The poem has no specific rhyme scheme or meter and is written in free verse. Assembly Line Summary
The poem has no specific rhyme scheme or meter and is written in free verse.
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The poem reflects the experiences of industrial labourers and workers who keep working day in and out without any break. Because of their work, they are reduced to nothing but machines with no emotions. Since is accurately depicted in the poem as the speaker loses their ability to feel sorrow or eveRead more
The poem reflects the experiences of industrial labourers and workers who keep working day in and out without any break. Because of their work, they are reduced to nothing but machines with no emotions. Since is accurately depicted in the poem as the speaker loses their ability to feel sorrow or even their individuality. The process of working in the industrial sector greatly dehumanises them and makes them self-alienated. The poem is also a critical commentary on how setting up factories results in the pollution and declination of the natural landscape.
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Repetition- Repetition is the intentional repetition of sounds, words, phrases, or structures for emphasis, rhythm, or to create a pattern. The repetition of phrases like "perhaps just out of habit" and "perhaps just out of sorrow" emphasizes the speaker's uncertainty about the origin of their numbnRead more
- Repetition- Repetition is the intentional repetition of sounds, words, phrases, or structures for emphasis, rhythm, or to create a pattern. The repetition of phrases like “perhaps just out of habit” and “perhaps just out of sorrow” emphasizes the speaker’s uncertainty about the origin of their numbness.
- Alliteration- Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sounds in closely positioned or adjacent words. Some examples of alliteration in the poem are “It’s not hard to feel for them” and “We come off the factory night-shift”
- Enjambment- Enjambment is the continuation of a sentence or clause without a pause beyond the end of a line, stanza, or verse. Enjambment creates a sense of flow and connection between lines. The poem uses this poetic device.
- Imagery- Imagery is the use of vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) to create a mental picture or evoke a sensory experience for the reader. The poem employs several images like those of the assembly line of stars, and the little trees standing numb.
- Personification- Personification is attributing human characteristics to non-human entities, animals, or abstract concepts, enhancing the imagery and making them more relatable. The stars are personified when the poem suggests that they must be exhausted after thousands of years of unchanging journeys.
- Metaphor- A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable, to suggest a resemblance and create a vivid image. In the poem, the routine and monotony of modern, industrialised society are compared with an assembly line.
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Assembly Line largely looks at universal human experiences against the backdrop of a society that has transformed and become industrialised. Within this context, the poet looks at the emotions of human suffering and monotony. This emotion is conveyed by the means of an image of the assembly line inRead more
Assembly Line largely looks at universal human experiences against the backdrop of a society that has transformed and become industrialised. Within this context, the poet looks at the emotions of human suffering and monotony. This emotion is conveyed by the means of an image of the assembly line in a factory that works day after day at a constant, relentless pace. And this tedium is metaphorical not only for the humans who venture out to do their jobs but even for nature and its different aspects. Thus, the poem shows how time moves at a never-ending pace.
Assembly Line Summary
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