Analysis of Slough by John Betjemen Essay

In Slough, Betjemen presents many ideas about his views on technological advancement. Most of these views are negative, and he comes off as being genuinely cynical of the system, and withal portrays a sort of violent hatred towards the industrial enterprise and rise of capitalism in Slough. However, he also seems to have some hope for the future.Initi tout ensembley, Betjemen uses lots of repeating of words such as tinned to emphasise his views. The phrase tinned mind, tinned breath could possible be used to suggest even the very things that make people human such as the mind and the breath have too become commercialised and unlifelike due to the growth of manu occurrenceure and capitalism in Slough. Furthermore, he compares mind and breath to tinned milk, tinned beans, which could maybe be used to symbolise how mind and breath have incapacitated all value or meaning.In addition, he refers to peroxide hair and synthetic air. This could possibly be used by Betjemen to portra y the artificial nature of modern living and how unnatural and superficial it is. This cynicism is emphasised by the way in which this poetry makes use of lots of enjambment. This could possibly suggest that this poem is a sort of rant by Betjemen, and that he releases all his views in a sort of stream of consciousness. Alternatively however, the fact that full bread are used at the end of each stanza could possibly suggest that Betjemen has structured this poem intentionally, to emphasise every point made in each stanza, and that this poem is used to provoke thought in the reader.John Betjemen is also portrayed as being quite angry at these occurrences in the poem. The fact that he calls for friendly bombs to fall on Slough is quite drastic, and the oxymoron of friendly and bombs is quite peculiar, but also portrays how he wants Slough to be destroyed. Furthermore, he writes drove over, Death, which again, is quite drastic, but Betjemen possibly uses this phrase to portray the e xtent to which he hates Slough now. He also asks these bombs to blow Slough to smi thereens, which could possibly be used to suggest that he wants the town to be destroyed to the point of no return, and that he doesnt want this way of living to come back. In addition, Betjemen writes smash his desk of polished oak and smash his hands. The use of violent language such as smash accurately portrays Betjemens fury and pettishness towards Slough, and the description of polished oak could possibly represent how Betjemen wants this new method of opulent and capitalist living to end.However, Betjemen also portrays the way in which there is possibly hope for the future. In the poem, he asks for the bombs to spare the bald young clerks and that its not their fault, showing how Betjemen still has hope in humanity, and that it is the people at the top of the system who are responsible for all these issues. In addition, the fact that Betjemen writes that they darent look up and see the stars co uld possibly suggest that this issue of industrialisation and commercialism is thankfully confined to this area, and that hopefully, other part of the world will stay the way they are.Furthermore, Betjemen writes that the cabbages are coming now, which could possibly suggest that this is all going to end, and that eventually everything will revert back to normal, being ready for the plough. The fact that the earth exhales could possibly be a sigh of simpleness that this is all over. However, alternatively, it could suggest that it is the Earths final breath before death due to the acts of mankind, and the full stop at the end of the poem could suggests that there is possibly no future.Overall, Betjemen seems to very critical of the developments of mankind, and describes its many downfalls. However, it is evident that he keeps an open mind, and hopes for a better future.