Poetry Criticism Essay

Write a critical appreciation of the numbers INCENDIARY by Vernon Scannell. You should comment on head, diction, t ace and structure. An incendiary is a bomb which sets things on implode, which gets across the root word that the boy was like a dangerous weapon, ready to spark at any time. This poem is about a boy who sets a farm on levy in hope that he receives the attention he has been longing for. In the first line, the poet describes the boy to be possessed of a face like pallid cheese. This simile is depicts the boy to look quite mould and weak.We immediately feel pity and realize that the boy is uncared for. The poet also describes the boy to puddle burnt-out piddling eyes implying that, with reference to fire, his eyes have died out covering that he has lost hope. The fire was huge, boil and all-consuming, as implied in this quote As brazen enraged and huge, as red and gold and zany yellow. This suggests that the fire was a multitude of colours- red, gold and zan y yellow. It was also bold, savage and extremely big- Brazen, fierce and huge.The word zany also suggests it being, uncontrollable or softheaded. The poet shows the extent of damage caused by the fire through the quote spoiled three thousand guineas worth of crops. The fact that he uses guineas could imply that the poem was set some time ago. Scannell portrays the scene as frightening and very damaging Is frightening- as a fact and a metaphor. He describes the flames as flame-fanged tigers. This is a metaphor in which the flames are compared to tigers wild animals which are perceived as viscous and ferocious.These monolithic flames are said to be roaring ravenously. The use of the word hungrily implies that the flames are consuming while the use of the word roaring is an onomatopoeia showing that the fire was loud. The reader no longer feels a sense of pity towards the boy because he has caused so much irreversible damage. The feeling of hostility is heightened through this quote And frightening too that one diminished boy should set the sky on fire and choke the stars.This use of personification portrays the image of the large amount of smoke rising so high that it blocks out the stars. This could possibly be another attribute of lost hope as the light of the stars is no longer visible. The poet once again tries to apply us feel pity for the boy Such skinny limbs and such a little heart which would have been content with one small kiss had there been anyone to offer this. This quote once again introduces the theme of neglect. His skinny limbs show that he is malnourished.The boy is longing for one warm kiss which gives the reader an idea of his motives. He is probably seeking attention, in an effort to be loved. The poem doesnt have a particular rhyme scheme however rhyming couplets appear three times throughout the poem, one of them appearing at the end. Like this, the poet emphasises specific lines in which he may want to be oddly powerful. When a po em ends in this way after not having much rhyme throughout, it can make it more emotionally moving.Due to the lack of punctuation and the effect of the rhyming couplets that appear, the tone is quite debased which possibly indicates the short amount of time in which the farm caught fire. It may also create a lively atmosphere to bring the energy of the fire to life. In this poem, Scannell uses an exaggerated but possible framework of what a child may do when he or she is uncared for. Through this he tries to show us the consequences and dangers of neglecting children and the desperate measures they may turn to.