The Bargain: Stanzas 6-8

“The Bargain: Stanzas 6-8” Overview

Structure and Style

• The three stanzas are comprised of complete sentences, with each stanza consisting of a quatrain (four lines).
• Stanzas work as separate, yet interconnected units, deepening the central metaphor of the poem.
• Enjambment across stanzas adds to the casual tone and conversational style.
• Imagery becomes more intense and specific in these stanzas, with reference to the “rosebud tight heart” and the “steel that sparks up under steady friction”

Themes

• Sacrifice and Concession: The ‘peeling’ metaphor is continued and expanded here, linking to the themes of sacrifice and concession in a relationship.
• Nature and Human Emotion: Lochhead uses images from nature, such as “a rosebud tight heart tipsily opens”, to beautifully capture moments of human emotion.
• Endurance and Commitment: The image of the ‘steel’ signifies the strength and endurance that come from commitment.

Language

• Contrasting Imagery and Metaphors: The beautiful, feminine imagery of the opening rosebud sharply contrasts with the hard, masculine steel.
• Use of Sensuous Language: Words such as “triumphant, tipsily” stimulate sensory response, making the poem feel more alive and sensual.
• Colloquial Scottish Diction: Continues to present the theme of identity, whilst grounding the poem in realism.

Key Lines

• “Like a rosebud tight heart tipsily opens out in the sun.”
• “Treatment, condition of service, a dress down or a dressing down incurs.”
• “Against a steel that sparks up under steady friction.”

Learning to interpret these key lines provides a lens to view the poet’s intentions, enriching your understanding of the poem.