How Does Iain Crichton Smith Make This Such a Moving Poem?

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How does Iain Crichton Smith make this such a moving poem? You should consider the description of the baby the baby’s thoughts, hopes and fears in verses 5-12 some of the language the poet uses the structure of the poem anything else that you think is important The way in which Crichton Smith describes the baby as having no freedom is extremely moving. In the opening line of the poem Crichton Smith writes “The tiny baby sleeps in a cage of wires”. This description of the baby is deeply moving for the reader as it shows how it has been kept captive from no mistake of its own and is stuck inside a “cage” and this is so moving as on the surface it seems that the baby is being held back and contained by wires but in reality the “cage of wires” is actually keeping it alive. Furthermore, the description of the baby being inside a cage is extremely moving as Crichton Smith is likening the baby’s environment to an animal’s which moves the reader as the baby is being dehumanised and this is extremely sad. The fears that Crichton Smith gives the baby make this poem so moving. He writes that the baby hopes that the machine will “hear me [the baby] if I don't breathe”. These fearful thoughts of the baby show how the baby is hoping that the machine will notice if it is not breathing so that doctors would come.This is so incredibly moving as it highlights the vulnerability of the baby and how it depends on the machine for its survival. Another important thing which makes this poem moving is the fact that the baby...Crichton Smith writes in the baby’s voice: “Machine, you are my mother now”. This shows that due to the baby’s illness it is forced to be cared for by a machine that is made of “wires” and “steel”. This is so moving as not only is the baby forced to lead a life without a human mother, but also that it has succombed to this and accepts it as an
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