“A Consumer's Report” Introduction

• Read the full text of “A Consumer's Report”

“A Consumer's Report” Summary

“A Consumer's Report” Themes

• 

  The Disappointments and Rewards of Life

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-51
• 

  Consumerism and Cynicism

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-51

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “A Consumer's Report”

• Lines 1-3

  The name of ...
  ... answers are confidential.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 4-8

  I had it ...
  ... embarrassing deposit behind.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-16

  It was not ...
  ... contradict each other.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 17-22

  I'm not sure ...
  ... much too high.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 23-29

  Things are piling ...
  ... sound of it.)

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 30-33

  There seems to ...
  ... not heat resistant,

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 33-37

  it doesn't keep ...
  ... it's delivered anyway.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 38-43

  I'd agree it's ...
  ... behave badly about.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 43-48

  I think ...
  ... law makers.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 48-51

  So finally, I'd ...
  ... said you'd send.

  

  

  

  

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“A Consumer's Report” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Irony

  

  

  

  

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  Where irony appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-1: “The name of the product I tested is / Life / ,”
  • Lines 17-18: “I'm not sure such a thing / should be put in the way of children—”
  • Lines 20-21: “One of my friends says / it's just to keep its maker in a job.”
  • Lines 23-26: “Things are piling up so fast, / after all, the world got by / for a thousand million years / without this, do we need it now?”
  • Lines 27-29: “(Incidentally, please ask your man / to stop calling me "the respondent," / I don't like the sound of it.)”
  • Line 38: “I'd agree it's a popular product,”
  • Line 39: “it's got into the language;”
  • Lines 41-44: “Personally I think it's overdone, / a small thing people are ready / to behave badly about. I think / we should take it for granted.”
  • Lines 48-51: “So finally, I'd buy it. / But the question of a "best buy" / I'd like to leave until I get / the competitive product you said you'd send.”

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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  Where repetition appears in the poem:

  • Line 1: “product”
  • Line 4: “I”
  • Line 5: “I”
  • Line 6: “I think”
  • Line 7: “It”
  • Line 9: “It”
  • Line 38: “product”
  • Line 39: “people”
  • Line 41: “I think”
  • Line 42: “people”
  • Line 43: “I think”
  • Line 48: “buy”
  • Line 49: “buy”
  • Line 51: “product”

• Extended Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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  Where extended metaphor appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-51

• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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  Where enjambment appears in the poem:

  • Lines 2-3: “me / and”
  • Lines 7-8: “hands / but”
  • Lines 9-10: “economical / and”
  • Lines 13-14: “large / there”
  • Lines 14-15: “them / I”
  • Lines 15-16: “especially / as”
  • Lines 17-18: “thing / should”
  • Lines 19-20: “purpose / for”
  • Lines 20-21: “says / it's”
  • Lines 24-25: “by / for”
  • Lines 25-26: “years / without”
  • Lines 27-28: “man / to”
  • Lines 32-33: “waterproof / but”
  • Lines 33-34: “keep / yet”
  • Lines 35-36: “seem / to”
  • Lines 36-37: “don't / want”
  • Lines 39-40: “people / even”
  • Lines 42-43: “ready / to”
  • Lines 43-44: “think / we”
  • Lines 44-45: “its / experts”
  • Lines 45-46: “market / researchers”
  • Lines 46-47: “shouldn't / care”
  • Lines 47-48: “last / law”
  • Lines 49-50: “buy" / I'd”
  • Lines 50-51: “get / the”

• Rhetorical Question

  

  

  

  

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  Where rhetorical question appears in the poem:

  • Lines 24-26: “the world got by / for a thousand million years / without this, do we need it now?”

“A Consumer's Report” 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.

• The form
• Confidential
• Deposit
• Economical
• Put in the way of
• Maker
• Incidentally
• The respondent
• Waterproof
• Heat resistant
• Market researchers
• Law makers
• "Best buy"

• (Location in poem: Line 2: “I have completed the form you sent me”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “A Consumer's Report”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“A Consumer's Report” Speaker

“A Consumer's Report” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “A Consumer's Report”

More “A Consumer's Report” Resources

• External Resources

  • The Life of the Poet — Read a short biography of Porter at the Poetry Foundation.

  • Peter Porter: A Retrospective — Read the Guardian's 2010 obituary for the poet.

  • The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of "A Consumer's Report."

  • More on Porter's Life and Work — Browse the Poetry Archive's exhibit on Peter Porter.

  • An Interview with the Poet — Watch a cozy chat with Peter Porter about poetry, music, and more.