Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes

1
Two Scavengers in a Truck,Two Beautiful People
in a Mercedes

• Lawrence Ferlinghetti

2
Two Scavengers in a Truck,Two Beautiful People
in a Mercedes
The title reflects the poems contrasts the
disgusting scavengers versus the beautiful rich
people

• Lawrence Ferlinghetti

3
Lawrence Ferlinghetti

• Born in New York 1919.
• Interested in how different cultures and races
  mix.
• Concerned about the growing gap between rich and
  poor.

4
Two Scavengers in a truck

• At the stoplight waiting for the light
• nine a.m. downtown San Francisco
• a bright yellow garbage truck
• with two garbagemen in red plastic blazers

5
Two Scavengers in a Truck
Setting

• At the stoplight waiting for the light
• nine a.m. downtown San Francisco
• a bright yellow garbage truck
• with two garbagemen in red plastic blazers

The whole poem is about this short period of
time.
In direct contrast with the costume of the
Beautiful people
6

• standing on the back stoop
• one each side hanging on
• and looking down into
• an elegant open Mercedes
• with an elegant couple in it

7
Colloquial language USA

• standing on the back stoop
• one each side hanging on
• and looking down into
• an elegant open Mercedes
• with an elegant couple in it

Never be on the same level. no class movement
No movement.
Repetition adds to the sarcastic tone of this word
8

• The man
• In a hip three-piece linen suit
• with shoulder-length blond hair sunglasses
• The young blond woman so casually coifed
• with a short skirt and colored stockings
• on the way to his architects office

9
Stark Contrast to the garbagemen

• The man
• In a hip three-piece linen suit
• with shoulder-length blond hair sunglasses
• The young blond woman so casually coifed
• with a short skirt and colored stockings
• on the way to his architects office

Something the rich and poor have in common
American spelling sets the scene
10

• And the two scavengers up since four a.m.
• grungy from their route
• on their way home
• The older of the two with grey iron hair
• and hunched back

11
Finishing unlike the beautiful people who are
just going to work

• And the two scavengers up since four a.m.
• grungy from their route
• on their way home
• The older of the two with grey iron hair
• and hunched back

Dirty, grubby and tired
Dull, metallic and brittle. In contrast with the
rich
Ugly image of the older man
12

• looking down like some
• Gargoyle Quasimodo
• And the younger of the two
• also with sunglasses long hair
• about the same age as the Mercedes driver

13
They look down at the rich People, but only as
stone gargoyles
Mix of two grotesque forms. Quasimodo The
Hunchback of Notre Dame

• looking down like some
• Gargoyle Quasimodo
• And the younger of the two
• also with sunglasses long hair
• about the same age as the Mercedes driver

Something in common between the rich and poor.
Another similarity, but only a superficial one.
14

• And both scavengers gazing down
• as from a great distance
• at the cool couple
• as if they were watching some odorless tv ad
• in which everything is always possible

15
Insurmountable distance between rich and poor
Gazing is one way the rich couple dont pay the
binmen any attention

• And both scavengers gazing down
• as from a great distance
• at the cool couple
• as if they were watching some odorless tv ad
• in which everything is always possible

Unlike real life
Its just a fantasy, and wont affect or touch
them in any way
16

• And the very red light for an instant
• holding all four close together
• as if anything at all were possible
• between them
• across that small gulf
• in the high seas
• of this democracy

17
This moment wont change anything
Not just red, but the ultimate stop sign

• And the very red light for an instant
• holding all four close together
• as if anything at all were possible
• between them
• across that small gulf
• in the high seas
• of this democracy

Cant happen. Just an illusion

• These two words
• Contradict each other
• the gap seems small,
• but its impossible to
• cross

This reference to democracy is bitter
and sarcastic everyone is supposed to be equal.