The River God

By Stevie SmithMade by Roberta Clarisse Cliff

and Lillie Makepeace

Subject

• A mythological river god.• “I may be old”, he’s elderly and it seems

negative.• “I can drown the fools” our first indication of

an unsavoury character. His age may be a factor of his instability.

• The personal pronouns emphasise his power and control over the “swimming”.

Point of View

• “In the spirit of clowning” rhymes with “drowning” to reinforce the sing-song contradictions of the god.

• “likes women” “especially” puts unease in the reader, he seems creepy.

• “old foul river”

Language

• “Hi yih yippity yap” it shows the erratic excitement, that can quickly change much like a river.

• “Rough in my pebbles, reedy in my pools” alliteration of “r” mirrors the running, jumping of a river.

• “Beautiful dear” a strange expression showing his elderly patronising nature.

Structure

• Rhyming, sounds natural , flows like a river, but becomes erratic and strange.

• Iambic pentameter, flows but is controlled like the river god is controlling the dead woman.

Imagery

• “a waving reed” it could be violently or calmly; rivers can change very quickly like the mind of the god.

• “beautiful deep river bed” seems lonely and far from everyone else.

• “where the water runs cold” he’s dangerous, cold and without emotion he can “drown the fools”.

Tone

• “Oh will she stay?” He knows that she has to, so it seems patronising and as if lonely. “Oh” adds a mourneful sorrowful tone.

• “I will not forgive her.” Threateningly crazy.

Links

• Medusa- A modern take on a Greek characters, usually forgotten, point of view.

• My Last Duchess- Addressing the issue of controlling unstable men with women.

• Les Grands Seigneurs- More men’s control over women.