2. Oh, but it is dirty!
--this little filling station,
Oil soaked, oil permeated
To a disturbing, over all
Black translucency.
Be careful with that match!
Father wears a dirty,
Oil soaked monkey suit
That cuts him under the arms,
And several quick and saucy
And greasy sons assist him
(it's a family filling station),
All quite thoroughly dirty.
Do they live in the station?
It has a cement porch
Behind the pumps, and on it
A set of crushed and grease-
Impregnated wickerwork
3. ●
Some comic books provide
The only note of colour--
Of certain colour. They lie
Upon a big dim doily
Draping a tabaret
(part of the set), beside
A big hirsute begonia.
Why the extraneous plant?
Why the taboret?
Why, oh why, the doily?
(embroidered in daisy stitch
With marguerites, I think,
And heavy with Grey crochet.)
Somebody embroidered the doily.
Somebody waters the plant,
Or oils it, maybe. Somebody
Arranges the rows of cans
So that they softly say
ESSO—SO—SO--SO
To high-strung automobiles
Somebody loves us all.
4. Short summary !
●
The poet begins in a judgemental tone. Her use of an exclamation mark highlights
the startling nature of the all-encompassing filth, as does her repetition of the
word 'dirty' gets the message across.
●
The father wears a monkey suit that doesn't fit him anymore. This could possibly
suggest the family may have a low income at the filling station.
●
They 'assist' him. This depicts a loving relationship between the owner and the
workers, suggesting they are father and sons, a family business.
●
Bishop describes the sons as being 'quick' and ' saucy', this coneys that the sons are
grown up. 'saucy' meaning mature or rude jokes.
●
She notices some evidence of family, a set of wicker furniture on the porch and a
dirty dog lying on the couch. She she describes the dog as being quite 'comfy'.
●
Bishop now comes to notice some evidence of a womans figure being around even
though you can't see her, a mother maybe. She notices the wicker work sofa, the
doily, and the begonia. These suggest an element of a womans presence around
the filling station.
●
5. ●
The woman (we assume it is a woman) who tries to make this place a home. She
may also be responsible for arranging the oil cans, watering the plant, the doily.
●
There is an interesting mix of styles in this poem: the relaxed conversational way
in which Bishop warns us to 'be careful with that match' and the description of
the dog as ' quite comfy' contrasts with her exact, poetic language at other times:
'the over-all black translucency'
●
Bishop is first disgusted by the filth and dirt of the filling station but soon
overcomes it and starts to see the beauty of it's homely touch.
●
We link this emphasis of the woman presence being there, but not being able to see
her, to Bishop. We start to see that Bishop is maybe trying to convey her
feelings about her mother not being there!
●
'somebody loves us all'. This to me sounds like hope. Bishop has started the poem
with negativity ' oh, but it is dirty!' and ends the poem with hope. Bishop tends
to do this through her poems, they might convey her emotions and feelings.
6. vocabulary
●
* oil permeated: soaked through with oil.
●
* translucency: shine/gloss.
●
* monkey suit: overalls.
●
*Doily: decorative cloth put under bowls to protect the table.
●
*taboret:small stool.
●
*hirsute: hairy
●
*begonia:flowering plant.
●
*extraneous: unnecessary.
●
*Daisy stitch: type of design in crochet.
●
*marguerites:daisies.
