AP English Literature
Jenny Joseph’s “Warning” conveys the thought that old age is something to be celebrated and hoped for, as one loses all expectations from society. Therefore, the individual can then do whatever they wish, within the confines of the law, and not be scolded or reprimanded socially for their actions. Joseph uses diction that conveys actions only old people would/can do, imagery that lets the reader imagine how society frowns upon those out of the status quo, unless they are old, and syntax that shows how old people do as they please, not questioning what they are doing or how they will be viewed in the public eye.
“Warning” shows how Joseph truly longs for the day when she becomes elderly, as she will then be free of the expectations of …show more content…
everyday society, as old people have paid their dues, and no one is concerned with what they do. Joseph expresses these thoughts within the first half of the poem, stating how she would like to “wear purple, with a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me” and how she hopes to “run my stick along the public railings, and make up for the sobriety of my youth.” The line “And make up for the sobriety of my youth” foreshadows how, later in the poem, Joseph discusses the huge downsides of being a young adult when compared to being elderly.
Joseph then discusses how much she hates being young, which is the other key point in the poem, with the other being how much fun it is to be elderly. Joseph speaks of how
“we must have clothes that keep us dry, and pay our rent and not swear in the street,” showing that she isn’t allowed to wear what she wants nor how she cannot shirk her responsibilities and social values in life just yet. Joseph laments at the end about how
“maybe I ought to practice a little now,” showing that she is yearning for the days of old age, rather than taking in her younger years as others do, which shows her disdain for responsibilities and society as a whole.
Diction is used to describe what an old person would wear, have and use. An example is when she mentions that “I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves” and “gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells.” This shows the carefree nature that the elderly are allowed to enjoy, whilst the rest of us must conform to the status quo. The diction also shows how the young adults are forced to do things
they don’t enjoy, like “We must have friends to dinner and read the papers,” and “But now we must have clothes that keep us dry.” The imagery shows both how old people enjoy life and how regular people feel obliged to do as society asks. The syntax changes from when she is speaking as an elderly woman to when she is speaking regularly, to emphasize how carefree the elderly are in comparison to the young adults, who are expected to be courteous and kind.
This is shown with these two examples: “I shall go out in my slippers in the rain, and pick flowers in other people's gardens, and learn to spit,” where the syntax shows a carefree, uncouth nature, and “But now we must have clothes that keep us dry, and pay our rent and not swear in the street, and set a good example for the children,” where the syntax betrays the irritation the writer has for being a young adult, and her longing for being elderly.
Within “Warning” by Jenny Joseph, we learn of how enjoyable old age can be when compared to being a young adult, who has so many social, moral, and financial responsibilities that it makes it extremely hard to enjoy life. The diction she uses helps to describe what an old person, free of responsibilities, and a young person, who has many expectations set upon them, differ in. The imagery lets the reader visualize how great being old is, and how horrid being young is, with the syntax accompanying this imagery by way of wording phrases heavily positive when it comes to old age, and highly negative when it comes to being
youthful.