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Jacques Prévert Family History Essay

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Prévert’s criticisms for the Monotony of Society Society throughout history has functioned by locking the masses into routine and a mundane subservience to authority. Putting the people who partake through a cycle of monotony which seems unable to be broken. Jacques Prévert’s “Family History” (translated by E.A Lacey) is an intriguing satirical poem on this constant cycle and routine society subjects to its inhabitants. These prosaic ideas are excellently jeered at in Prévert’s poem on the matter. It can be suffice to say, that Prévert’s poem “Family History”, as a satire, is a critique on the way society forces mundane cycles to the people of said society. The poem has focus on the day to day life of a family, to allow a critique on the ideas of a nuclear family in society. “He Runs a store. His wife does knitting his goes to war.” (Prévert 5-7) The first half of this poem takes us through constant repetition of this phrase with little change between them. The poem’s use of rhymes and repetition allows for the poem to be read in a merry tone, likely meant to be sarcastic by Prévert. It can be said that the reason why it should be read in a merry tone is that when the ending comes of the son’s death, keeping the same merry tone will allow for the reader themselves to consequently experience the monotonous cycles and read the poem in a constant loop. The poem’s underlying themes of an apathetic society can also be connected to this idea of criticizing the mundane cycles a

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