About homelessness and its like the
beggar is talking straight to you
Structure and Language
The poem is divided into 5 stanzas each
of two or three lines with a eight sialible
count which gives a strong metre
He uses repeated structure, so the 3rd
stanza has three parallel lines and the
final stanza has four short sentences
Setting it out this way makes
the beggar seem educated
Sound
Alliteration is used throughout the
poem, e.g. public places, chosen and
choose this reinforces the tight structure
Imagery
Words and phrases that suggest
a relationship between speaker
and his audience
There are phrases suggesting discomfort
of that relationship e.g. to make a scene
which has negative connotations
It is directly addressed to 'you' e.g. either the reader
or another character in the poem, this makes you
think about your own reactions to beggars
The romantic image of 'under the
stars' becomes paradoxical when
contrasted with being 'on the street'
The images in the 3rd stanza are busking activities with
the escape from locks and chains could mean that gold
would enable him to escape from homelessness
Attitudes, themes and ideas
The tone of the poem is challenging
It gives voice to a member of a group
usually unheard e.g. the homeless
It is sarcastic in places 'its not as if I am
holding out for frankincense, 'that's big of
you'
The references too frankincense and myrrh
suggest links too religion because the infant Jesus
was also born homeless