Fatted Calf - “An Anniversary Poem”
The speaker declares, “Sister, fetch the fatted calf, and we’ll prepare a feast:/You can’t become a bishop but you can become a priest.” “The fatted calf” signals a sumptuous feast that would permit the unqualified consummation of the revelers. The carnival is warranted, for it magnifies the woman’s status in the church.
Lissadell - “Lissadell”
The speaker recalls, “last year we went to Lissadell./The sun shone over Sligo Bay/And life was good and all was well/The bear, the books, the dinner bell,/An air of dignified decay.” Lissadell incarnates a full, gratifying life. The sale of Lissadell converts it into an insensible place when it is vended to new proprietors. Nevertheless, the speaker’s memories of Lissadell were not auctioned alongside Lissadell.
Drunkenness - “Some Rules”
The speaker contends, “Don’t answer e-mails when you are drunk.” The speaker’s insistence accentuates the threat of drunkenness. Replying to e-mails when one is not sober may stimulate an irrevocable slippery slope characterized by misapprehension and inconsistencies.
Monk - “Some Rules”
Cope avers, “In this respect, I’m like a monk: I need some rules to bear in mind.” A monk is emblematic of fervent conviction that is prerequisite for one to espouse the ultimate rules of life. The devoutness could be influential in alleviating the adverse aftermaths that would follow the contravention of rules.
