Oh, but it is dirty!--this little filling station,oil-soaked, oil-permeatedto a disturbing, over-allblack translucency.Be careful with that match!Father wears a dirty,oil-soaked monkey suitthat cuts him under the arms,and several quick and saucyand greasy sons assist him(it's a family filling station),all quite thoroughly dirty.Do they live in the station?It has a cement porchbehind the pumps, and on ita set of crushed and grease-impregnated wickerwork;on the wicker sofaa dirty dog, quite comfy.Some comic books providethe only note of color--of certain color. Although she does follow-up the watering of the plant with the suggestion that maybe they “oil it” instead. Copyright © 1979, 1983 by Alice Helen Methfessel. Before you start telling people that a poem is “not” in any verse form, you need to brush up on your knowledge of poetics. The comic books are sitting on a “big dim doily” which is covered a “taboret.” This rather muddled description is referring the a table which is covered in what should be a white, intricately sewn, table-cloth. The final piece of home life she takes note of is the “hirsute,” or shaggy, un-pruned, “begonia” plant. It is not a highly skilled piece of stitching, but its dulled down nature is enough to catch her attention.

Father wears a dirty, oil-soaked monkey suit that cuts him under the arms, and several quick and saucy and greasy sons assist him (it's a family filling station… They are not too short, or too long, allowing the poem to flow easily from beginning to end. The technical brilliance and formal variety of Elizabeth Bishop's work—rife with precise and true-to-life images—helped establish her as a major force in contemporary literature. Autoplay next video.

There are no shocks to the reader’s expectation. © Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038. Everything else is marred with oil or is generally dingy with age and lack of cleaning. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge... Recite this poem (upload your own video or voice file). She realizes that there is “Somebody” who “embroidered the doily” and “Somebody” who takes the time to “water the plant.” There is an amount of care put into the home which is not initially evident. The poem begins with the speaker describing the dark, dirty, and grungy nature of a filling station. Oh, but it is dirty!--this little filling station, oil-soaked, oil-permeated to a disturbing, over-all black translucency.

Also, you are wrong, This poem is in trimetres. ‘Filling Station’ by Elizabeth Bishop is a six stanza poem which is separated into sets of six, seven, and eight lines. Today's a day when those who workare idling. Please log in again. Somebodyarranges the rows of cansso that they softly say:ESSO--SO--SO--SOto high-strung automobiles.Somebody loves us all. She wonders if the family does in fact “live in the station.” It is likely due to the “cement porch”which is located “behind the pumps” and the pieces of “wickerwork” upon it. In the final lines she notes how the cans of gasoline have been lined up so they, This sweet moment deep within the dingy nature of the text shows the love present in the environment. It is clear they live there due to the presence of a porch, chairs, and. She is especially bothered by the “doily” which she describes as…. Filling Station is a poem of two halves, the first three stanzas being mostly light criticism aimed at the grimy place and its resident family, and the final three bringing a … And you are often wrong. Summary and analysis The poem is narrated in the first person, which gives a sense of intimacy and draws the reader into the tale. We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously. The entire place is said to be “oil-soaked.” The substance has “permeated” every inch of the station. Be careful with that match! The poet tells us of a fishing trip in a rented boat. The first and fifth stanza contain six lines, the second, third, and fourth: seven, and the sixth: eight. ‘Filling Station’ by Elizabeth Bishop describes a speaker ’s initial reaction, and later feelings, about the value of a dirty filling station. Used by permission of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc. "Filling Station" from The Complete Poems 1927-1979 by Elizabeth Bishop. Those who played must workand hurry, too, to get it done,with little dignity or none.The newspapers are sold; the kiosk shutterscrash down.

Subscribe to our mailing list and get new poetry analysis updates straight to your inbox. The oil gets everywhere, following the family from place to place. At seven o'clock I sawthe dogs being walked along the famous beachas usual, in a shiny gray-green dawn,leaving their paw prints draining in the wet.The line of breakers was steady and the pinkish,segmented rainbow steadily hung above it.At eight two little boys were flying kites. It is so “dirty!” That is all she can see at this point. It is likely this statement is at least somewhat hyperbolic in nature. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. © Poems are the property of their respective owners. Such as “Somebody” in the sixth stanza, and “Why” in the fifth. The fact that every single person in the world has a person that cares for them, regardless of who they are or what they have done. Be careful with that match! The third half of Filling Station delves deeper into the lives of this family. This is a word used to describe the repetition of a word at the beginning of a series of lines. Subscribe to our mailing list to get the latest and greatest poetry updates. Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Although the lines of this piece are all of a similar length, the text does not conform to one particular rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. She says that they are cutting him “under the arms.” He is not the only person working at the station, he is surrounded by “several” of his sons who are described as being “quick and saucy / and greasy.” Again, this surface level, condescending way of seeing shows the speaker’s preconceived notions about who the people are. The fact that the poem appears well-organized on the page is due to the length of the lines. She does not see them as being worth very much. Her father died before she was a year old and her mother suffered seriously from mental illness; she was committed to an institution when Bishop was five. Read poems about / on: dog, family, father, son, water, Filling Station Poem by Elizabeth Bishop - Poem Hunter. She begins with stanza by posing a question. The description continues in the next two lines in which she states that the oil was painted the entire place in a “black translucency.” She emphasizes this statement with the following, that one must. Literature is one of her greatest passions which she pursues through analysing poetry on Poem Analysis.

Join the conversation by commenting. Elizabeth Bishop’s skill as a poet can be clearly seen in the thought- provoking poem entitled Filling Station. It is not without merit, the speaker realizes. In this home though it has become “dim,” it’s white dulled by the previously mentioned elements. In this context, this word has a diminutive tone to it. Filling Station Poem by Elizabeth Bishop. She paints the different language levels of poetry with the skill of an artist– she seems to have an eye for detail as she contrasts the dark and dim reference of a filling station to a more homey, pleasant atmosphere. She does not, at this point, have any respect for him. She continues on to give the reader additional detail as to what exactly is so “dirty” about the filling, or gas, station.

Do you ever ask yourself “WHY does the poet choose this line length, this rhyme scheme or this stanzaic structure?” Poetry is not Maths. Maybe, she thinks there is something of value here. There is “Somebody” to “love us all.”. This alludes to the speaker’s conclusion that a lit match anywhere around the station will set it on fire. Elizabeth Bishop is a poet’s poet, much admired for the powerful emotions that pulse beneath her lines’ perfected surface and the unerring accuracy of her eye (she was also a painter.)

These are all signs that there is more to this place that one might expect. In the fifth stanza, the second which contains only six lines, the speaker asks a number of questions about the state of the station.
In the fourth stanza, which marks the halfway point of this piece, the speaker details additional elements of the scene which lead her to believe that the family lives in the station. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. The touch of beauty catches her eye and her heart and the poem gets written! The poem begins with the speaker describing the dark, dirty, and grungy nature of a filling station. This is a day that's beautiful as well,and warm and clear. Elizabeth Bishop was born in 1911 in Worcester, Massachusetts and grew up there and in Nova Scotia. Oh, but it is dirty! The boys are helping their father around the station which is family operated and just like the building and ground, they are all “thoroughly dirty.”. The chairs which stand on the porch are desired as “grease-impregnated.” They are warped and “crushed” and covered with the leavings from the station. )Somebody embroidered the doily.Somebody waters the plant,or oils it, maybe. Perhaps there is another level to the filling station she has not been considering. Every single person that visits PoemAnalysis.com has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. By the end of the poem, the speaker comes to the conclusion, after seeing the love given to a few parts of the home, that there is a reason to love everything and everyone. But anyway, in the nightthe headlines wrote themselves, see, on the streetsand sidewalks everywhere; a sediment's splashedeven to the first floors of apartment houses. They lieupon a big dim doilydraping a taboret(part of the set), besidea big hirsute begonia.Why the extraneous plant?Why the taboret?Why, oh why, the doily? She wonders why even put out the “extraneous plant?” Or the “taboret.” What is the point of showing these items? The family does not appear to have the means to keep a separate home and live within their place of business. She is exaggerating the features of the station in her initial disgust and outrage over its condition. It is clear in these lines that the speaker is finally looking closer at the situation. She has not taken any pains to look deeper, yet. In the final stanza of Filling Station, the speaker comes to a different conclusion about the station that one might have assumed would occur in the first stanza. The poem has clearly brought an aspect that affects all of us, love.

Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “Filling Station” is a clear show of her mastery of the genre. Elizabeth Bishop was a keen fisherwoman. She is at first bothered by the presence of a number of element which tell of the family’s financial situation. It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. The login page will open in a new tab. These are markers of individual lives, coming together in one place. What's your thoughts?


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