Snowfall
The snow that the narrator describes in “Tranquility” is untouched and provides the narrator with a sense of tranquility and peace of mind. This untouched snow is actually representative of the blank-slate state of mind that the narrator feels when he wakes up each morning. In this way, recent snowfall, observed in early in the morning and completely untouched is a symbol for the narrator’s state of mind that morning—clear, tranquil, and unfettered with the worries of the day.
Complacency
In “Q,” the narrator describes the terrible and frustrating irony of waiting in a line for hours, only to be transferred to another line where, after waiting for several more hours, he will be transferred to yet another line. In spite of this frustrating and ironic routine, the narrator accepts his fate without complaint and simply complies with the status quo. In this way, this poem—and the narrator’s continued, mundane actions—are both allegories for society’s sense of complacency. The narrator’s experience in the numerous lines and queues represents society’s greater problem with complacency and simply relocating from one line to another without complaint or resistance.
Leadership
McGough’s entire poem, “The Leader” is an allegory for the appeal and subsequent consequences of leadership. In this poem, the narrator is enamored with the idea of being named the leader of an unknown and unnamed group. He pines for the role and views leadership as the ultimate achievement. Once the narrator is actually made the leader, however, he realizes that with great leadership comes great responsibility and effort. The narrator ultimately concludes that leadership is not all he wanted it to be and instead he passes the responsibility to someone else. In this way, this poem is an allegory for the idea that leadership represents. From a bystander standpoint, leadership appears to be very glamorous and desirable. Once the narrator is actually made a leader, however, and is required to bear the responsibility of this role, he realizes that true leadership requires dedication, focus, effort, and concentration. As such, this poem is a cautionary allegory against the hidden responsibilities of leadership.
Captivating Women
In “Beguiling,” the narrator describes in only a few short lines how a captivating and likely beautiful woman uses her feminine wiles to motivate and empower the narrator. In this way, captivating and charismatic women are a symbol for motivation—particularly men’s motivation The woman in this poem does nothing more than beckon to the narrator and, in doing so, instills in him a powerful and intrinsic sense of motivation. As such, this woman and other captivating women are symbols for instilling a sense of motivation in men and serving as a driving force.
Lines
In “Q,” the narrator describes a unique, ironic, and slightly frustrating situation with a series of lines or queues. These lines are symbolic of the different lines we walk in life. The narrator describes reaching the front of one line, only to be re-directed to a second line, and—presumably—then a third. Each line is a symbol for a different moment, event, or experience in life. For example, individuals who attend college and then graduate will have reached the end of a proverbial line. They must then move to another line, such as the workforce, or continued education. Each of these lines will then proceed forward until their end is reached, and we are transferred once again. Therefore, the lines or queues in “Q” are symbols for the different walks of our own lives, wherein we travel through lines and experiences, only to be transferred to other lines to have other experiences.
