Disonnect Between the Generations Motif
Although his poems all vary greatly in their actual subject matter, one of the motifs that runs throughout his work is the disconnect between the generations. For example, in "Radioactive Kid" the child whose DNA is being irrevocably altered wants to tell people that pollution is killing them but he knows that they either won't listen or won't understand, and they definitely won't believe him. This shows the difference in the way in which the generations perceive the problem of pollution. Similarly, the narrator in "Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn" is almost sardonic when describing the youth in the poem. Calling them "Burberry clad louts" and later mentioning their "Calvins" shows that the older generation feel the younger generation are too focused on outward success, such as their obsession with labels, and do not do enough looking inward.
Burberry Symbol
In "Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn" the poet describes the "Burberry clad louts" and in this context Burberry is a symbol of the way in which they are obsessed with labels and wearing the right thing, and also a symbol of their general preoccupation with appearance and surface things rather than anything that has actual depth.
The Queen's Highway Symbol
The use of the term "the Queen's highway" in "Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn" is a symbol of both the fact that the Queen owns every square inch of land in Britain, and also a symbol of the resentment of this fact amongst the working classes.
Working Classes Motif
Another motif that occurs in each of Turnbull's poems is his preoccupation with the working classes. The motif is somewhat of a paradox; whilst making the working class the heroes of each poem, the poet nonetheless seems to look down on them and poke fun at the way in which they view themselves. The narrator in "Getting In Touch With Our Feminine Sides" is a working class man who works in the woodlands in the north of England and who has just got his girlfriend pregnant. This is also a frequent motif within each of the poems as the poet postulates that one of the most recognizable features of the English working classes is the way in which they sleep around and get pregnant much earlier than their middle class counterparts, and without thinking through the consequences; these traits are also mentioned in the young women in "Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn".
Ode Allegory
Turnbull's "Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn" is an allegory of John Keats' Romantic poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and follows exactly the same observational pattern as Keats' famous work. The poet is clever in using a Grayson Perry urn as his starting point; Grayson Perry is a Turner Prize-winning ceramic artist who creates modern scenes on classically shaped vases. This juxtaposition of modern and classic is at the center of the poem. Turnbull creates a modern social scene on the Perry urn in the same way that Keats created a social scene from ancient Grecian times in his poem. The way in which the urn is used to mark moments frozen in time and also the passing of time are also reflected in Turnbull's allegorical version of the original.
