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not waving but drowning stevie smith poem analysis. 0 Get transcripts for any podcasts SEARCH PAST EPISODES search Having finished with this pedagogic matter, Skeleton has Parrot signify a change in subject by presenting his version of My proper Besse, a popular song of the period which had both an amorous and a moralistic meaning: It could be interpreted either as a lovers carnal desire for his beloved or the souls longing for God. The second is the date of The secondsometimes firstlanguage of any educated person during this period, Latin was regarded as the tongue for knowledge and artistryalthough, as Speak, Parrot itself notes (and to some extent laments), Greek was quickly becoming a respectable rival. In the romantic era, British authors and poets focused on nature and its influence. By reading Steve Smiths Not Waving but Drowning as it relates to themes such as misunderstanding helplessness in the face of doom which T.S Eliot employs in, The LoveSong of J. Alfred Prufrock, one finds that Smiths drowning man compounds our understanding of Prufrocks suffering; two individuals who fail to discover themselves, nor any meaningful purpose and life; and offers an response to despair through the voice of the drowned mans friends that, Emily Dickinson a modern romantic writer, whose poems considered imaginative and natural, but also dark as she uses death as the main theme many times in her writings. Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Publicado por 21 mayo, 2021. Speak, Parrot has been regarded as John Skeltons masterpiece, a brilliant tour de force which links his strong sense of moralism, keen observations of contemporary court and political events, and his extraordinary poetic talents. Stevie Smith (1902-1971) led an outwardly uneventful life behind the respectable curtains of suburbia whilst nurturing a highly individual imagination. I have become a different person when I am at school, but when I am home, I feel like I am my normal self again. Born Florence Margaret Smith in Hull, Yorkshire in 1902, Stevie Smith moved with her family to the North London suburbs when three, then lived in the same house the rest of her life. Ultimately, the poem is concerned with the incongruity experienced by the titular parrot in its new urban surroundings. Santamaria, Joe. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. The impact is increased because the anaphora is frequently found with another rhetorical device, that of antithesis, in which two contrasting ideas are linked by being presented in similar grammatical and syntactic form. Its as if Yeatss Crazy Jane had decided to speak for herself. He has croup. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 'Parrot' displays Smith's iconic, direct style and her interest in issues of mortality. As a result, Wright said, the apparent geniality of many of her poems is in fact more frightening than the solemn keening and sentimental despair of other poets, for it is based on a clear-sighted acceptance, by a mind neither obtuse nor unimaginative, but sharp and serious, innocent but far from naive. Without identifying itself with any particular school of modern poetics, Hallett wrote, [Smiths] voice is nevertheless very much that of what she once called the age of unrest through which she lived. Her first book, Contributing to the deceptive quality of the poets work was her language, which a. The poem is one of Skeltons most difficult to understand, not only because of its vocabulary and organization but also because it is an extended allegory, many of whose meanings and references are presented in veiled imagery that would have been familiar to a limited number of persons at the time the poem was written and that has become fainter over the years. When Death took her . I was reminded of these booksthe hair rising on the back of my neckwhile reading the new, comprehensive volume of Stevie Smiths poems, edited and introduced by Will May. Smith, so long in love with death, could not know she was actually dying; her fear of a protracted, horrible death prompted her to call on the one toward whom she felt tender. 2023 Cond Nast. 2002 eNotes.com On the one hand, the parrot does not represent anything it is merely a suffering creature that the poet wishes it could help. Charity No. The last stanza of the poem contains the line the peace of this day will shine, this line reflects on the consequences of death. These rhymes function as echoic reminders of an earlier time, possibly when the bird was in better health or when it was in the jungle. Avoiding cliches, her sentences directly penetrate people's mind. endstream endobj 33 0 obj <>stream You can read the full poem here (on page 6). The three most noticeable rhetorical devices throughout "Speak, Parrot" are alliteration, anaphora, and antithesis. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Wordsworth utilizes various religious images to communicate his awe in the face of the natural world. podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjUxODMxMzYxOC9zb3VuZHMucnNz. https://poemanalysis.com/stevie-smith/parrot/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. In the 1960s Smith built a popular reputation as a performer of her own work, playing up her eccentricity and ceremonially half-singing some of her poems in a quavering voice. The Rattle Bag, a singular anthology of poems he edited with Ted Hughes, in which almost all the poems are of goose-bump-inducing quality, includes a number of Smiths verses, among them The Jungle Husband (Dearest Evelyn, I often think of you / out with the guns in the jungle stew) and Bog Face, which reads in its entirety: Dear little Bog-Face,Why are you so cold?And why do you lie with your eyes shut?You are not very old. "Parrot by Stevie Smith". "According to Parrot data, interest in 'Love Life' was 9 times higher than the average for a TV show in the four days after HBO Max's launch. Her rendition of these classic poems is just as mischievous: the word playful seems apt, but if so its the playfulness of a cat; charming and elegant but concealing very sharp claws. And its unclear exactly how much Smith manipulated her personathe eccentric, the morbid girl, the warbling singer. Raised in a female-only household, Smith grew up very protective of her independence and remained in north London until she died in 1971. Both authors use structure, theme, allusions, and imagery to effectively convey their perceptions of nature. the website where English Language teachers exchange resources: endstream endobj startxref Parrot is a moving exploration of imprisonment and suffering set against the backdrop of the modern, urban world. July 25, 2016. 'Pad, Pad' is written by the English poet Florence Margaret Smith, also known as Stevie Smith. It is a commentary on public events that would have primarily interested the court of Henry VIII but also would have had wider political implications. Utilizing a unique dynamic, consistently alternating between Spanish and English, Cervantes accurately represents the fear, hatred, and humility experienced by the Californios through rhythm, arrangement, tone, and most importantly, through use of language. At first, it appears to simply be repeating the word from the opening stanza. Following her mothers death when she was still in her teens, Smith and her sister went to live with their spinster aunt, an inspiring figure to Smith who dubbed her The Lion. Ed. In particular, the poetry of T.S Eliot in his breakout poem, The LoveSong of J. Alfred Prufrock written in 1915, and Not Waving but Drowning written by poetess Steve Smith in 1953, reflect a particular sentiment spanning an entire generation of both poetic and public society in which the burdens of modern living within a capitalist society complicate man and womens ability to express their individuality, much less understand their place among the vastness of the cosmos. Live Worksheets She also made a number of broadcasts and recordings, her skilful and extensive use of personae lending itself particularly well to reading aloud. Margaret Atwood creates a haunting and beautiful piece describing the experience a sad child goes through. Page 1 The lady doth protest too much, methinks is a famous quote used in Shakespeares Hamlet. This device is used throughout the poem but is generally limited, as in lines 205 through 207, which follow the same format: Parrot is no pendugum, Parrot is no woodecocke, Parrot is no stamerying stare. However, as the poem approaches its climax and Skelton wishes to underscore the works satiric content, he uses a highly anaphoric pattern to present and emphasize his message: So many morall maters, and so lytell usyed;So myche newe makying, and so madd tyme spente;So myche translacion into Englyshe confused;So myche nobyll prechying, and so lytell amendment. She published several collections of prose as well as numerous volumes of verse. It is spoken by Queen Gertrude. She published several collections of prose. Having confirmed his linguistic abilities, Parrot uses them to paint a picture of contemporary abusesthe most important of the traditional roles of satire. In 1970, Smith was awarded the Queens Medal for poetry. In Far on the sands and It is a beauteous evening, Smith and Wordsworth describe their respective experiences on the shore at sunset. endstream endobj 29 0 obj <>>> endobj 30 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]/Properties<>>>/Rotate 0/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 595.276 841.89]/Type/Page>> endobj 31 0 obj <>stream These have different focuses which achieve different effects on the reader. However, this seeming confusion is deliberately manipulated by Skelton to suit his satirical purpose. Far from his jungle greenOver the seas he came()With a beauty thats not for oneBorn under a tropic sun. This poem deals with the separation of two lovers and how the speaker feels long after the break-up. As the poem continues, Smith creates a sense of dislocation by contrasting the birds current surroundings with the tropical environment it came from. Stevie Smith passed away in 1971, staying single throughout her whole life. Marianne Moores Observationsand Stevie SmithsAll the Poems, Contributor of poetry to numerous anthologies, including Faber Book of Twentieth-Century Verse, 2nd edition, 1965, and Poetry 1900 to 1965, 1967. Several poems in the anthology explore the intensity of human emotion. All the poet has to do is listen. In the romantic era, British authors and poets focused on nature and its influence. Being away from college, I have struggled with not being at home. publication online or last modification online. One wants to get away but somehow cant. Parrot, the created character who points out abuses and condemns them, will ensure the fame of Skelton Lawryat/ Orator Regius (Skelton the poet laureate, orator of the king). There are almost eight hundred poems in this book. Sg efter gamle afsnit af Poetry plain and simple. The study will focus primarily on the critical analysis that helps to define and to unify the central argument. Were always adding to the Poetry Archive so sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest archive news, events and releases. Monosyllabic words are used to show the simplicity of childhood life, for example in the line the thing I could not grasp or name. In her poems imagination play a big role as it sets the ground for everything to unfold in a magical way. Parrot - Stevie Smith - Quote 3. Which ones will speak to whom is impossible to say. Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. This is the patternconstantly recycling the same limited set of words to introduce lines and phrasesfor the final ten full stanzas of Speak, Parrot. It presents the culmination of Skeltons argument to the reader in a fashion that is both powerful and memorable. Her most famous poem is Not Waving But Drowning.Read more of Stevie Smiths Biography. Meanwhile, a foolish young reporter attempts to get a scoop on the story. The use of colors is significant in this stanza, notably the use of the adjective green in the opening line. Get LitCharts A +. Was it Coleridge himself? Away, Melancholy by Stevie Smith Biography of Stevie Smith by Stevie Smith Come On, Come Back by Stevie Smith you want to download you have to send your own contributions. Will he come back again?Oh no, no, no.Oh how I wish I hadnt beenPiggy to Joe. Parrot By Stevie Smith by Poetry: plain and simple Limited Time Offer: Get 50% off the first year of our best annual plan for artists with unlimited uploads, releases, and insights. For years, I forgot I had read these books, as one might suppress a traumatic event, but later, when I happened on them again, one after the other, I realized that here, like sugar laced with rat poison, was the source of the feeling of unease, a ripple below the skin, that rarely deserts me. Some of these authors of the poems and essays that I have read throughout this class has struggled with being somewhere where they dont belong and that they are someone else when they are not home. Smith worked for Pearson Publishing for more thanthirty-three years. Poem D: 'Parrot' by Stevie Smith The old sick green parrot High in a dingy cage Sick with malevolent rage Beadily glutted his furious eye On the old dark Chimneys of Noel Park Far from his jungle green Over the seas he came To the yellow skies, to the dripping rain, To the night of his despair. The evocation of the setting is significant as it further alienates the parrot, which is not native to Britain. Nr du har logget ind, bekrfter du at acceptere, Put this image on your website to promote the show -, Report inappropriate content or request to remove this page. This is a familiar conceit in European poetry, its most memorable statement was by the Roman poet Horace, echoed in William Shakespeares Sonnet 55: Not marble, nor the gilded monuments/ Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme.. Far from the jungle green . 'Parrot' displays Smith's iconic, direct style and her interest in issues of mortality. Pad, Pad is written by the English poet Florence Margaret Smith, also known as Stevie Smith. podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zb3VuZGNsb3VkLmNvbS91c2Vycy9zb3VuZGNsb3VkOnVzZXJzOjUxODMxMzYxOC9zb3VuZHMucnNz. She published several collections of short prose and letters as well as nearly a dozen volumes of verse. She died of a brain tumor in 1971. Florence Margaret Smith, who later came to be known as Stevie Smith, was an English novelist born in 1902. The following analyses focus on five poems by a writer who to date has famously defied attempts at categorisation, and who was truly a maverick and a rebel. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. This poem compares happiness and grief in poetry and in literature as a whole. She was born Florence Margaret Smith in Hull, Yorkshire, in 1902. Stevie Smiths most famous poem is Not Waving but Drowning, which begins: Nobody heard him, the dead man,But still he lay moaning:I was much further out than you thoughtAnd not waving but drowning. With a beauty that's not for one / born under a tropic sun. Parrot By Stevie Smith. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Huk, Romana. As a result, Wright said, the apparent geniality of many of her poems is in fact more frightening than the solemn keening and sentimental despair of other poets, for it is based on a clear-sighted acceptance, by a mind neither obtuse nor unimaginative, but sharp and serious, innocent but far from naive. Without identifying itself with any particular school of modern poetics, Hallett wrote, [Smiths] voice is nevertheless very much that of what she once called the age of unrest through which she lived. Her first book, Novel on Yellow Paper (1936) examines religion and politics in the lead-up to the Second World War. Although the nursery-rhyme-like cadences of her poems and the whimsical drawings with which she illustrated them suggest a childs innocence, Stevie Smith was a sophisticated poet, whose work was much concerned with suffering and mortality. This is an analysis of Stevie Smith's empathic; "Not Waving but Drowning", in its most simple form: and I hope you find a voice within my analysis of this poem, and drown in the beautiful . online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. The poet Stevie Smith, in a photograph originally published in 1954. Smith's clear and calm regard of life defines the simple forms in her works. The books and reading materials we read and encounter can have an impact in our education and in who we are. Likewise, Smith juxtaposed the lush jungle green with Londons yellow skies to reinforce her view that urban life was toxic to the bird and potentially other living beings too.The surrealist description of puddles reflecting streetlamps imbues the city with a gothic, unsettling quality and creates a sinister atmosphere. If Her first book, Novel on Yellow Paper (1936), examined unrest in England during the First World War. 28 0 obj <> endobj 0:00. Philip K. Jason. The last date is today's Uncategorized No Comments parrot by stevie smith analysis . Stevie Smith: Between the Lines. Her macabre sense of humor can shock, as in her most famous poem, Not Waving But Drowning.. When I have had enoughI will ariseAnd go unto my FatherAnd I will say to Him:Father, I have had enough. I enjoyed reading the ones about home because I actually understood what they are going through and that I can relate. parrot by stevie smith analysis. The most famous example of this sure-footed negotiation of tone is the much-anthologised Not Waving But Drowning which was also the title of her 1957 collection. Her first collection of verse, A Good Time Was Had By All, appeared a year later and established that combination of caprice and doom which remained characteristic of both her poems and the quirky line drawings that often accompanied them. 4 Mar. 48 seconds Posted Apr 27, 2021 at 6:32 pm. His feathered chest()Pray heaven it wont be long. While it is written largely in blocks of seven-line stanzas with a consistent ababbee rhyme pattern, it is also interspersed with various other line lengths and rhyme patterns, and it includes snatches of dialogue, much of it in languages other than English. Anaphora is similar to alliteration. April 23, 2022 . 57 0 obj <>stream Redeem Now Pause Parrot By Stevie Smith Poetry: plain and simple 1 year ago Poetry 453 Poetry: plain and simple 115 522 Report 2023 . She remains an inspiration to many artists, and her work is regularly cited as influential. parrot by stevie smith analysis Posted by on May 29, 2022 in lg | Well never sell your personal information. However, it is possible to view the bird as emblematic of those who were forced to move somewhere due to circumstances beyond their control, whether by a doctors orders, in Smiths case, or by economic realities. The creatures ill health is emphasized as early as the poems opening line. From Crazy Jane on the Day of Judgment, here is Yeats: Love is allUnsatisfiedThat cannot take the wholeBody and Soul:And that is what Jane said. However, the integrity with which she adhered to her own style earned Stevie Smith a considerable amount of respect, and, more than ten years after her death, her reputation with both readers and fellow poets is deservedly high.. In addition, in the poem Skelton has Parrot imitate Scots and Irish accents. Poetry plain and simple. "Speak, Parrot - The Poem" Critical Guide to Poetry for Students publication in traditional print. It is spoken by Queen Gertrude. %%EOF Tak fordi du hjlper med at holde podcast-databasen opdateret. Because of its hidden and allegorical nature, it can suggest and imply more than it openly states. 'Parrot' brilliantly explores questions that affect us all such as dealing with illness and age. Some of these poems and essays include Going Home by Maurice Kenny, Postcard from Kashmir, by Agha Shahid Ali, Returning by Elias Miguel Munoz and Hometown by Luis Cabalquinto. Electrified by outrageand elevated by a gifted ghostwriterhis blockbuster memoir Spare exposes more than Harrys enemies. Having worked as a secretary for many years, Smith retired after a nervous breakdown but went on to read her poetry on the BBC, which helped introduce her work to younger audiences. Thank you for helping to keep the podcast database up to date. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our work is created by a team of talented poetry experts, to provide an in-depth look into poetry, like no other. An assessment of the works of Smith and a study of their . The silence represents the acknowledgement of the Other, through nonverbally inhabiting the same space. Her macabre sense of humor can shock, as in her most famous poem, . Now it is Parrot himself, rather than the book, which will live and preserve Skeltons memory and message. 1093858. As a prattling popinjay, or chatterbox, Parrot is given leave to speak freely, much in the tradition of court jesters or royal fools, and he takes full advantage of this, especially in his attacks on Cardinal Wolsey. Its early stanzas set the context, placing Parrot in the court of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, then still Henrys wife. If it is the first time you login, a new account will be created automatically. So many morall maters, and so lytell usyed; So myche newe makying, and so madd tyme spente; So myche translacion into Englyshe confused; So myche nobyll prechying, and so lytell amendment. %PDF-1.6 % #Xl1E|z6 '##/'8LJ&48h"w"qf {Oyke3bih,(},c\_[doZ@;OXp6#icdswBSX.c}6HkC"}}5k:[CmTe&; ~^ The poet is not an important fellow. PHOTOGRAPH BY CARL SUTTON / GETTY. The overall intriguing tone of the poem adds. This poem deals with the separation of two lovers and how the speaker feels long after the break-up. Like the doomed swimmer, one way or another, Stevie Smith was far out all her life. Poetry Analysis: 'Poppies' - Jane Weir. A search of library resources on British poet Stevie Smith reveals that scholarly interest in her poetry has deepened in the nearly half-century that has passed since her death in 1971. This representation of the comfort of another being, conveys the extent of the acknowledgement, and contends the notions of existential nihilism through the implicit values of dasein. English poet and novelist Stevie Smith (1902 - 1971) reading a poem at a Poetry Festival held at the Royal Court Theatre, London, UK, July 15th to 20th, 1963. The Modern Tradition of English literature, as literary critics refer to the period today, transforms our understanding of english literary mechanics in that both poets and authors examined the repercussions of industrial society on urbanites and rural peoples alike through experimental prose and verse styles, forever changing the English Language. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia with Alzheimer's Research Charity. :v(Ph3`4@s9=@CA,,,,,,,,e?~ss(Qe?~GMgQGC?FoFoFoFoFoKS.J]s.d+ea}/W70\h]?O: Stevie Smith's unusual life experiences and viewpoints impact her poems immensely in the aspects of simple forms, detached emotion, and uncanny themes. Poem Solutions Limited International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox, Discover and learn about the greatest poetry, straight to your inbox. Gwen Harwoods poetry endures to engage readers through its poetic treatment of loss and consolation. Not Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith describes the emotional situation of a speaker whose true tribulations go unnoticed by all those around her. Away, Melancholy is a beautiful and emotional poem in which the poet conveys her argument for positivity in the face, Steve Smiths poetry seems to take on its own unique style. These attacks finished, the poem concludes with Parrot, in highly rhetorical and mannered language, railing against the abuses and excesses of the times, including those in the royal court, the church, and contemporary English life. Seamus Heaney was an admirer. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original This reading is confirmed by Smith, although the final line remains ambiguous as it is not clear whether the narrator wishes the birds suffering to end or whether the bird itself wishes to die. Smith could be implying that, when imprisoned, sickness and death become preferable alternatives. As Parrot modestly remarks, his mistress Dame Philology gave him the gift to lerne all langage and hyt to speke aptlye.. Childhood is represented as a joyful, vivacious time in ones life, and the value of a stable family life is conveyed. Explore this theme, referring to these three poems in detail and by referencing at least three other poems from your wider reading.. In Stevie Smith's narrative poem To Carry the Child, he writes the experience of a resentful child towards his parent and their overprotective tendencies. Lorna Dee Cervantes' poem, Poema para los Californios Muertos (Poem for the Dead Californios), is a commentary on what happened to the original inhabitants of California when California was still Mexico, and an address to the speaker's dead ancestors. Her work often engages with questions about health, religion, and the nature of life. Some of the poems and essays I have read during this class were relatable to me. She graduated from the North London Collegiate School and went on to work as a secretary. In 1978, her life was made into a movie, Stevie (the title role was played with madcap ferocity by Glenda Jackson), about which Vincent Canby wrote that Smith connected the suburbs to the stars.. Both of the featured poems display Smiths sensibility at its unnerving best: the startling disjunctions in tone, for instance, in Not Waving But Drowning, which mirror the gulf that can exist between our internal and external lives, or the innocent narrative voice of The Frog Prince who looks forward to being disenchanted. parrot by stevie smith analysis. Finally, Skelton makes skillful use of languages other than English, but none more so than Latin. The jaunty tone of the title is also pure Smith whose work thrives on co-existing contradictions: jokey and serious; colloquial and formal; sophisticated and child-like. TOP 5% Parrot By Stevie Smith 28. april 2021 00:00:48 Podcasts RSS Link GEM DEL CLIP MERE AFSNIT SAMFUND 0 INDLEJR REDIG DEL OM DENNE EPISODE All of these poems deal with duality. The basic structure for most of the poem is a seven-line stanza, with a steady but varying meter that is not quite iambic pentameter but which provides a sense of order and regularity. With Speak, Parrot, this is literally true, since the poem presents several different rhyming and rhythmic patterns as well as shifting from English to Latin with sometimes bewildering frequency. Already a member? The second date is today's Two of those poets, Charlotte Smith and William Wordsworth, wrote many pieces on the beauty of nature and their personal experiences with the beaches of England. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Last Updated on May 6, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. On a less literal level, the poem speaks to the isolation and pain of being misunderstood, and is a kind of . 1316 Words. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. She taps into humanity's basic, decent nature, its strength, and goodness. The Poetry Archive is a not-for-profit organisation with charitable status. We respond to all comments too, giving you the answers you need. "Not Waving but Drowning" is the most famous poem by British poet Stevie Smith, and was first published in 1957. The latter is the repetition of a sound within a line, while the former is the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive lines or phrases. Smith's life reflected in poems As an English poet who lived through the "age of unrest" (1902-1971), Stevie Smith had a mysterious life. It is against this sense of order that Skelton places what he, as a moralist and satirist, sees as the disorder of the world: the decline of learning in the universities, abuses of the clergy in the church, and, above all, the inordinate power and malign influence of Cardinal Wolsey over the court and the entire kingdom. One of the most fascinating elements of poetry that is largely non-existent in other art forms is its capacity to. The spring violets are in their loamy bed and are no longer frail and melancholy, and the memory takes place on a hot afternoon in contrast to the cold dusk that represents the present. Gwendolyn Brooks is one of the most celebrated poets and some of her poems have been at the center of academic discussion for many years. In 1797, when the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Joe to Wordsworths Piggy) was composing Kubla Khan, he was supposedly interrupted by the infamous Person from Porlock. Theories abound as to his identity. Nursery-rhyme motifs, puns and seemingly light-hearted verse structures are used to explore unsettling depths. parrot by stevie smith analysis 29 mayo, 2022 by Parrot depicts the declining health of a wondrously beautiful bird in north London, where it appears to have been taken against its will. The poem describes a drowning man whose frantic arm gestures are mistaken for waving by distant onlookers.