Song for a Spent 100w Bulb: Key Quotes
Song for a Spent 100w Bulb: Key Quotes
Narrator’s Reflections
- “You burned bright as I touched two wires to your base”
- Presents the initial interaction with the light bulb, and the power held in its bright state.
- “In the heart of your glow, I planted the seed of songs”
- Using the bulb’s light (metaphorically) as a creative force, the narrator conveys deep emotional and artistic connection.
Light Bulb as Metaphor
- “Exuding an infrared sense of being that pulses with each dimming flicker”
- The light bulb’s pulsating ‘sense of being’ connects it with a lifelike human quality, underlining its metaphorical role.
- “Your spent filament hangs, a question mark in a glass globe”
- The ‘spent’ bulb is used as a metaphor to symbolise larger, introspective questions about life, use, value, and decay.
meditation on Time and Change
- “Through nights, days, and seasons, you’ve been steadfast”
- Highlights the bulb’s permanence over time, creating a contrast with its present ‘spent’ state.
- “Every sundown brought you to life”
- This quote links the essential function of the bulb (providing light) with the natural cycle of day and night, underlining the theme of time and change.
Acknowledgement and Respect
- “A spent 100-watt bulb – a toast to your silent service”
- Despite being discarded and spent, the bulb’s past service is acknowledged and honoured.
- “I salute your faithful glow”
- Conveys respect and appreciation for the bulb’s past function, transforming an ordinary light bulb into something demanding respect and recognition.
Use of Language
- “As your light fades, I remember you at your brightest”
- Juxtaposition is used to create a poignant contrast between the bulb’s past and present state.
- “Above me, night indulges its black yawn, its star-lit sigh”
- These metaphors depicting the night sky are rich in imagery, creating a sense of the cosmic scale in contrast with the small, spent light bulb.