Rumena Yasmin 10E

Compare the ways a particular viewpoint is developed in ‘Give’ and one other poem
from ‘Character and Voice’.

In the poem ‘Give’, Simon Armitage is expressing the beggars’ feelings about being
on the streets and being neglected. He is desperate and perhaps bitter about his
situation; this is expressed through his tone and sarcasm. This can be seen in the
poem where it says, ‘of all the public places, dear, to make a scene, I’ve chosen
here’. The word ‘dear’ shows the sarcasm that the beggar is implying. And the
phrase ‘to make a scene, I’ve chosen here,’ shows that he has a choice however this
changes throughout the poem to show that he has no choice.

In contrast, Armitage examines the way clown punks are conveyed to be an outcast
in society in the poem ‘The Clown Punk’. An example of this would be found in the
poem where it states, ‘the deflated face and shrunken scalp’. This portrays the clown
punk as an ugly flat faced clown punk with a small head.

In the poem ‘give’, Simon Armitage uses a range of techniques to explore the
feelings/experiences of the beggar. For example, Armitage has given multiple
meanings to many of his words. This can be seen in the poem where it says, ‘I’m
holding out’. This suggests that the beggar is holding out his hands for spare change.
This quote also suggests that he’s got no choice and that he hand been waiting for a
long time.

On the contrary, Armitage has also used a variety of techniques such as similes and
metaphors in ‘The Clown Punk’. In the poem it states, ‘still daubed with the sad
tattoos of high punk’. The use of the adjective ‘sad’ suggests that he is trapped in an
uncomfortable nature. The simile ‘Like a basket of washing that got up’ makes the
reader visualise a coloured basket with the colours of the spectrum whirled in it, this
is used to describe his one-toned skin covered in a slick of rainbow. However it also
implies that he is wearing dirty, scruffy, creased clothing. This creates a negative
tone towards the clown punk.

The tone created in ‘Give’ is sarcastic. This is because the beggar is criticising the
public by using words like ‘dear’.

By contrast, the tone in ‘The Clown Punk’ expresses anger at being rejected and
expresses a negative tone due to the way he is viewed. This can be seen in the poem
where it says, ‘Like a basket of washing that got up’. This makes the reader feel
disgust because the simile implies that he is wearing dirty, scruffy, creased clothing
which suggests that he doesn’t iron his clothes or bother doing anything with them
apart from wearing and washing them.

Simon Armitage used sonnet form in ‘The Clown Punk’ because he wanted to show
that punks should be loved, that they’re only human beings. Quotes such as ‘sad
tattoos’ and ‘high punk’ portrays the emotions of the clown punk. It also shows that
he has a pathetic personality. However, each line in the poem ‘Give’ has 8 syllables.
This creates a rhythm.
Rumena Yasmin 10E