Revelation: Stanza 1

“Revelation: Stanza 1: Revision Points”

Content and Context

  • The poem opens with an intense and vivid depiction of the slaughtering of frogs, a regular farm task, setting the brutal tone of the poem.

  • The first-person perspective puts us immediately in the speaker’s shoes, experiencing their emotional turmoil.

  • Through the speaker, Lochhead explores her childhood experience of awakening to the harsh realities of life.

Language and Imagery

  • Lochhead uses vivid imagery to bring to life the gruesome details of the farm work: cutting the throat of the frog and the spray of the blood.

  • The word ‘pop’ is an example of onomatopoeia capturing both the sound and the sudden, violent nature of the act.

  • The phrase ‘a hinge of blood’ is a compelling metaphor which depicts the violent, shocking nature of killing the frog, emphasising the speaker’s emotional response.

Themes

  • This first stanza introduces the theme of loss of innocence through the shocking revelation of violence in the everyday world.

  • Lochhead also explores the theme of violence and death depicted through the gruesome sceen of frog’s death.

  • The themes of childhood and adulthood are employed to depict the transition from innocence to harsh reality.

Analysis

  • Lochhead exploits the frog-killing episode as a metaphor for the speaker’s shocking revelation about the brutality of life.

  • The violent imagery in this stanza serves to heighten the emotional intensity and the impact on the speaker.

  • Lochhead utilises the contrasting emotions of childhood curiosity and adult horror to depict the speaker’s loss of innocence.