The Clown Punk

By Simon Armitage

Subject and Point of view

• The subject of the poem is the clown punk.

• The point of view is from an outsider’s perspective who is sympathising for the clown punk; “don’t laugh”, “let it rain”

Language

• “shonky”- could reflect how the clown punk walks in a drunken way, while adding humour to the poem which is otherwise quite negative.

• “pixel”- makes up his image• “daft mush”- what he is doing doesn’t have

any purpose e.g. washing car windows for money.

Imagery

• “basket of washing that got up”- represents his dirtiness, as he is meant to be clean. This could be indicating that he had a specific lifestyle that he chose not to follow.

• “shot through with indelible ink”- this could emphasise that he is impossible to remove from society, even if people want to do so. This also shows that he went through pain for what he believes in

• “deflated face and shrunken scalp”- high punk seeps out from his brain

• “dyed brain”- determination to be punk has faded over time.

Form and Structure

• The first and last lines are rhyming couplets - the rhyme is strong and obvious

• The last and second to last pairs of lines have a semi-rhyme - this shows the rhyme fading

• There is no rhyme in the centre of the poem• This could represent the clown punk’s rebellious

attitude fading over time. The rhyme returns at the end as the stanza starts with “remember” and is bringing us back to when the clown punk was strong

Tone of voice

• The narrator is protective and possessive of the clown punk. ‘Don’t’ is imperative and ‘you kids in the back seat’. accusative which show that they are said forcefully

• The last line ‘remember the clown punk’ and ‘let it rain’ show that the narrator want everyone to accept the clown punk

Links• Case History: Alison and Give- all three poems

suggest that the subject have lost their old lives and are now living more desolate ones.

• The Hunchback in the Park- both subjects are ridiculed by children for being different

• Medusa- both have characters that are feared, and yet are vulnerable and you are made to feel sorry for them.