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Poetry - The Interrogation
Edwin Muir was a 20th century poet from the Orkney Islands. His early life was marked by tragedy when several members of his family, including his father and mother, died after being uprooted from rural life to move to Glasgow. This poem, 'The Interrogation', is dark and Kafkaesque in mood and was originally published in a collection entitled The Labyrinth.
Practise your skill in poetry analysis with this quiz.
The Interrogation
We could have crossed the road but hesitated,
And then came the patrol;
The leader conscientious and intent,
The men surly, indifferent.
While we stood by and waited
The interrogation began. He says the whole
Must come out now, who, what we are,
Where we have come from, with what purpose, whose
Country or camp we plot for or betray.
Question on question.
We have stood and answered through the standing day
And watched across the road beyond the hedge
The careless lovers in pairs go by,
Hand linked in hand, wandering another star,
So near we could shout to them. We cannot choose
Answer or action here,
Though still the careless lovers saunter by
And the thoughtless field is near.
We are on the very edge,
Endurance almost done,
And still the interrogation is going on.
Edwin Muir
We could have crossed the road but hesitated,
And then came the patrol;
The leader conscientious and intent,
The men surly, indifferent.
While we stood by and waited
The interrogation began. He says the whole
Must come out now, who, what we are,
Where we have come from, with what purpose, whose
Country or camp we plot for or betray.
Question on question.
We have stood and answered through the standing day
And watched across the road beyond the hedge
The careless lovers in pairs go by,
Hand linked in hand, wandering another star,
So near we could shout to them. We cannot choose
Answer or action here,
Though still the careless lovers saunter by
And the thoughtless field is near.
We are on the very edge,
Endurance almost done,
And still the interrogation is going on.
Edwin Muir
1 .
What is taking place in this poem?
The arrest of a group of rebels, including the narrator
A kidnapping of the narrator and other civilians
The close questioning of the narrator and others
The capture of an enemy patrol by the narrator and others
The narrator and other people are being interrogated. 'Interrogation' implies questioning with a serious, suspicious, or even aggressive intent
2 .
Who wishes to do his job well?
The narrator
The leader of the patrol
One of the men in the patrol
One of the lovers
The leader is 'conscientious and intent' - he is keen to do his duty
3 .
When the patrol leader says 'the whole must come out now', he implies that he already knows what the people he is interrogating have done. Which words contradict this implied meaning?
'Who, what we are'
'Where we have come from, with what purpose'
'Whose / Country or camp we plot for or betray'
'Question on question'
The leader does not seem to know, or care, which 'country or camp' the people belong to, or whether they are working for or against their country/camp
4 .
'The careless lovers in pairs go by, / Hand linked in hand, wandering another star, / So near we could shout to them.' This is an example of...
Satire
Juxtaposition
Personification
Simile
The lovers are 'wandering another star' and 'so near we could shout to them' - this juxtaposition of ideas is embodied by the hedge, which creates a physical barrier while simultaneously emphasising how near the lovers are to the group being interrogated
5 .
In the lines quoted in question four, what is the significance of the word 'could'?
Although it is possible to call to the lovers, the group don't
The group called to the lovers, but the lovers couldn't hear them
The lovers would be on the side of the patrol, so the group choose not to call
The group do not wish to attract the attention of the lovers
The narrator does not explain why he doesn't call out - what do you think the reason might be?
6 .
Which word best describes the group under interrogation?
Careless
Thoughtless
Rebellious
Passive
7 .
Considering the answer to question six, which words reinforce this impression?
Conscientious, intent, indifferent, purpose, interrogation
Beyond, saunter, thoughtless, careless, wandering
Surly, plot, betray, action, edge
Hesitated, stood, waited, cannot, endurance
These words are contrasted with 'wandering' and 'sauntering' (activity taken for granted by those who are free) , also 'action' and 'answer' (neither of which the interrogated group are able to do)
8 .
What does the narrator see as the cause of this everlasting interrogation?
Rebellion
Action
Hesitation
Carelessness
'We could have crossed the road but hesitated'
9 .
What might the narrator mean by 'we are on the very edge'?
They will not be able to cope with the interrogation for much longer
Change is imminent
They are on a knife-edge - within touching distance of freedom, or death
Any of the above
Poetry can inspire multiple interpretations. When analysing a poem, you do not have to have the same interpretation as other people, but you do have to be able to justify your view. It would be possible to argue, for example, that the 'thoughtless field' represents death
10 .
Which of the following does NOT reinforce the sense of endurance?
The poem lacks any division into stanzas
The poem contains several colloquialisms
The poem contains several instances of enjambment
Repetition
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