This section contains 612 words (approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page) |
Point of View
“Filling Station” is written in the first-person perspective of someone observing a gas station, the family that works there, and their visible living quarters behind the pumps. At first, the speaker expresses only critiques over how dirty everything is, noticing the way that the wicker furniture is “grease-/ impregnated” and that even the dog that lies on the sofa is dirty (17-8). This gives the impression of a judgmental and pompous speaker. But the tone of the poem changes when the speaker connects to something that she recognizes on the porch: a particular kind of embroidery made on a doily. After noticing this embroidery in the second-to-last stanza, the speaker’s tone opens to the wonder that eventually fills her. She even expresses humor when she states that somebody must water or oil the plants. This change in tone portrays the speaker as someone who...
This section contains 612 words (approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page) |