Wednesday 13 May 2009

Trio Essay Plan

‘Trio’ by Edwin Morgan explores the theme of everyday life. He gives a vivid description of the three party-goers and uses symbolism to suggest that ordinary lives can be full of beauty and meaning. In this essay I will show how the poet brings the Trio to life through a combination of setting, description, and allusions to history and the bible.

The title and setting of the poem are significant in themselves.
• ‘trio’ can simply be three people, or objects.
• also suggests people singing or playing together to create harmony - the three seem at one with each other and happy in the world.
• opens on Buchanan Street. Morgan is a poet based in Glasgow; this is a common shopping street which is busy at Christmas time.
• uses an everyday title and street to introduce the three.
• present tense emphasises that this is a snapshot of daily life.

At the start of the poem, they are depicted using simple descriptions of what they look like and their appearance. Yet the scene also carries a sense of religious iconography:

… under the Christmas lights -
The young man carries a new guitar in his arms,
the girl on the inside carries a very young baby,
and the girl on the outside carries a Chihuahua.

• simple description.
• ‘under’ the lights suggests they are being protected or watched over; and carrying presents, which belong under the lights of a Christmas tree.
• Guitar - which adds to the idea of a musical Trio

However, on a deeper level, this might be an allusion to the three wise men carrying presents for the baby Jesus.
• ‘very young baby’ supports this idea.
• ‘Christmas lights’ can also be seen as the star they followed.
• the three people have a sacred significance about them.

The poet continues to use sublime imagery as he describes the trio, enjoying their joyful moment:

And the three of them are laughing,
Their breath rises on a cloud of happiness

• A cloud is something in which there are no individuals.
• their breath has metaphorically become one thing: ‘cloud of happiness’.
idea of heaven, as being composed of clouds
emphasises warmth, as if their unity is in contrast to the cold weather.

As the poet describes the gifts, each of the details has a subtle importance, even though they are mainly commonplace things.
• Chihuahua - unusual in this context as it belongs to a foreign country.
• ‘Royal Stewart tartan coat like a teapot-holder’. - subtle allusion, to the Stewarts, who were kings of Scotland.
• teapot - suggests something cute and pleasant; qualities of furriness and warmth.
• the author combines important, sublime things with the small, wholesome and ordinary.

In the middle of the poem, Morgan uses a declamatory tone to highlight the significance of the details -

Orphean sprig! Melting baby! Warm chihuahua!

• alludes to Orpheus, the poet who rescued his lover from Hell in Greek legend.
• This is ironic because in this context he is describing ordinary things.
• sentence structure and exclamation marks suggest the poet is like a ‘bard’ from ancient times

From alluding to the bible and Greek legend, the poet goes on to use military imagery to describe how the Trio defeat the ‘Monsters of the year’ –

Go blank, are scattered back
Can’t bear this march of three

• bad feelings and misfortune of the year are powerless, and are ‘scattered’ like a defeated army.
• At the end the Trio leave the scene with laughter ‘ringing round them like a guard’
• fate ‘abdicates’, like a King in olden days.

If there is a meaning at the heart of this poem, it is that living our life is sacred. You can believe in the birth of Christ at Christmas or not, but you should celebrate the happy time of year no matter what your faith. The poet uses the ordinary scene with its exquisite details to suggest that we can truly be happy if only we live in the moment.

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