Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
Robinson's poetry is often written from his perspective.
Form and Meter
Many of Robinson's poems use no traditional meter.
Metaphors and Similes
The butterfly is used as a metaphor for Robinson's transformation and immigration.
Alliteration and Assonance
"Swarming the street with switchblade stingers"
Irony
Robinson speaks about "boys" who are holding "switchblades," which is an ironic image because the images are not something we expect to be placed alongside each other.
Genre
Poetry and sometimes performance poetry
Setting
Brixton in London
Tone
Robinson's poetry is thought-provoking and often tragic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Robinson himself is a protagonist and in his poetry he speaks about various antagonistic forces.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of Robinson's poetry is reconciling his identity with his experiences.
Climax
In "Prayers for angry young men," the poem reaches a climax as Robinson states that the men were caught on the wrong street in the wrong postcode.
Foreshadowing
In "Prayers for the angry young men," Robinson suggests that the young men's fates were foreshadowed by their unfortunate luck and their "postcode"
Understatement
Uncle Clyde's understated appearance does not reflect his fun-loving behaviour at the wedding.
Allusions
Robinson alludes to different types of butterflies, including the Monarch butterfly.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The wrong postcode is a metonym for being born into an underprivileged area.
Personification
The blood is described as "spraying" the street.
Hyperbole
N/A
Onomatopoeia
N/A
