Está en la página 1de 4

ODE ON A GRAYSON PERRY URN- TIM

TURNBULL
‘Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn’ The title of this poem is very interesting because of the various links and
ideas that it gives a reader before they even look at the actual poem. Firstly, it would be seen as an
allusion to John Keats’ famous Romantic poem ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ (coincidentally prescribed for the
A Level Romantics topic) which considers the way that an urn depicts lives and ideas ‘frozen’ in time as
part of Keats’ interest in being remembered after his death. As such, Turnbull can be seen as paying
homage to this classic poem by creating a modern version designed to capture the mood of modern
society. This is emphasised by the link to Grayson Perry, a Turner Prize winning artist known for his
ceramic vases which depict modern scenes that are juxtaposed with the classical nature of the vase.
However, while this title would be very effective for individuals that are aware of one or both of these
important references, other readers who are not may find this confusing.
Poem Structure
The structure of ‘Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn’ conforms to the same layout as ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ in
that it has five stanzas each made up of ten lines. This would make it even more recognisable as being
inspired by Keats’ work, and also can be seen as creating a link to the past through the structure,
which in turn enables greater consideration of the present through language techniques and choices.
The ‘traditional’ rigid stanza structure may be seen by some readers as effectively juxtaposing old and
new ideas, and could be particularly effective at indicating a traditional poem, when in fact the content
is very contemporary.
Another link to ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ is that the poem shares a very similar rhyme scheme. All stanzas
have an initial ABAB pattern, with the first three then continuing to CDEDCE and the last two to CDECDE.
It is important to note that while Turnbull uses the same rhyme structure as Keats, the inclusion in each
stanza of the poem is slightly different. Whereas Keats uses a Miltonic sestet (with the first and fifth
stanzas ending in CDEDCE, the second stanza CDECED, and third and fourth stanzas CDECDE), Turnbull
instead uses a more simple pattern with the first three stanzas matching, followed by the last two
stanzas matching. Readers who are aware of this difference may interpret it as a representation of the
changes in society over time, and this different rhythm used to show how a metaphorical ‘rhythm of
society’ may have developed. Alternatively, readers who are not aware of these changes and would
consider the poem more at face value would likely understand this relatively complex rhyme scheme as
showing the complex and diverse society of today.
A mix of both enjambment and end-stopped lines adds an inconsistent element to the otherwise
predictable structure, helping to add a greater sense of diversity and freedom to the sound of the poem.
It can also be seen as helping to make the poem feel as if it is progressing faster, perhaps reflecting the
perceived faster pace of life in modern society and the speed of communication and connection
between individuals. The pace of the poem is important to consider because of the way in which it
impacts a reader’s ability to fully take in all aspects of the poem, and it also becomes more challenging
to appreciate the structure, therefore encouraging a reader to go through the poem multiple times.
Poetic Techniques
Opening the poem which speech, in particular something as friendly as “Hello!” may be surprising to a
reader, and immediately sets the tone of the poem as being less serious, more fun and definitely
friendly and approachable. The exclamations and questioning as part of this initial description would be
very effective at making the poem feel more inclusive, which is important for the poem as it discusses a
ODE ON A GRAYSON PERRY URN- TIM
TURNBULL
range of aspects of modern society so openly. In addition, it sets the tone of the poem to be quite
informal, which is important for some subjects raised and the overall semantic field.
The semantic field of the poem is very much based around words related to stereotypical inner city and
urban culture, with examples such as “estates” Daily Express” “children” “motorways” and even
references to “Calvins” and “donut Os” – but this is juxtaposed against more traditional words (such as
“louts” “gaudy evocation” and “kitschy”) that aren’t commonly used among younger generations, which
creates a sense of transition. Some readers may interpret this as a satirical view on a lack of
understanding between generations, such as the words that they use and the activities they do, which in
turn could be seen as recognising the way in which society has shifted and changed since ‘Ode on a
Grecian Urn’ was written.
Similarly, the contrast of the ideas present in the semantic field against ideas of “pensioners and
parents” can be seen as creating a sense of inter-generational and inter-class contrast, emphasising the
transition between these different elements of society. This can be interpreted as generating a
consideration for perspective, which is an idea that is explored further in the final stanza of the poem
as a more considerate tone is developed.
Important Lines
“house imported from the continent”
The poem refers to the electronic genre of music called House which developed in the 1980s in the
United States, with the idea of it being “imported” from different locations demonstrating how
geographical distance has largely been removed thanks to the ease of travel and communication. The
line goes on to link “UK garage” so as to demonstrate the diversity of modern culture.  It could also be
interpreted as having a double meaning and be referring to the idea that households are increasingly
diverse with origins from around the world.
“pumped on youth and ecstasy”
The informal adjective “pumped” helps to emphasise the semantic field of the poem and further link to
the youthful aspects being described. The use of “ecstasy” is interesting because it acts as a ‘gateway’
between the old words and language and modern language, switching between meaning happiness or a
type of recreational drug. This is a great demonstration of the varying semantic fields and different
juxtapositions in ‘Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn’.
“when all context is lost”
The poem’s final stanza returns to consideration of the urn itself rather than what it depicts, with the
narrator focussing how future generations may interpret and understand the piece of art. This can be
seen as linking back to a literal ‘Grecian Urn’ and how today we have to guess about what these ancient
pieces are communicating, just as future generations may in the future. It is particularly interesting to
consider the idea of “context” being “lost” – some readers may interpret this as Turnbull contemplating
whether the negative behaviour in the poem will one day be looked on positively.
‘Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn’ Key Themes
ODE ON A GRAYSON PERRY URN- TIM
TURNBULL
Society and Culture: A core aspect of ‘Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn’ is the consideration of modern
society, and how this may be perceived differently and potentially more positively in the future than it is
today. Turnbull also suggests the different social and cultural divisions which exist, such as class
differences or generational gaps.
Past and Present: The allusion to ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ adds an aspect of history and consideration of
the past in comparison to the present, with the poem looking at the idea of society across time and how
it is represented in art.

Identity: As part of the representation of society, the identity of large portions of the
population is considered so as to provide strong and realistic links. This would help a reader feel
more connected to the poem, having more empathy and also more likely to consider the ideas
being proposed such as how future generations may look back on the present.

Themes:

Beauty – the poet questions how beauty is defined in our society and what true beauty means.
Materialism – in this day and age our society has become materialistic and obsessed with
vanities and this is emphasised by the poet through the endless references to brands or objects
that are well known – particularly to British society: ‘Burberry clad louts…Manchester to
Motherwell or Slough…Daily Express’. These nouns all have connotations associated with
Western Society. All of the vanities mentioned in the poem, in time, they will no longer matter
as they will continue to exist, after we have left this world.
Time VS Beauty – Turnbull presents the idea of how beauty is subjective and how sometimes
the greatest beauty can be found in beauty that does not conform to society’s definition of
beauty. Much of Perry’s ceramic work has images of our society that we can relate to and
identify with – Turnbull highlights that the people depicted on this urn are free from time
similar to Ode on a Grecian Urn; however the people depicted are simultaneously frozen in time
as well. In essence, the Urn exists outside of time in another realm, different to the human one
in a sense. The urn described, it does not age and this is something as humans we all crave to
hinder.
Poetic devices:

5 stanzas – each stanza is 10 lines long. This shares similarities with the structure of Ode to a
Grecian Urn by John Keats. Each line is metered in iambic pentameter. The majority of the
poem is in iambic pentameter creating a regular rhythm that is continuous and steadfast.
Throughout the poem, there is consistent use of caesura, in particular medial caesura. Perhaps,
the poet uses this to draw attention to certain words that hold greater meaning. For example:
‘the nervous squeals of girls, too young to quite appreciate they are in…’  The use of caesura
allows the poet to highlight the issues of our society and how innocence is often exploited and
abused in our society. Enjambment is used consistently through the poem to create fluidity in
ODE ON A GRAYSON PERRY URN- TIM
TURNBULL
the poem and this could represent how eventually, the objects around us will continue to exist
on into the future because the future is eternal and endless.
Language:

‘Shirley Temple manque’ – the term ‘Manque’ used in reference to a person who has not been
able to live up to their own personal ambitions. It can be used in relation to a role model or
public figure of some sort. In this case it is ‘Shirley Temple’ a famous actress who rose to fame
as a child. The lexis choice made by the poet indicate to the reader that many young girls
perhaps wish to be as famous as Shirley Temple but have failed to do so.
‘crap estates…clad louts’ –  the use of alliteration highlights certain adjectives such as ‘crap’
and ‘clad’, both of which are monosyllabic and are composed of plosive consonants, producing
a harsh and abrupt sound, almost as if the people being described who live on these ‘crap
estates’ are of a distasteful nature. Typically, the noun ‘lout[s]’ would be used to describe an
uncouth or aggressive male. The fact that these ‘louts’ are clothed in ‘Burberry’ a high-class
British designer is ironic and suggests to the reader that the clothes they wear are not genuine.
Imagery:

‘They will stay out late, forever, pumped on youth and ecstasy’ – the use of exophoric
references to refer to the youth of our society could represent how perhaps the older
generation view the younger generation. The image of one being ‘pumped on youth and
ecstasy’ compels the reader the relate and perhaps reflect upon their own youth and the
constant and burning desire to shine that bit brighter. However, the poet describes this way of
life as a ‘urban gyratory’, a cycle of some sort which cannot be broken by society or anyone for
that matter.
Tone/Voice:

The voice of our speaker is inviting and engaging as he/she adopts a chatty style. This is evident
from the initial beginning of the poem: ‘Hello! What’s all this here?’.  The use of exclamatory
language and language that the reader will be able to relate to means that a familiar
atmosphere is created.

Context (for greater understanding   )

This poem could be described as being a modern rendition of Keat’s ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ due
to the themes and subjects it deals with, as well as the actual structure of the poem.  Both
Turnbull and Keats care about beauty, but the truth in beauty and both ‘celebrate an object or
image’. The poet describes Perry’s vase as a ‘kitschy’, which is often associated with art that is
uses cultural icons – this poem is littered with different British cultural icons.
Ode – ‘A formal, often ceremonious lyric poem that addresses and often celebrates a person,
place, thing or idea. Its stanza forms vary. Odes are normally set to music.’

También podría gustarte