In The Snack Bar by Edwin Morgan -Analysis-

1. "Formica"
   1. hard-wearing
      1. made to get dirty and easily cleaned
         1. greasy spoon cafe
2. "Few"
   1. little
      1. not many
         1. nobody cares about the old man
3. "Crowded"
   1. busy
      1. packed
         1. little space (to care)
4. "Tent"
   1. circus
      1. makes him a freak
5. "Sways"
   1. unsteady
      1. swing
         1. unbalanced
6. "Hanging"
   1. Loose
      1. not in use
         1. dangling
7. "Fumbling"
   1. not controlled
      1. nervous
         1. unsteady movement
8. "We"
   1. more than one
      1. together
         1. connection to narrator
            1. man and narrator are a team
9. "Drift"
   1. float
      1. uncontrolled
         1. unkown destination
            1. helpless
10. "Clings"
    1. tight
       1. grip
          1. not letting go
             1. needs narrators help
11. "Probing"
    1. testing
       1. examining
          1. exploring
12. "Doubtfully"
    1. unsure
       1. nervously
13. "Gently"
    1. carefully
       1. protectively
          1. softly
             1. Quietly
14. "Contraption"
    1. gadget
       1. device
          1. complicated
             1. unreliable
15. "Face the stairs
    1. turn
       1. start to climb
          1. challenge
16. "Shudders"
    1. shiver
       1. cold
          1. anxiously

Nota:

• "That endless yet not endless waste of floor" "The faltering, unfaltering steps

1. the floor isnt endless
2. yet it feels endless because of the amount of time it takes to cross
3. the the mans steps are hesitating and failing
   1. Yet not failing as of his perserverance to continue

1. "No one sees his face"
   1. Literally - no one can see him because of his hunch back forceing his head/ face towards the ground
   2. Metaphorically- no one sees his face as he isnt known or accepted by society,
      1. he has no friends for support
2. "The dismall hump looming over him forces his head down"
   1. Literal - weight of hump is pushing his head down
   2. Metaphorical -his life is depressing/ miserable because of disablities "looming over him"

Nota:

• "Dear Christ, to be born for this! "

1. He is perhaps calling out to a higher being to ask why this man is in such an awful situation
2. He is wondering why this man was born into suffering and relying on others

Nota:

• "His brooding reflection darkens the mirror but the trickle of his water is thin and slow"

1. The man seems dark strong and intimidating against the 'clinical gleam' of the bathroom
2. His urine reflects what he really is like- slow and weak

Nota:

• "White tiles and mirrors at last. He shambles uncouth into the clinical gleam

1. The man seems dirty and unclean compared tp the brightness and cleanliness of the bathroom
2. The bathroom could reflect society- not 100% clean but looks it compared to the man
   1. Society isnt perfect but the man stands out as imperfect due to his disabilities

1. Sound

   Nota:

   • "Hiss of the coffee machine, voices and laughter."
   1. Losing one sense makes the others stronger
   2. We start to become more like the man and more aware of the sounds around him
2. Touch

   Nota:

   • "Slidy puddles, ...table edges, peoples feet"
   1. Again we concentrate on what is happening around the man
   2. We begin to sympathise with him as he cant see these obstacles in his way
3. Smell

   Nota:

   • "Smell of a cigar, hamburgers, wet coats steaming"
   1. Tells us tw
   2. Tells us what cafe is like
   3. Shows us that others arent helping as their too busy eating and smoking
   4. Details of rain show us that today than usual due to the rain
   5. It would be easy for him to slip and people not to take notice of him

1. of whole words

   Nota:

   • "And slowly we go down. And slowly we go down." "And slowly we go up. And slowly we go up."
   1. Its as if the writer has said the first line but realises its taking so long to walk down the stairs he writes it again to fill the silence
      1. and re-emphasises how slowly the man is walking
   2. Has the same slow effect- shows the writers impatience
2. of 'Inch'

   Nota:

   • "inch by inch we drift...slow dangerous inches"
   1. Emphasises how small the steps are
      1. And also emphasises how long its taking for the man and author to walk across the room
3. of 'Climb/s'

   Nota:

   • "He climbs, and steadily enough. He climbs, we climb. He climbs"
   1. Again emphasises how long its taking for the man and author to walk up the stairs
   2. Makes it seem like climbing a mountain and that its never ending

Nota:

• "Dangerous inches"

1. Inches are small so walking one is never dangerous really
2. But to this man everything is hazardous & dangerous

Nota:

• "Like a landscape to be negotiated"

1. The space inside the cafe isnt big but to the man it is
2. He must chose his path wisely-- however because he cant see he must trust the author to guide him

Nota:

• "Like a monstrous animal caught in a tent"

1. He looks threatening and hideous
2. He looks as if he is trapped in his tent-like coat
3. Like an old circus tent that 'freaks' were put on display

Nota:

• "I want- to go to the- toilet"

1. Pauses or breaks in speech perhaps:
   1. The mans disability affects his speach -or-
      1. He is embarrased to ask for help to go to the toilet
2. He is nervous of speaking to strangers in case they make fun of him, hurt him or play a nasty trick on him

1. "Blind hump"
   1. The hump isnt actually blind But It could represent the man -A Blind Hump
   2. Connotations of 'Hump' is -uneccarary growth taking up space and time-
   3. The man can be seen as an interferring waste of time
2. "Dismal hump forces his head down"
   1. The hump is causing him grief because he cannot stand up straight to look at people when he talks to them
      1. He cant keep his head up physically or emotionally
         1. Because he doesnt have anything to be happy about because he cant do much

1. hard 'St' sounds

   Nota:

   • "He stands in his stained beltless gaberdine"
   1. Draws attention to the mans dirty clothes
      1. Suggests that there is no-one taking care of him at home
2. 'P' sounds

   Nota:

   • "He climbs with many pauses but with that one persisting patience of the undefeated"
   1. In case our attention has wavered whilst reading- -morgan draws our attention back in
      1. He is about to write the messege of the poem
3. hard 'C' sound

   Nota:

   • "A cup capsizes along the formica"
   1. grabs readers attention
      1. Just as the actual sound of the cup falling grabs the authors attention and makes him focus on the man
   2. Makes us focus on the line

Nota:

• "Forces his head down

1. as if the man was a slave and his body is being controlled by a slave master forcing him into disability and dehamanises him

Nota:

• "A cup capsizes along the formica slithering with a dull clatter a few heads turn in the crowded evening snack-bar"

1. "Capsizes" is present tense like in Good Friday and Trio -makes the poem seem like it is happening in front us
2. "Formica" -material unique to basic cafes
3. Details of crowded cafe give even more realistic details