View of Scotland/Love Poem: Stanza 2

“View of Scotland/Love Poem: Stanza 2” Overview

Structure and Style

• Stanza comprises of four lines, making it a quatrain.
• The syllable count is maintained in this stanza, though the meter may slightly vary.
• Regular use of enjambment gives the stanza a conversational and casual rhythm.
• Lochhead’s characteristic colloquial Scottish diction becomes more prevalent in this stanza, reinforcing both the cultural and personal components of the poem.

Themes

• Perception and Reality: Lochhead reminds us of the difference between how Scotland is traditionally depicted and what it’s like in reality.
• Love and Adoration: Despite its harshness and rawness, the speaker’s love for Scotland is apparent, mirroring the complexities of love in a relationship.
• Scottish Identity: An ongoing theme in the poem, it’s particularly emphasised here by the familiarity and specificity of the images employed.

Language

• Vivid Imagery: The phrase “dear green place” is a nod to Glasgow’s nickname, creating vivid and bright pictures of Scotland.
• Juxtaposition: The bleak imagery contrasts with the adoration for the location, highlighting the complexity of the relationship with the place.
• Colloquial Scottish Diction: “Hogmanay” and “oily rainbows” continue the theme of a uniquely Scottish identity.

Key Lines

• “With its drunk Hogmanay kiss under the chandeliers, its Serpentine samba”
• “It’s a metropolis in love with the latest get-up and the smell of oily rainbows”

These lines, laden with vivid imagery and adoration, are a gateway to understanding Lochhead’s unique perspective, and are crucial in deepening your understanding of the poem.