Bill 'Awkins
Bill 'Awkins - meaning Summary
Talk, Threat, and Restraint
A group of working-class speakers gossip about Bill 'Awkins, alternating comic insults and macho threats. They caricature his appearance and boast of violence, but social norms temper action: because it is Sunday, the narrator will merely "pass 'im the time o' day." The poem sketches communal bravado, performative masculinity, and the gap between talk and conduct through a concise, conversational exchange.
Read Complete Analyses"'As anybody seen Bill 'Awkins?" "Now 'ow in the devil would I know?" "'E's taken my girl out walkin', An' I've got to tell 'im so -- Gawd -- bless 'im! I've got to tell 'im so." "D'yer know what 'e's like, Bill 'Awkins?" "Now what in the devil would I care?" "'E's the livin', breathin' image of an organ-grinder's monkey, With a pound of grease in 'is 'air -- Gawd -- bless 'im! An' a pound o' grease in 'is 'air." "An' s'pose you met Bill 'Awkins, Now what in the devil 'ud ye do?" "I'd open 'is cheek to 'is chin-strap buckle, An' bung up 'is both eyes, too -- Gawd -- bless 'im! An bung up 'is both eyes, too!" "Look 'ere, where 'e comes, Bill 'Awkins! Now, what in the devil will you say?" "It isn't fit an' proper to be fightin' on a Sunday, So I'll pass 'im the time o' day -- Gawd -- bless 'im! I'll pass 'im the time o' day!"
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