“Giuseppe” Introduction

• Read the full text of “Giuseppe”

“Giuseppe” Summary

“Giuseppe” Themes

• 

  Evil, Cruelty, and Dehumanization

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-29
• 

  Guilt, Shame, and the Horrors of Human Nature

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 5-7
  • Lines 8-13
  • Lines 14-18
  • Lines 19-23
  • Line 25
  • Lines 26-29

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Giuseppe”

• Lines 1-7

  My Uncle Giuseppe ...
  ... and certain others.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 8-13

  She, it, had ...
  ... in terrible fear.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 14-18

  And when they ...
  ... offered to him.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 19-23

  Then they put ...
  ... ring stayed put.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 24-25

  The rest they ...
  ... on the beach.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 26-29

  Starvation forgives men ...
  ... I thank God.

  

  

  

  

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“Giuseppe” Symbols

• 

  The Mermaid

  Where this symbol appears in the poem:

  • Line 5: “the only captive mermaid in the world”
  • Lines 8-9: “She, it, had never learned to speak / because she was simple, or so they’d said,”
  • Line 13: “But she screamed like a woman in terrible fear.”
  • Lines 14-16: “And when they took a ripe golden roe / from her side, the doctor said / this was proof she was just a fish”
  • Lines 19-22: “Then they put her head and her hands / in a box for burial / and someone tried to take her wedding ring, / but the others stopped him,”

“Giuseppe” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Imagery

  

  

  

  

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  Where imagery appears in the poem:

  • Line 6: “the dry and dusty ground”
  • Line 13: “she screamed like a woman in terrible fear”
  • Lines 14-15: “they took a ripe golden roe / from her side”

• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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  Where enjambment appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-2: “me / that”
  • Lines 5-6: “world / was”
  • Lines 6-7: “ground / by”
  • Lines 8-9: “speak / because”
  • Lines 10-11: “hands / while”
  • Lines 14-15: “roe / from”
  • Lines 15-16: “said / this”
  • Lines 19-20: “hands / in”

• End-Stopped Line

  

  

  

  

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  Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

  • Line 2: “Two,”
  • Line 3: “aquarium,”
  • Line 4: “well,”
  • Line 7: “others.”
  • Line 9: “said,”
  • Line 12: “speak.”
  • Line 13: “fear.”
  • Line 16: “fish”
  • Line 17: “child,”
  • Line 18: “him.”
  • Line 21: “ring,”
  • Line 22: “him,”
  • Line 23: “put.”
  • Line 24: “troops.”
  • Line 25: “beach.”
  • Line 26: “things,”
  • Line 27: “said,”
  • Line 28: “eye,”
  • Line 29: “God.”

• Simile

  

  

  

  

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  Where simile appears in the poem:

  • Line 13: “she screamed like a woman in terrible fear”

• Irony

  

  

  

  

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  Where irony appears in the poem:

  • Line 7: “a doctor, a fishmonger, and certain others.”
  • Lines 10-11: “but the priest who held one of her hands / while her throat was cut,”
  • Lines 15-17: “the doctor said / this was proof she was just a fish / and anyway an egg is not a child,”
  • Line 27: “my uncle, the aquarium keeper,”

“Giuseppe” 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.

• Sicily
• Bougainvillea
• Fishmonger
• Roe

• (Location in poem: Line 2: “in Sicily in World War Two”)

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Giuseppe”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Giuseppe” Speaker

“Giuseppe” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Giuseppe”

More “Giuseppe” Resources

• External Resources

  • Ford's Website — Visit Ford's website to read more of his poetry.

  • An Interview with Ford — Read an interview in which Ford discusses his life and work.

  • The Poem Aloud — Listen to Ford himself reading the poem aloud.