Revelation: Stanza 2

Revelation: Stanza 2

“Revelation: Stanza 2: Overview”

Content

• In “Revelation: Stanza 2”, the speaker narrates an encounter with a bull that triggers a life-changing realisation about the world’s harsh realities.
• The stanza explores the speaker’s personal growth, featuring a shift from innocence and naivety to the stark awakening to life’s brutality.

Themes

• Coming of Age: The theme is dominant as the speaker experiences a moment of revelation and is thus no longer an innocent child, but has gained a newfound understanding of the world.
• Life’s Harsh Realities: The encounter with the bull serves as a metaphor for the harsh and often cruel realities of life.

Tone

• The tone of “Revelation: Stanza 2” is primarily shocking and resigned, reflecting the speaker’s startling discovery and acceptance of reality.

Imagery and Symbolism

• The figure of the ‘bull’ symbolises the harsh realities of life, causing the young speaker to lose their innocence.
• The ‘terrifying, unstoppable thunder’ symbolises the growing fear and the irreversible shift in the speaker’s understanding of life.

Language and Structure

• Lochhead uses evocative language to depict the encounter with the bull, using vivid verbs and adjectives to reflect the harsh reality.
• The structure of “Revelation: Stanza 2” includes rhyme and rhythm which add to the dramatic effect and enhance the speaker’s revelation.

Impact of “Revelation: Stanza 2”

• This stanza greatly impacts the reader as it demonstrates a transition from childhood to adulthood.
• The encounter with the bull epitomises the harsh encounter one faces in life, making them aware of the world’s brutalities.
• The dramatic imagery and language used by Lochhead ensure the impact of the verse, causing readers to empathise with the speaker’s fear and newfound understanding.