Gunpowder plot is a poem written by Vernon Scannell. It is based around the nights leading up to bonfire night and the things you do on the 5th of November. There is also another aspect that the poet tries to put across, the idea that the effects of war can last for a long time in the memories of the people fighting in the war but also the other people who are left behind after the war has long ended.
My first reaction from the title of the poem and the first verses was that I thought it was going to be about a night watching fireworks. However later the reader finds out that the poem has a whole different point to it; it illustrates the long term affects of war on someone’s life from the memories they carry back from it. The later verses in the poem give the impression that the fireworks were plotting against the writer to bring back these bad memories. This gives a new meaning to the title “Gunpowder Plot”.
The poem starts by inviting you into the excitement and anticipation of waiting for the 5th of November. The words “brightly”, “coloured”, and “flame” make me think of a display of fireworks and this adds to the excitement and colourful magic in the firewo
The pace then changes very rapidly and the poet tries to get you caught up in the excitement of Guy Fawkes, which everyone has been awaiting excitedly and now it has finally come along they are in the garden letting all there excitement out and enjoying themselves. The word “frenzied” in this instance means that the firework was wild display, which adds to the feeling of excitement the poet is trying to create, the feeling that makes you want to jump up in the air and just whoop with joy as the feeling builds up in your chest. The metaphors “frenzied whizz” and “fiery petals” made me believe that something bad was going to happen at the bonfire night celebration that the people were having because the words “frenzied” and “fiery” are associated with something dangerous.
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