AO1/AO2-What thoughts and feelings does Armitage express in this poem?

Explore the Language, form and structure Armitage uses to express these thoughts and feelings Overall, Give presents Armitage as a demanding and exasperated narrator; his frustration is implied through the use of simple language and short stanzas which suggest a certain bluntness and unwilling to elaborate. The poem initially adopts a bitter tone, created through Armitage's manipulation of punctuation whereby he precedes the word dear with a comma. By doing this, dear does not stand out as a fond address but is shown to be satirical and defiant, reflecting Armitage's stance against society. This presentation is supported by his repetition of I've chosen here connoting control and confidence through the marriage of the personal pronoun and verb. Armitage appears deliberately provocative as he makes references to being in public and making a scene (thus is clearly aware of being unwelcome and perceivably an 'inconvenience') yet is determined to assert his protagonist nevertheless. Despite Armitage's apparent ignorance, he is not selfish throughout the poem and references to knowledge of other homeless people through his mention of all the doorways in the world, commenting on the vast problem of homelessness. This quotation is also evidence of his sense of marginalisation as the protagonist does not sleep inside or completely on the street, merely in-between in the doorway showing no real belonging anywhere. Armitage reflects his frustration, and that of the homeless, through the quotation I'm on the street, under the stars. He shows the reality of living on the street by using the present term on, he juxtaposes this with the comfortable life in the stars, making this life seem unattainable by placing the protagonist under it (In other words, the stars and the life that comes with them is out of reach.) Following on from this stanza, the protagonist attempts to better their situation (and perhaps reach the stars) by offering to dance and sing or swallow swords, eat fire for the public. Armitage's repetition of for presents his rather relentless and aggressive feelings towards the audience, mimicking the desperation of the homeless. Alternatively, this stanza may be mocking rather than pleading as it incorporates unrealistic demands of coppers silver gold and thus Armitage shames the audience for their derogative treatment of the homeless and socially marginalised (which forces them to entertain on command and consequently belittles them.) The penultimate stanza reflects Armitage's most judgmental state of mind and he resorts to the use of much plurity to mask his attitude; references to holding out, for example, could reflect either the literal action of the homeless to extend their hands or their waiting for something more, which Armitage denies (showing the lack of prudence and complete desperation of the poor.) The poet's incorporation of religion, through frankincense or myrrh, instills guilt within the audience and calls upon the Christian genorisity towards the homless which is evidently lacking. This quotation shows the importance of marginalised individuals to Armitage as he refers to them almost like the 'children of god' and demands that the same respect shown to all individuals is bestowed upon them. The second use of plurity, change, has an even bigger impact than the first; it suggest a plea for money, the opportunity for the exiled (and protagonist) to change or for society to change, this may refer to society's treatment of others and (linked with the previous bible reference) it could imply that society should take better care of their fellow man. This presents Armitage's perspective as empathetic towards others and caring. The final stanza involves the most intrustive narrator (implied by the repetition of you) and suggests that Armitage is blameful towards the reader, and consequenty society, and views them as part of the problem of homelessness. These judgemental feelings are supported by Armitage's satirical language, that's big of you, which represents the voice of the poor as not humble but defiant and deserving of respect. The last line again reflects Armitage's desire to enstill guilt as he juxtaposes the word big with beg, contrasting the proud and stubborn views of society with the desperation of the poor. The similiartiy between the words emphaises the similarity between both personas, showing that those exiled from society are individuals too.

The title and tense of the poem support Armitage's frustration throughout also; the title,Give, is fairly blunt and demanding, offering no opportunity for society's denial whilst the tense is present showing Armitage's belief that the struggle for such individuals is ongoing and urgent.