‘Operating Room’ Poem

Read the following poem and answer the questions that follow.  (20 Marks)

Operating Room, By John Reed

Sunlight floods the shiny many-windowed place,
Coldly glinting on flawless steel under glass,
And blaring imperially on the spattered gules
Where kneeling men grunt as they swab the floor.

Startled eyes of nurses swish by noiselessly,
Orderlies with cropped heads swagger like murderers;
And three surgeons, robed and masked mysteriously,
Lounge gossiping of guts, and wish it were lunch-time.

Beyond the porcelain door, screaming mounts crescendo
Case 4001 coming out of the ether,
Born again half a man, to spend his life in bed.

Questions

a)    Describe the setting of the poem. (3 marks)
b)    Briefly explain what the poem is talking about. (4 marks)
c)    Who is the persona in the poem? (2 marks)
d)    Illustrate the use of the following styles and state their effectiveness. (4 marks)
a.    Metaphor
ii.    Hyperbole
e)    What is the tone of the poem?  (2 marks)
f)    Discuss the general mood of the poem. (2 marks)
g)    Why do the men grunt as they swab the floor? (1 mark)
h)    Explain the meaning of the following phrases as used in the poem. (2 marks)
i)    Robed and masked mysteriously
ii)     Case 40001 coming out of ether