The Full Text of “A Martian Sends a Postcard Home”
The Full Text of “A Martian Sends a Postcard Home”
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“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Introduction
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“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Summary
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“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Themes
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The Power of Perspective
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-34
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “A Martian Sends a Postcard Home”
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Lines 1-2
Caxtons are mechanical ...
... their markings – -
Lines 3-4
they cause the ...
... shriek without pain. -
Lines 5-6
I have never ...
... on the hand. -
Lines 7-10
Mist is when ...
... under tissue paper. -
Lines 11-12
Rain is when ...
... making colours darker. -
Lines 13-16
Model T is ...
... for anything missed. -
Lines 17-18
But time is ...
... ticking with impatience. -
Lines 19-24
In homes, a ...
... with a finger. -
Lines 25-26
Only the young ...
... openly. -
Lines 26-30
Adults go to ...
... a different smell. -
Lines 31-34
At night, when ...
... their eyelids shut.
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“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Symbols
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Color
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 12: “It has the property of making colours darker.”
- Line 31: “At night, when all the colours die,”
- Lines 33-34: “read about themselves – / in colour, with their eyelids shut.”
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“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Metonymy
Where metonymy appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Caxtons are mechanical birds”
- Line 13: “Model T is a room with the lock inside”
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Metaphor
Where metaphor appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Caxtons are mechanical birds”
- Line 8: “rests its soft machine on ground”
- Line 11: “the earth is television”
- Line 13: “Model T is a room with the lock inside”
- Lines 26-27: “Adults go to a punishment room / with water but nothing to eat.”
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Simile
Where simile appears in the poem:- Lines 9-10: “then the world is dim and bookish / like engravings under tissue paper.”
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Anthropomorphism
Where anthropomorphism appears in the poem:- Lines 17-18: “But time is tied to the wrist / or kept in a box, ticking with impatience.”
- Lines 19-24: “In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps, / that snores when you pick it up. / If the ghost cries, they carry it / to their lips and soothe it to sleep / with sounds. And yet, they wake it up / deliberately, by tickling with a finger.”
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Caesura
Where caesura appears in the poem:- Line 5: “fly, but”
- Line 15: “movement, so”
- Line 18: “box, ticking”
- Line 19: “homes, a”
- Line 21: “cries, they”
- Line 23: “sounds. And,” “yet, they”
- Line 24: “deliberately, by”
- Line 26: “openly. Adults”
- Line 29: “alone. No”
- Line 31: “night, when”
- Line 34: “colour, with”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “wings / and”
- Lines 3-4: “melt / or”
- Lines 5-6: “but / sometimes”
- Lines 7-8: “flight / and”
- Lines 9-10: “bookish / like”
- Lines 14-15: “world / for”
- Lines 15-16: “film / to”
- Lines 17-18: “wrist / or”
- Lines 21-22: “it / to”
- Lines 22-23: “sleep / with”
- Lines 23-24: “up / deliberately”
- Lines 25-26: “suffer / openly”
- Lines 26-27: “room / with”
- Lines 28-29: “noises / alone”
- Lines 32-33: “pairs / and”
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Consonance
Where consonance appears in the poem:- Line 7: “Mist,” “sky”
- Line 8: “rests its soft”
- Line 12: “making colours darker”
- Line 17: “But time,” “tied to,” “wrist”
- Line 18: “kept,” “box,” “ticking”
- Line 19: “homes,” “haunted,” “apparatus sleeps”
- Line 20: “snores,” “pick,” “up”
- Line 21: “cries,” “carry”
- Line 22: “lips,” “soothe,” “sleep”
- Line 23: “sounds”
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Sibilance
Where sibilance appears in the poem:- Line 7: “Mist,” “sky”
- Line 8: “rests its soft”
- Line 19: “apparatus sleeps”
- Line 20: “snores”
- Line 21: “ghost”
- Line 22: “lips,” “soothe,” “sleep”
- Line 23: “sounds”
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Diacope
Where diacope appears in the poem:- Line 31: “colours”
- Line 34: “colour”
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 17: “time,” “tied to”
- Line 18: “ticking”
- Line 19: “homes,” “haunted,” “sleeps”
- Line 20: “snores”
- Line 21: “cries,” “carry”
- Line 22: “soothe,” “sleep”
- Line 23: “sounds”
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“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Caxtons
- Perch
- Soft machine
- Bookish
- Engravings
- Model T
- Apparatus
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(Location in poem: Line 1: “Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “A Martian Sends a Postcard Home”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Speaker
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“A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “A Martian Sends a Postcard Home”
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More “A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Read Aloud — Listen to a reading of "A Martian Sends a Postcard Home."
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Martian Poetry — Read more context on Martian poetry, the movement spawned by Raine's poem.
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History of the Model T — Get caught up on the history of the Model T, the car that Raine's speaker identifies with all automobiles.
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Biography of Craig Raine — Learn more about the author's background and other works.
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Biography of William Caxton — Learn about William Caxton, the first English printer, whose name gives the Martian a curious new word for books.
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