Wendy Cope: Poems Literary Elements

In the poem Lissadell, Wendy Cope writes from the first person perspective but uses the inclusive 'we,' in the plural. This presents her memory as a collective one, shared by others that experienced Lissadell with her.

Lissadell is written in six stanzas, five of which are triplets and the last of which is a quartet.

Wendy Cope writes a sequence of tips for life in Some Rules before presenting the simile 'In this respect, I'm like a monk,' meaning she does 'need some rules to bear in mind,' such as the "rules" she shares in this poem.

Wendy Cope uses alliteration in 'Compare, contrast / December with the merry month of May,' both to incite the reader to take a look at the month of may themselves and compare them and contrast them, but also to reference the alliteration of Thomas Dekker, who she quotes at the beginning of the poem The Month of May.

Wendy Cope uses irony in Differences of Opinion to show that 'he' is wrong. She implies that this is the case by first stating his position 'that the earth is flat,' and then asserting his confidence in his view - 'He knows the facts and that is that.' In relaying his stubbornness 'He stands his ground,' before revealing 'The planet goes on being round,' Cope emphasizes the irony in his opinion.

Some Rules is humorous poem.

Lissadell is set in the place of its title, Lissadell, which is apparently near 'Sligo Bay.' The poet repeats the phrase 'Last year we went to Lissadell' four times, which suggests a visit to the house there is annual or customary, making the selling of the house even sadder.

The poem Differences of Opinion is written in a humorous and satirical tone.

The protagonist in An Anniversary Poem is both Wendy Cope herself as the poet and 'Good Christian Men and Women.'

The major conflict in part two of Differences of opinion is the between a mother and a daughter arguing about the shape of the planet. Cope begins this section with 'Your mother knows the earth's a plane,' and seems to present the child's challenges as negative initially, stating 'its bad to make your mother cry.' However, we see that she perhaps is relaying the opinions of others towards the child rather than her own, as she states 'The world is round. That's also true,' in a matter of fact tone, seemingly agreeing with the child's viewpoint and stating it as the only truth.

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The line 'an air of dignified decay,' emphasized by alliteration, foreshadows the selling of the house that becomes, 'an empty shell,' as it suggests that it is becoming old and run-down, possibly dilapidated. Although this line could add to the mystique of the house and the adjective 'dignified,' softens the elements of sense of neglect, upon reading the poem as a whole, it is evident that this description foreshadows some of the downfall of the house.

The last sentence of The Orange, 'I'm glad I exist,' is an understatement within the context of the poem, as it is such a simplistic remark. The simplicity of the sentence is emphasized by its monosyllabic nature should be a vast and profound statement, yet in the narrative of the poem, primarily about an orange and the the goings-on of the day, makes it seem just as it is: a simple remark.

In Lissadell, Wendy Cope alludes to Russian playwright Anton Chekhov in 'it calls to mind a Chekhov play,' and to William Butler Yeats, poet, when referring to 'Yeats's day.'

In Lissadell, the list, 'the bear, the books, the dinner bell,' represent the house as a whole and 'the contents,' in general, which is later 'auctioned,' and 'shipped away.'

In An Anniversary Poem, Cope employs personification to emphasize her satirical, slightly critical tone in this poem, although it is in some ways a celebration. She states 'But should there be a woman primate while I'm still alive, / Oh, then we'll hear the valleys sing, and see the mountains jive.'

In The Month of May, Wendy Cope writes 'I saw a hundred shades of green today,' which is an exaggerated account of the sights she saw. However, this hyperbole gives the next line 'and everything Man made was outclassed,' more weight, as the natural elements are presented as a lot more impressive than Man made entities.

The line 'Sing fa la la la la, I dare to say,' is onomatopoeic, since the reader can hear the song's rhythm and sound in reading this phrase and can imagine a tune going along with it, bringing this narrative and the poet's joy and expression to life.