Breakfast
By Jacques Prevert
He poured the coffee
Into the cup
He put the milk
Into the cup of coffee
He put the sugar
Into the coffee with milk
With a small spoon
He churned
He drank the coffee
And he put down the cup
Without any word to me
He emptied the coffee with milk
And he put down the cup
Without any word to me
He lighted
One cigarette
He made circles
With the smoke
He shook off the ash
Into the ashtray
Without any word to me
Without any look at me
He got up
He put on
A hat on his head
He put on
A raincoat
Because it was raining
And he left
Into the rain
Without any word to me
Without any look at me
And I buried
My face in my hands
And I cried
Summary of Breakfast
- Popularity of “Breakfast”: Written by Jacques Prevert, the French writer and poet, this short poem first appeared in 1946, shortly after the end of WWII. Having lost the soul of humanity to the barbarism of war, the people were witnessing strange and bizarre mood swings and emotional fluctuations in which even ordinary activities become highly significant and sometimes even highly significant events lose their significance. The poem presents this widespread public predicament of how people feel muddled in performing ordinary activities following losing sane voices supporting rationality. Herein lies the main reason behind the popularity of this poem.
- “Breakfast” As a Representative of Post-War Meaninglessness: Prevert is highly precise and concise in this poem as he presents his third-person speaker showing ordinary public activities. He describes in detail the simple action of a person involved in preparing coffee. The person he presents is pouring coffee, then adding milk and stirring it to dissolve sugar in it. He churns it with a small spoon, puts down the cup, and takes it down. Following this, he repeats the same routinized activity of lighting and smoking a cigarette and making circles with the smoke. These leisurely activities jolt the third-person speaker when he leaves the same routinized activity after putting on his coat. Although it rains and both have not exchanged any pleasantry, the speaker feels chagrin at the robotic activities of the man and this willful neglect of him.
- Major Themes in “Breakfast”: Meaninglessness, routinization of activities, and alienation are three major themes of “Breakfast.” The simple act of the person having his breakfast in a routine does not impress the speaker. He sees total meaninglessness in the routine of the person who is engaged in having his breakfast. He takes a cup of coffee, prepares it with milk, coffee, and sugar, and stirs it with his spoon. This routinization is so much immersed in his consciousness that he does not pay attention to the speaker, who cries at the end after burying his face in his hands. The reason is he has totally ignored him. This alienation on the part of the man shows the alienation that humanity has undergone by the end of WWII.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Breakfast
Jacques Prevert demonstrated his skill in using various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices used in this poem are as follows.
- Anaphora: It is a figure of speech in which words or phrases are repeated at the beginning of successive verses. The poem shows the use of anaphora, such as “he” and “without any.”
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “He emptied the coffee with milk” and the sound of /o/ in “He poured the coffee.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /s/ in “small spoon” or /h/ in “his head.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /w/ in “Without any word to me” and the sound of /h/ in “A hat on his head.”
- Enjambment: It is a device in which the meanings of verse roll over to the next without having any pause or punctuation mark. The sonnet shows the use of enjambment, such as;
And he left
Into the rain
Without any word to me
Without any look at me
And I buried
My face in my hands
And I cried
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Jacques Prevert used imagery in this poem, such as “And he put down the cup”, “He emptied the coffee with milk” and “He made circles.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols, such as cup, coffee, milk, and cigarette to present the routinization of the modern man.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Breakfast
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows good use of formal and poetic and concise diction.
- Free Verse: It means to write verses sans patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem having no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. This a single-stanza poem with thirty-five verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows an indifferent, tragic, and biting tone by the end.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote about the morning routine of a modern man.
He poured the coffee
Into the cup
He put the milk
Into the cup of coffee
He put the sugar
Into the coffee with milk
