speaker is plotting to do.
Stanza Two
O the unrivalled stench of branded skin
(…)
the doctor said, for eternity.
The first line is almost shocking in its brutality, all the more so because the poet omits any mention of the victim’s reaction. This use of omission or understatement makes us, the reader, imagine what happened, which serves to intensify the horror. The line begins ‘O’, which is a literary device known as an apostrophe, and is used here to add impact. Next, it is the sense of smell that is channeled, and if we are to believe what the Speaker says, this is unrivaled. We know exactly how serious this injury is by the use of the verb ‘branded.’ This is the only line in the poem which sounds like the traditional language used in conventional love poetry.
In Shakespeare’s sonnets, he often made comparisons, implying that the object of his affection was superior to something else. However, this poem of Armitage’s has taken a twisted turn, as he describes the smell of burnt flesh. It takes us into the murky world of medieval torture and the harsh, cacophonous sound of ‘stench’ further accentuates this.
The reader feels more sickened still when reading the next line, as the unsuspecting girl unwittingly takes the proffered items. The repetition of ‘burning’ re-emphasizes the residual heat, and of course, the mention of rings makes us wince. Wedding rings are exchanged to express love and never-ending devotion, unlike these permanent reminders of pain. We can feel something of the girl’s agony as the rings refuse to budge. There is a juxtaposition between how easy it was as she ‘slipped’ her thumb and finger in, and then her inability to ‘shake off the burning rings.’ A full stop here provides the caesura pause; to suspend these agonizing moments and etch them in our minds. Our suspicions that this has been a serious injury is confirmed with the doctor’s prognosis, that they will be ‘Marked,’ for eternity.’ Again this line is delivered in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. This story is simply being reported, as it happened, open and honest.