Answer:
the first stanza describes an ambiguous character. the reader is unsure as to whether the character is a Male, female or an animal. However Emma Payne describes the character as something tough and invincible. It makes the reader ponder and create vivid images in their minds. verse four uses simile for example "thick as a tree" to add emotion and feeling which aids the reader in visualising the setting and the character. In stanza two the writer breaks the vagueness as she uses the second person "he". The reader is now sure that the character is a Male person. The phrase "spits blood" could symbolise weakness or even strength as he is described to a mythical creature "cherub". Stanza three narrows the readers thinking as the man is contrasted to the description in the first stanza. Emma portrayed him as an "iron figure" and shifts the tone as she depicts him to be "broken, knuckled and skinny eyed". The final stanza could indicate his present life whereas the first talked about his previous life. He seems vulnerable in the eyes of the reader and also sparks some emotion as he "crouches in the corner"