The Tenant - Poem Analysis

The extended metaphor compares a literal tenant to Caesura keeps the feeling of natural flow and is soothing to read, or it can add a dramatic pause. the memories of the writer’s partner who is taking up unwanted space in their heart. Treating the heart as The Tenant Doesn’t stay permanently which is linked to the loved one leaving. Implies love is temporary. TONE : conversational -speaker is explaining the situation a physical place. Antithesis seen in line 1 and line 18 Loved one If there’s no room, there’s no love. There is no room for you Caesura Implies there has only been one significant lover relationship. In my heart. The only tenant gives the reader the idea that the speaker is trying to distance their self from their previous partner. Who ever lived there left Space between line 3 and 4→ We think the tenant has simply left until we read that they have also left their “luggage” behind. Implying it’s difficult to move on. Some luggage behind. ➔ Reason there is no room.(emotional baggage) Caesura → Emphasises the separation. Adverb adds Forcefully remove. an air of I didn’t even evict her. She No fuss was made, and no disbelief for the speaker.Simply left without a word. consideration was taken by the tenant. The enjambment emphasizes the "she" is placing blame. It also draws our attention to "simply" which has its own importance. I keep hoping she will come remove Back and collect her luggage ➔ Collect the memories. The speaker hopes the lover will Or at least arrange for disposal return or will explain why she left. discard Clean out the place, throw out IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION meaning to forget “old memories”. Old memories. I could possibly live with METAPHOR alludes to the impact of the lover on the speaker’s life. The The marks on the walls. Some ‘marks’ represent the memories. indestructible Are completely indelible Last stanza emphasises her loneliness Some I even like. ➔ The speaker has warm memories of their lover. Afraid to move on. They are also afraid of refilling the space and getting hurt again. But you see I am afraid that If it all goes, what will I do With all that empty space. Represents an end to their relationship. MOOD: THEMES: Loss, love, human connection TONE: tone is melancholic, reflective, pensive (thoughtful) The mood begins nonchalantly and shift to becoming sombre(dark) as he contemplates the reality of missing her. There is a shift in tone from conversational to frank in the final stanza, in which the speaker expresses the fear that if they rid themself of their emotional baggage and memories that they will feel bereft and that there will be a void in their life, (‘that empty space.’). No rhyme emphasises the lack of uniformity. STRUCTURE; • • Lack of punctuation alludes to the ongoing tone. Punctuation slows down the poem, emphasizing the lonely pain after the lover’s departure. Free verse- A personal reflection delivered from one person to another. What are we taught about memories in this poem? Memories can negatively influence our future by teaching us to be afraid of consequences and that when we hold on to old loves-we block our hearts from experiencing new love. We are afraid of being alone, so we hold on to the past.