Poetry - Mrs Midas

• "It was late September"


  A time associated with the golden colours of Autumn
• "The kitchen filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath gently blanching the windows"

  A typical domestic scene

  Personification of the kitchen creates a warm, appealing atmosphere

  The language reflects her mood as she 'unwinds'
• "my fingers wiped the other's glass like a brow"


  Simile introduces the importance of the sense of touch to Mrs Midas as she can no longer touch him
• "He was standing under the pear tree snapping a twig"

  Atmosphere is shattered, breaking of the relationship
• "Now the garden was long and the visibility poor, the way the dark of the ground seems to drink the light of the sky, but that twig in his hand was gold"


  Personification sound ominous

  Reflects the idea of life being drained from something

  Mrs M's disbelief over what's happening is emphasised by the length of time she takes to comprehend what she's seeing
• "-we grew Fondante d'Automne-"


  Conversational tone adds a sense of realism
• "it sat in his palm, like a lightbulb. On."

  Shape and colour of the pear, looks like a lightbulb
• "Is he putting fairy lights in the tree?"

  Mrs M's disbelief, lack of light as the 'gold' twig and pear 'like a lightbulb'

  Unnatural comical tone

  Humorous undertone
• "He came into the house. The doorknobs gleamed. He drew the blinds. You know the mind"


  Internal rhyme

  Doesn't use his name (blames him, bitter tone)

  Second person - involving us (conversational)
• "I thought of the Field of the cloth of gold and of Miss Macready"

  History - King of England and King of France met to show off their wealth
• "He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne"

  Simile, turned it to gold, not a king - links to the legend of King Midas
• "The look on his face was strange, wild, vain"

  List of three - selfishness and greed, he's proud of himself
• "What in the name of God is going on? He started to laugh"

  Shocked reaction, he's delirious

  Selfishness and cruelty

  Comical effect
• "I served up the meal. For starters, corn on the cob. Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich."


  Carries on with her day

  Midas can't eat - Horror of what's happening

  Corn looks like gold teeth, comparison
• "He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks."

  Played with his gift

  His greed and desire for wealth backfires
• "He asked where was the wine. I poured with a shaking hand, a fragrant, bone-dry wine from Italy,"


  She worried "shaking" over it

  Gives extra information about the wine creating a conversational tone
• "then watched as he picked up the glass, goblet, golden chalice, drank"

  Alliteration - harsh sound shows the seriousness of the situation
• "It was then that I started to scream. He sank to his knees"

  Turning point in the poem
• "I finished the wine on my own, hearing him out"

  Horror and shock combined with comedy
• "I made him sit on the other side of the room and keep his hands to himself. I locked the cat in the cellar. I moved the phone. The toilet I didn't mind. I couldn't believe my ears:"

  Represents the distance in their relationship brought by the circumstances

  Further comedy

  Colon introduces an explanation to come
• "Look, we all have wishes; granted. But who has wishes granted? Him"

  Pun on 'granted'

  Disgusted tone from Mrs M

  One word answer

  Rhetorical question that she answers

  Outrageous wish/Foolish gift