Essay Questions

Why does the narrator of “Surveillance” assume that his readers have seen the TV show The Wire?

In “Surveillance,” the narrator makes the rather brash assumption that all of his readers will have seen the TV show “The Wire” and be familiar with its themes and premise. This bold assumption is indicative of Motion’s own writing styles and general disregard for the conventions of poetry. Though it is implicit in the narrator’s assumption that any readers who have not seen “The Wire” would do well to educate themselves on the TV show, he does not provide the readers with any necessary plot points. In this way, Motion demonstrates that he does not care if readers choose not to continue his poems due to lack of confusion. He also does not care enough about his readers to provide them with context for the poem. In this way, the narrator purposefully references this show to demonstrate Motion’s complete disregard for the conventions of poetry.

Why does “Laying the Fire” appear to be rather aimless in its purpose?

“Laying the Fire” is a rather obscure poem in which the narrator finds his father sweeping the ash from the fireplace early in the morning. The narrator feels that is father is waiting to scold him and yet, the narrator’s father does not do so. Instead, the narrator’s father prepares a new fire and then takes a newspaper into the other room, presumably to read it. This concludes the poem and there appears to be little emotional resolution for the narrator, whose relationship with his father is rather ambiguous. This is likely a purposeful decision on behalf of Motion; he intended for this poem to be rambling and aimless, as this is a reflection of the reality of life. In other words, life is a collection of many moments that are not necessarily significant. Such is the purpose of this scene—to demonstrate life’s unassuming and rather boring interactions that will likely fade from memory in due time.

Why is the Renaissance painter narrator of “My Masterpiece” fonder of his scenic backgrounds and detail than the centerpiece of his panting—the Madonna?

Per Motion’s typical poetic approach, he chooses to utilize great irony in this poem. Motion imagines himself as an accomplished Renaissance painter who is creating a painting entitled, “Madonna in a Window.” When the narrator finishes his painting, he considers it and, as he does so, comes to the conclusion that he is far more impressed with the organization and detail of the poem than he is the centerpiece—the Madonna, herself. Though one would expect the painter to be most impressed with his successful recreation of the Madonna—a daunting and difficult task—he is instead most impressed with the details of his poem, including the scenic backgrounds and the organization of these details. This is rather ironic, as readers would likely expect the narrator to be most proud of the Madonna. In this way, he is fonder of his scenic backgrounds and details because he views these as being far more important to the overall success of the painting; he also dedicated far more time and energy to these details and as such, is more impressed by these unassuming elements.