‘The poems explore what it is to be isolated.’ Compare two poems which deal with figures who are isolated in some way.

In Armitage’s poems, ‘Give’ and ‘The Clown Punk’, the idea of isolation is central. However, the poems contrast in the way in which the personas deal with and feel about their isolation. In ‘Give’, the persona is both bitter and helpless in his isolation, it seems that wherever he goes, he causes a scene, and Armitage also explores how the persona feels about his isolation and how the persona attempts to escape from it, whereas in ‘The Clown Punk’, Armitage explores the why and how the persona is isolated, and the persona seemingly makes no attempt to escape from isolation, perhaps because he is forced into it by past decisions. The poems are similar in that …show more content…
In ‘Give’, the persona can ‘dance or sing’, ‘spit fire’, or ‘escape from locks and chains’ in return for money, yet these acts haven’t turned out well, and they are yet to help him escape from his economic locks and chains. This suggests that doing things that are perceived to reject societal conventions may not turn out well and may result in rejection from society, economically in this case. Likewise, in Armitage’s ‘The Clown Punk’, the persona's rebellious nature during the Punk era has resulted in the Clown Punk being rejected from society. The poet wants the reader to ‘remember’ the Clown Punk, who has a ‘dyed brain’. This could be interpreted as a warning to the younger generation about rejecting societal conventions, perhaps impulsively, and how it could lead to problems and ultimately total rejection by society. The persona’s ‘dyed brain’ may suggest that even the most colourful of minds may be rejected by society’s harsh judgement. The poet has also portrayed the persona as having a ‘dyed brain’ to show that the very dye that has disfigured his skin has disfigured his brain and his social standing