The City Planners by Margaret Atwood Zildjian Robinson & Heyden Nunn
Bio Margaret Eleanor Atwod, born November 18, 1939 in Ontario, Canada. A prolific novelist, poet, literary critic, feminist, activist and is a multi award winner. Began writing at 6, but didn t recognise it as a potential career until 16. Daughter Jess Atwood Gibson was born in 1976 to her second husband Graeme Gibson. Atwood and husband Graeme Gibson are members of the Green Party and strong supporters of GPC leader Elizabeth May.
The City Planners Cruising these residential Sunday streets in dry August sunlight: what offends us is the sanities: the houses in pedantic rows, the planted sanitary trees, assert levelness of surface like a rebuke to the dent in our car door. No shouting here, or shatter of glass; nothing more abrupt than the rational whine of a power mower cutting a straight swath in the discouraged grass.
But though the driveways neatly sidestep hysteria by being even, the roofs all display the same slant of avoidance to the hot sky, certain things: the smell of spilled oil a faint sickness lingering in the garages, a splash of paint on brick surprising as a bruise, a plastic hose poised in a vicious coil; even the too-fixed stare of the wide windows
give momentary access to the landscape behind or under the future cracks in the plaster when the houses, capsized, will slide obliquely into the clay seas, gradual as glaciers that right now nobody notices. That is where the City Planners with the insane faces of political conspirators are scattered over unsurveyed territories, concealed from each other, each in his own private blizzard;
guessing directions, they sketch transitory lines rigid as wooden borders on a wall in the white vanishing air tracing the panic of suburb order in a bland madness of snows Margaret Atwood
Stanza 1 - Rises a predicament - Lots of poetic techniques - Description of suburbia Stanza 2 - Continuance of predicament - More descriptions of suburbia Stanza 3 - Slight change in idea - Diction remains the same - Introduces thoughts about the future.
Stanza 4 - Continued idea - Ideas slowly become more abstract Stanza 5 - Continued idea further developed. - Begins to summarise poem - Very abstract. Stanza 6 - Very deep and meaningful - Summarises all ideas.
Stanza 1 Introduces predicament of the unvarying suburbia. The diction used attach to the concept of nothing thrilling happening in suburbia.
Line 1 Introduces idea of Real Estate, diction indicates easygoing feel and feel of enjoyment, relaxation and fun. Line 2 Emphasises poet originating from Canada, extended to Canada in summer. Lines 3 & 4 Common theme: to be reasonable and have sound of mind. Percieves suburbia being overly constructed. Line 5 Houses being too uniform.
Lines 6 8 Comparison between uniformly planted trees and a dent in a car door, negative connotations. Line 9 Positive statement, reflects on how suburbia is better than places which are in economical struggle. Line 10 Continues idea of suburbia being perfect. Line 11 Personification of a lawn-mower whining. Line 12 Fake Grass being groomed by personal gardener/s.
Stanza #2 Continues the idea of a predicament in suburbia. The distinct resemblance between stanza 1 & 2 is the feel of complaining/whining about suburban life and culture. Suggests the change of idea in stanza 3 onwards.
Line by Line Lines 13-17 The form of driveways can represent suburbia as a collective. Sanity & hysteria are common themes in stanza 1&2, which both link into a mental wellbeing state, but it is temporarily avoided though never the less inevitible. Line 18 Imagery is emphasised, with comparisons between oil and paint connected with line 20.
Line 19 Elaborates on the theme of sidestepping hysteria and how though suburbia seems flawless it is not completely perfect. Line 20 Comparison of an unnoticed or unexpected/suprising bruise on the body and a flaw overshadowed in a suburban area. Lines 21-22 - Descriptions of common objects/creatures viewed through a slightly negative perception.
Stanza #3 Stanza three is the end of complaints and shows the consequences of being so greedy. It also shows the reality of the real estate agency. This stanza is short, swift and simple.
Line-by-line Lines 23-25 Continues from stanza 2, how material things will eventually submit to nothing. Lines 26-28 Basically explains how all the houses will be reduced to rubble and eventually simply dirt. Poetic techniques portray that no-one in the suburbia sees the big picture of their estates.
Stanza #4 Establishes a new idea of the City Planners themselves. Portrays the Real Estate Agents have power and/or authority of the city, by controlling the process of the buying and selling of houses, and work to keep everyone happy, including themselves.
Line-by-line Lines 29-32 The city planners, whom we presume are the real estate agents and tells where the agents work and how every house within those areas will be worked on. Line 33 EITHER the arrogance of the suburban people or the way in which the real estate agents are so self-centered in gaining their own commission instead of working for the people.
Stanza #5 More abstract ideas on blizzards (which can be taken as literal or metaphorical) which contrasts with the first three stanzas in which there are more concrete ideas which are closed to only one interpretation.
Line-by-line Line 34 Diction used describes a flourishing market and the reference back to the Real Estate Agents. Line 35 Abstractly describes wooden boarders. Line 36 The White Wall is interpreted as the minds eye of the Real Estate Agents.
Line 37 Diction used indicates an image of future problems and chaos in the Real Estate industry. Line 38 Continues from line 37, talking about a long term economic downfall involving the Real Estate industry.
Themes Blizzards and snows are used as an extended metaphor for the blindness and confusion of a city to the tasteless customs the city itself comprises.