They Did Not Expect This

by Vernon Scannell

They did not expect this. Being neither wise nor brave
And wearing only the beauty of youth's season
They took the first turning quite unquestioningly
And walked quickly without looking back even once.

It was of course the wrong turning. First they were nagged
By a small wind that tugged at their clothing like a dog;
Then the rain began and there was no shelter anywhere,
Only the street and the rows of houses stern as soldiers.

Though the blood chilled, the endearing word burnt the tongue.
There were no parks or gardens or public houses:
Midnight settled and the rain paused leaving the city
Enormous and still like a great sleeping seal.

At last they found accommodation in a cold
Furnished room where they quickly learnt to believe in ghosts;
They had their hope stuffed and put on the mantelpiece
But found, after a while, that they did not notice it.

While she spends many hours looking in the bottoms of teacups
He reads much about association football
And waits for the marvellous envelope to fall:
Their eyes are strangers and they rarely speak.
They did not expect this.

How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?

1) By a small wind that tugged at their clothing like a dog
The poet used both personification and simile to describe the wind. These expressions showed that the wind was disturbing the travelers by 'tugging'.

2) Only the street and the rows of houses stern as soldiers.
Simile is used here by the poet to show that the travelers are strangers to the area, seeing the houses as 'stern soldiers'.

3) Midnight settled and the rain paused leaving the city
Personification is used here to show that midnight has come and the rain has stopped.

4) Furnished room where they quickly learnt to believe in ghosts.
Symbolism is used here to show that the room the travelers' room were uncomfortable and tend to give them an uneasiness.

5) Their eyes are strangers and they rarely speak.
Metaphor and symbolism is used here by the poet. Both of these devices show that the travelers were unhappy with their current situation.

Tell us why you like this poem in no less than 100 words.

I like this poem because it shows a the difficulty of some people leading a life. The poem starts with a couple arriving at a foreign city. Their arrival was not a good one as it was raining and makes it hard to move around in an unfamiliar place. They only found a place to stay at after the rain has stopped. Even so, the place that they found was not comfortable. I also believe that they were in financial trouble and the 'marvellous envelope' could be their salary. The financial problem could also well be the reason for them ignoring each other.

I like this poem because it shows a the difficulty of some people leading a life. The poem starts with a couple arriving at a foreign city. Their arrival was not a good one as it was raining and makes it hard to move around in an unfamiliar place. They only found a place to stay at after the rain has stopped. Even so, the place that they found was not comfortable. I also believe that they were in financial trouble and the 'marvellous envelope' could be their salary. The financial problem could also well be the reason for them ignoring each other.

(103 words)