Mrs Midas Flashcards
(10 cards)
“The kitchen
filled with the smell of itself”
Personification
Gives us a clue to what the people in the kitchen are feeling = Mrs Midas feels very relaxed and content. She feels safe in her space.
“blanching”
W.c./ metaphor
Connotations of cooking but to blanch is to go white. While she is cooking she cannot see out of the windows = metaphor describing her ignorance to what is about to happen and blindness to her husband’s faults.
“The kitchen”
Enjambment
Traditionally associated with women = emphasises the security she feels. She is also isolated from the outside world.
“plucked”
W.c.
To take something spontaneously. Juxtaposition between easy gesture and consequences of his power. He appears to not realise how reckless this is and the consequences of his actions.
“it sat in his palm like a lightbulb”
Simile
The colour of the pear is emphasised = it has been turned to gold. Pear is a symbol of life and it turned to gold is a metaphor for the way he kills whatever he touches. Introduces human greed.
“lightbulb”
W.c.
Connotations of illumination and realisation. The truth is beginning to be revealed to Mrs Midas. Suggestion that his reaction is very childish and proud. He has not realised the consequences to his actions.
“On.”
Short sentence
Emphasises how irreversible his power is. He cannot turn it off. Mrs Midas shock and horror is also emphasised.
“He sat in that chair like a king “
Simile
Compares Midas to a king. Comparing him to a king = references the original myth. However, kings often have connotations of wisdom which he does not posses. The simile acts as a criticism of Midas by pointing out his faults.
“burnished throne”
Means gleaming or shining = Midas would see his reflection in the metal around him and so the throne symbolises selfishness. The idea of being dazzled suggests how he was entranced with the gold.
“strange, wild, vain”
List
Emphasises the flux in Midas’ emotions. M
