A Minor Role - UA Fanthorpe

• "I'm best observed on stage,"

  • Metaphor - life is presented as a stage, linking to Shakespearean notions of performance. Suggests the speaker is performing rather than living authentically.
  • Passive construction implies a lack of agency - others define their role rather than themself.
• "Propping a spear..."

  • Refers to minor, background actors in classical theatre, reinforcing the idea of insignificance.
  • Verb 'propping' suggests both physical and metaphorical support - maintaining appearances, enduring illness, and conforming to social expectations.
• "...or making endless / Exits and entrances..."

  • Juxtaposition of 'endless' and fleeting stage movements highlights monotony and exhaustion - potentially mirroring repetitive medical appointments or social obligations.
  • Exists could suggest withdrawal, isolation, or even mortality, while entrances may signify forced engagement with life.
• "...with my servant's patter, / Yes, sir. O no, sir..."

  • The speaker likens their role to a subservient character, suggesting a lack of control.
  • Exaggerated politeness could imply frustration at expected social scripts.
• "...If I get / These midget moments wrong..."

  • Alliteration minimises the significance of their actions while emphasises their small, fleeting nature.
  • Small moments carry disproportionate weight, showing the pressure to maintain appearances.
• "...the monstrous fabric / shrinks to unwanted sniggers."

  • Contrast between 'monstrous' and 'fabric' highlights the tension between grand narratives of heroism in illness and the reality of social embarrassment.
  • Metaphor could suggest the grand illusion of life / theatre, collapsing under scrutiny.
  • 'Unwanted sniggers' implies societal judgment - failure to perform correctly results in ridicule, reinforcing themes of performance anxiety.
• "But my heart's in the unobtrusive,"

  • The adjective signals the speaker's desire to remain unnoticed or unnoticed in the world around them. Emphasises the understated nature of the speaker's role. It suggests that the speaker is not in the centre of attention but instead occupies a position of passive involvement. Reflects the theme of invisibility or marginalisation.
• "The waiting-room roles..."

  • Introduces the concept of a secondary, passive existence, one defined by inaction and stillness. 'Waiting-room' suggests a temporary, transitional state - an existence that is often overlooked or undervalued. Word 'roles' suggests that the speaker may have assumed various responsibilities, yet none of them are active or influential in a larger sense.
• "...driving to hospitals, / Parking at hospitals..."

  • Repeated reference to hospitals immediately sets a tone of care, sickness, and perhaps death. Hospitals can represent a place of healing, but here they may also symbolise the fragility of life and the routines associated with illness. The repetition emphasises the monotony of these actions, underscoring the speaker's position in life as someone who is involved in care but not the one receiving it.
• "...Holding hands under / Veteran magazines..."

  • Image evokes tenderness but also suggests a sense of passivity. Holding hands implies a connection, but it isn't an active gesture of care or intervention; rather, it's a symbol of quiet support. 'Veteran magazines' evokes the idea of aging, possibly highlighting the experience of the speaker or those they care for. Magazines could symbolise a world of outdated information or perspectives, offering a subtle commentary on the way society deals with aging or illness.
• "...making sense / Of consultants' monologues..."

  • Suggest a clinical, impersonal communication between professionals and patients or caregivers. 'Monologues' emphasises the one-sidedness of the conversations, which may underline the power imbalance or the alienation felt by the speaker in these interactions. The act of 'making sense' implies an attempt to understand something complex or foreign, reflecting the speaker's role as a passive listener, trying to decode professional jargon or medical language.
• "...asking pointed / Questions politely..."

  • 'Pointed' suggests that the speaker is trying to gain clarity or control in a situation, but the adverb 'politely' highlights the tension between assertiveness and politeness. The idea of asking questions politely underscores the speaker's role as a subordinate, as they must maintain decorum while also navigating potentially difficult or life-altering information. Portrays the speaker as someone who plays a supporting role, one that requires careful negotiation of their desires, needs, and the expectations of others.
• "...checking dosages, / Dates..."

  • These actions reflect precision and responsibility. The speaker is actively engaged in caregiving but remains behind the scenes. Checking 'dosages' suggests attention to detail and safety, implying an intimate, though perhaps unnoticed, responsibility in the care of others. It reflects the 'minor' nature of the speaker's role, as they perform these actions without fanfare or recognition.
• "...getting on terms with receptionists;"

  • Emphasises the routine interactions that the speaker has in their environment. Suggests a negotiation or effort to be seen as polite and accommodating, but it also reflects the hierarchical nature of these exchanges. Receptionists are often the first point of contact in medical or institutional settings, and this interaction underscores the speaker's role as someone who moves through these spaces without much direct influence over the situation.
• "Sustaining the background music of civility."

  • Metaphor of 'background music' suggests that the speaker's actions are not central but rather part of the ambient noise of daily life. Civility, in this sense, becomes something that is maintained almost mechanically, as if it is a form of social lubrication that helps smooth over interactions, no matter how difficult or emotionally fraught. Conveys a sense of quiet endurance and emotional labour, though they remain unseen and unacknowledged.
• "At home in the street you may see me"

  • The phrase 'at home' contrasts with the public 'street', creating an image of someone who feels comfortable in a place that is inherently not their private space. Suggests a blurring of boundaries between the personal and the external world, which is central to the poem's exploration of identity and the speaker's relationship to others.
• "Walking fast in case anyone stops:"

  • Walking 'fast' suggests urgency and a possible attempt to avoid engagement with others. Reflects the anxiety of the speaker, perhaps indicative of someone trying to avoid intrusive interactions or deeper conversations.
  • Tension between 'walking fast' and the casualness suggested by 'home in the street'. While the speaker presents an image of comfort, this urgency reveals an underlying unease about being stopped and engaged with, complicating the earlier sense of belonging.
• "O, getting on, getting better my formula"

  • Reflect a sense of self-improvement or adaptation. The speaker appears to acknowledge that they have learned how to navigate social situations better over time, but there is still a hint of self-consciousness or calculation in this process.
  • 'Formula' suggests their approach to social interaction has become a learned, possibly mechanistic, behaviour rather than a spontaneous, genuine interaction.
• "For well-meant intrusiveness."

  • Softens the idea of intrusiveness, suggesting that the speaker doesn't intend harm but rather that their behaviour may still come off as overbearing or unwanted. It introduces the idea that the speaker's attempts at connection are genuine but perhaps misguided or inappropriate in the context.
• "Thinking ahead: Bed? A good idea!"

  • Suggests a level of forethought and planning. Reflects the speaker's awareness of responsibilities and the effort required to maintain some semblance of normality, even in difficult circumstances.
  • Symbolically, a bed can represent rest, comfort, or retreat. The casual mention may imply the speaker's desire for respite or escape, though its framed lightly, almost as an afterthought.
• "(Bed solves a lot)..."

  • Ironic - shows how the mundane, like bed, is treated as a practical solution to life's challenges, yet it is also a reminder of the limits of such solutions.
• "...answer the phone, / Be wary what I say to it, but grateful always;"

  • Represent a call to responsibility or the outside world. Paired with wariness, suggesting a reluctance or anxiety about engaging with what it brings.
  • Indicates the speaker's caution and vulnerability. Implication of self-protection, suggesting a precarious situation.
  • Suggests an external appearance of calm and poise, even in times of stress. Could also imply a performance, a way of maintaining control and dignity in the face of turmoil.
• "Contrive meals for a hunger-striker..."

  • Image is literal and metaphorical - a hunger-striker is someone who resists something, often as a form of protest. 'Contriving meals' evokes the idea of care, but also the difficulty of providing something useful to someone who has rejected it.
• "...track down / Whimsical soft-centred happy-all-the-way-through novels;"

  • Implies searching, effort, and obsession.
  • Juxtaposition of 'whimsical' and 'soft-centred' suggests something superficial or overly idealised. These novels may serve as a kind of escapism, a desire for comfort and simplicity in a complicated, possibly painful world.
• "Find the cat (mysteriously reassuring);"

  • Cat represents comfort and reassurance, a symbol of familiarity and stability amidst the chaos. The cat's 'mysterious' nature adds depth, suggesting that there is something unknowable or comforting in its presence.
• "Cancel things, tidy things; pretend all's well, / Admit it's not."

  • Shows the power of withdrawal, retreat, or avoidance. Suggests an attempt to regain control in a world that feels overwhelming.
  • Awareness of dissonance between external appearances and internal reality. It highlights the conflict between facade and truth.
• "Learn to conjugate all the genres of misery:"

  • Compares the various experiences of suffering to different forms or 'genres'. The idea of 'conjugation' suggests a structured, repetitive process, which is fitting for the way the speaker is trapped in ongoing, bureaucratic suffering. Evokes the notion of being stuck in a routine or system where one is powerless to escape.
• "Tears, torpor, boredom, lassitude, yearnings"

  • List of emotions and states of being gives a sense of emotional and physical exhaustion. Tears and torpor suggest despair and fatigue, while boredom and lassitude introduce a sense of ennui and helplessness. Juxtaposition of 'yearnings', implying a desire for change, creates a tension between hopelessness and the faint possibility of improvement.
• "For a simpler illness, like a broken leg."

  • Ironic yearning for a more tangible, physically uncomplicated illness. A broken leg, though painful, is something that can be seen, diagnosed, and treated. Reflects the speaker's frustration with more abstract or bureaucratic forms of suffering, which are harder to address or understand.
  • Comparison also reveals a sense of disillusionment with the medical or social systems that fail to address the complexities of the speaker's condition.
• "Enduring ceremonial delays..."

  • Emphasises the tedious and drawn-out nature of the speaker's situation, highlighting the bureaucratic inefficiency or apathy they experience. 'Ceremonial' implies something superficial or meaningless, suggesting these delays are not just inconvenient, but symbolic of a deeper systemic failure lack of care.
• "...Being referred / Somewhere else."

  • The repetition of the passive action ("being referred") suggests that the speaker is constantly passed around, helpless and without control over their own fate. This evokes a feeling of being ignored or dehumanized, as the speaker has no agency in their own medical or social situation.
  • This can be analyzed as a commentary on how individuals, especially in medical or institutional settings, can feel like numbers rather than people.
• "...Consultant's holiday..."

  • The phrase "consultant's holiday" is a sarcastic reference to the delays in treatment caused by the consultant being unavailable. It reveals the speaker’s resentment toward those in positions of authority who seem to take vacations while the speaker's suffering continues.
  • This phrase highlights the disparity between the speaker’s suffering and the privileges of those who are supposed to help, criticizing both the system’s inefficiency and the callousness of those in power.
• "...Saying Thank you / For anything to everyone"

  • The act of "saying thank you for anything to everyone" subverts the traditional expectation of politeness and gratitude, suggesting that the speaker is being forced to express gratitude for minimal or insincere gestures. This creates a sense of alienation and powerlessness, as the speaker’s response becomes a hollow formality, perhaps to appease others or avoid conflict.
• "Not the star part."

  • The phrase "star part" hints at the idea of fame or the main role in life, but the speaker rejects it. The "star part" represents societal expectations of success and importance, which the speaker seems to be distancing themselves from.
  • There is an underlying irony in rejecting the "star part," as it implies that the speaker does not desire fame or the traditional validation of being in the spotlight, despite the fact that such roles are often sought after.
• "And who would want it?..."

  • This invites the reader to consider why anyone would want the "star part." The rhetorical question emphasizes the speaker's disillusionment with the expectations placed on them or society's values. It reflects a rejection of superficial or societal goals in favor of something more personal or introspective.
  • The tone here is somewhat dismissive or cynical, reinforcing the idea that the speaker finds little value in fame or public recognition.
• "...I jettison the spear, / The servant's tray, the terrible drone of Chorus:"

  • “Spear” and “servant’s tray” are metaphors for different roles or burdens the speaker has had to carry. The “spear” symbolises violence, struggle, or power, while the “servant’s tray” symbolizes subservience, labour, or humility. Together, they reflect the multiple roles the speaker is rejecting.
  • "Drone" suggests monotony and repetition. It represents the mindless, collective societal expectations or voices of others that surround the speaker. “Terrible” heightens the sense of oppression or frustration.
• "Yet to my thinking this act was ill-advised / It would have been better to die..."

  • They initially reject all roles and burdens but then reflect on the choice as "ill-advised." The line "It would have been better to die" suggests a deeper inner turmoil and contemplation of death, which may indicate that the speaker feels trapped or overwhelmed by their existence.
  • The juxtaposition of rejecting roles and considering death reveals the tension between the speaker's desire to escape and the realization that such an escape might not bring peace.
• "...No it wouldn't!"

  • The sudden reversal ("No it wouldn’t!") marks a shift in the speaker’s internal dialogue. This represents an epiphany, where the speaker challenges their previous thought and asserts that even though death seemed like a solution, it ultimately would not have been better. This emphasizes the complexity of the speaker’s emotions and the non-linear nature of their thought process.
• "I am here to make you believe in life."

  • The word “believe” signifies faith, conviction, and mental or emotional engagement. It highlights the central theme of the poem: the struggle to find meaning or faith in life, particularly in the face of illness or despair.
  • "Life" is presented as something to believe in, implying that life, in its complexity, might seem difficult or unworthy of belief. This might indicate a struggle with finding purpose, especially in times of suffering, which is a central theme in the poem as it deals with issues such as illness and personal suffering.