‘The Death of Marilyn Monroe’

1. ‘The Death of Marilyn Monroe’ Edwin Morgan

3. Marilyn Monroe - Biography Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was originally called Norma Jean Baker and, after spending much of her childhood in foster homes, she began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946. Her early roles were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received.

4. She was praised for her comedic ability in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, and The Seven Year Itch, and became one of Hollywood's most popular and glamorous performers. The typecasting of Monroe's "dumb blonde" persona limited her career prospects, so she broadened her range. She studied under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio and formed Marilyn Monroe Productions. Her dramatic performance in William Inge's Bus Stop was hailed by critics, and she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like it Hot.

5. Monroe was married three times: • James Dougherty (1942-46) • Joe DiMaggio - baseball player (1954 - she filed for divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty 274 days after the wedding) • Arthur Miller - playwright (1956-61) She was also rumoured to have had affairs with, among others, President John F Kennedy and his brother, Bobby.

6. On August 5, 1962, LAPD police sergeant Jack Clemmons received a call at 4:25 AM from Dr. Ralph Greenson, Marilyn’s psychiatrist, proclaiming that Monroe was dead at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. Sergeant Clemmons was the first police officer to arrive at the death scene. Many questions remain unanswered about the circumstances of her death and the timeline after Monroe's body was found. The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with.

7. The official cause of Monroe's death was classified by Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the Los Angeles County Coroners office as “acute barbiturate poisoning”, which he recorded as an accidental overdose. Eight milligram percent of chloral hydrate and 4.5 milligram percent of Nembutal were found in her system after the autopsy. Her death was rumoured to be a “probablesuicide”, but because of a lack of evidence, investigators could not classify her death as suicide or homicide. Also, some conspiracy theories involve John and Robert Kennedy with her death, while other theories suggest CIA or mafia complicity.

8. On August 8, 1962, Monroe was interred in a crypt at Corridor of Memories, #24, at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Lee Strasberg delivered the eulogy. In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female starof all time by the American Film Institute. Source: Wikipedia

9. YouTube clips Marilyn in action: 'I Wanna Be Loved By You‘ Some Like it Hot The Seven Year Itch Happy Birthday Mr President You can find out more about Marilyn’s life by watching this documentary You can find out more about theories surrounding Marilyn’s death by watching Conspiracy Theories - The Death of Marilyn Monroe

10. Edwin Morgan’s poem ‘The Death of Marilyn Monroe’examines the circumstances surrounding the death of the American screen goddess. Her death in 1962, from a drugs overdose, shocked the world, coming at a time when she appeared to have everything – beauty, wealth, and success.

11. Monroe represented the American Dream: the small-town girl–next-door turned Hollywood sex icon. Her name was linked to the rich and famous: she was married to Joe Di Maggio, the famous American baseball player, and the playwright Arthur Miller; she was rumoured to have had affairs with many men, including President John F. Kennedy and his brother Senator Bobby Kennedy. Her death was shrouded in mystery; the world’s press, in time-honoured fashion, clamoured to apportion blame and even today there is much conjecture about who or what pushed her to her death. The poem reminds the reader of the price paid by individuals for living life to the full in the public eye.

12. The poem reminds the reader of the price paid by the private person for living life to the full in the public eye. The Death of Marilyn Monroe What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast? Crumpled orphan, nembutal bed, white hearse, Los Angeles, Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America! The poem opens dramatically... This highlights to the reader that the poem will be exploring the themes of responsibility and innocence. with the clamour of questions echoing the public’s (and the media’s) reaction to the news of Marilyn Monroe’s death.

13. and the shocking and confusing nature of her death. This series of short questions conveys the sense of loss felt by Morgan, and the public... The Death of Marilyn Monroe What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast? Crumpled orphan, nembutal bed, white hearse, Los Angeles, Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America! The poem opens dramatically... This highlights to the reader that the poem will be exploring the themes of responsibility and innocence. with the clamour of questions echoing the public’s (and the media’s) reaction to the news of Marilyn Monroe’s death.

14. as she had no privacy and was constantly hounded by them. By mimicking newspaper headlines, Morgan alludes to the media’s obsession with Monroe, in life and in death. Morgan feels this media obsession was at least partly responsible for Monroe’s death... The Death of Marilyn Monroe What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast? Crumpled orphan, nembutal bed, white hearse, Los Angeles, Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America! Accusative tone Series of rhetorical questions. Rhetoric (using language effectively and persuasively) is used to make the reader re-evaluate his/her opinion of the media. Mirrors the snap-shot click of cameras?

15. Metaphor – creates an image of her innocence while painting a picture of a person broken down by the demands of the life she led. This image of abandonment evokes the reader’s pity... and anger. The Death of Marilyn Monroe What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast? Crumpled orphan, nembutal bed, white hearse, Los Angeles, Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America! The public? Media? Film industry? Who abandoned her?

16. It has been connected to many overdoses and has been used in assisted suicide. She died in her bed. The Death of Marilyn Monroe What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast? Crumpled orphan, nembutal bed, white hearse, Los Angeles, Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America! and produces a wide range of effects, from mild sedation to anaesthesia. Nembutal is a barbiturate that acts as a central nervous system depressant… The Coroner’s report of Marilyn Monroe’s death concluded her death was due to a massive overdose of 47 nembutal capsules.

17. Contrast – lines 2 and 3 slow the pace and introduce a sense of compassion The Death of Marilyn Monroe What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast? Crumpled orphan, nembutal bed, white hearse, Los Angeles, Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America! Usually associated with the death of a child... this continues the idea of child-like innocence.

18. Morgan points the finger of blame at areas of Monroe’s life which he feels contributed to her destruction. The Death of Marilyn Monroe What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast? Crumpled orphan, nembutal bed, white hearse, Los Angeles, Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America! Pace accelerates again in line 4 – series of angry outbursts, punctuated by exclamation marks. Exclamation marks suggest the shouting of a news vendor.

19. Monroe’s 2nd and 3rd husbands - Joe Di Maggio (1954) and Arthur Miller (1956-61). The Death of Marilyn Monroe What innocence? Whose guilt? What eyes? Whose breast? Crumpled orphan, nembutal bed, white hearse, Los Angeles, Di Maggio! Los Angeles! Miller! Los Angeles! America! American public. Film industry. Repetition – emphasises the key part Los Angeles (i.e. the American film industry) had in her death.

20. Ironic paradox – suggests that life is so intolerable that death is seen as a welcome release. Death was the only friend Monroe could turn to in her despair. Personification – Death as kind figure. That Death should seem the only protector - That all arms should have faded, and the great cameras and lights become an inquisition and a torment - That the many acquaintances, the autograph hunters, the inflexible directors, the drive-in admirers should become a blur of incomprehension and pain - Shows the pompous self-indulgence of the selfish and uncaring film industry. The film industry, and the fame that went with it, became instruments of torture to Monroe. Melancholic tone.

21. The people who surrounded her were there because of her name and fame, not because they were her friends. ‘autograph hunters’ - idea of relentless pursuit. Builds up a picture of loneliness. That Death should seem the only protector - That all arms should have faded, and the great cameras and lights become an inquisition and a torment - That the many acquaintances, the autograph hunters, the inflexible directors, the drive-in admirers should become a blur of incomprehension and pain - The sense of emotional isolation is conveyed most effectively here... ‘drive-in admirers’ are literally separated from the real person by two screens, the movie screen and the car windscreen.

22. That Death should seem the only protector - That all arms should have faded, and the great cameras and lights become an inquisition and a torment - That the many acquaintances, the autograph hunters, the inflexible directors, the drive-in admirers should become a blur of incomprehension and pain - These dramatic pauses invite the reader to consider the extent to which the media and public controlled Monroe’s life. Caesuras in lines 5, 7 and 10 – creates an audible pause that breaks up lines of verse.

23. which intensifies the sense of Monroe’s insecurity and confusion… Personification - uncertainty is portrayed as a sleazy voyeur, preying on her pain and naivety while luring her to her death… and introduces the idea that she was no longer in control of her life. That lonely Uncertainty should limp up, grinning, with bewildering barbiturates, and watch her undress and lie down and in her anguish call for him! Call for him to strengthen her with what could only dissolve her! A method of dying, we are shaken, we see it. Strasberg! who treated her as their possession to “watch” any time they wanted. This voyeuristic control destroyed her and led to her death. “Uncertainty” may represent the public...

24. That lonely Uncertainty should limp up, grinning, with bewildering barbiturates, and watch her undress and lie down and in her anguish call for him! Call for him to strengthen her with what could only dissolve her! A method of dying, we are shaken, we see it. Strasberg! and the placing of “bewildering barbiturates” at the beginning of the line... emphasises her bewilderment and Morgan’s pity for her. The hard alliterative sound of the ‘b’...

25. The use of the pronoun ‘we’ shows solidarity between the reader and the poet... It also shows that the poet and reader, as members of the public, are not entirely blameless for her death, as we eagerly consume celebrity gossip. and provides a contrast to Monroe’s loneliness. That lonely Uncertainty should limp up, grinning, with bewildering barbiturates, and watch her undress and lie down and in her anguish call for him! Call for him to strengthen her with what could only dissolve her! A method of dying, we are shaken, we see it. Strasberg! This refers to Lee Strasberg’s particularly stylised ‘method’ acting studied by Monroe. Her death has a theatrical quality to it.

26. Repetition - further reinforces the film industry’s role in her death. Los Angeles! Olivier! Los Angeles! Others die and yet by this death we are a little shaken, we feel it, America.

27. Olivier also directed the film and there was a great deal of conflict on the set between Monroe and him. He became frustrated with his co-star, often raising his voice in anger and occasionally insulting her. Laurence Olivier, who starred with Marilyn in ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’ (1957). Los Angeles! Olivier! Los Angeles! Others die and yet by this death we are a little shaken, we feel it, America. She relied on prescription drugs to alleviate her fears and insecurities while making the film. Marilyn responded by arriving on the set hours late and sometimes failing to show up at all.

28. and reminds us that, in a world almost desensitised by death, this one is different, it touches us. The poet himself enters the poem again... Los Angeles! Olivier! Los Angeles! Others die and yet by this death we are a little shaken, we feel it, America.

29. Begins by emphasising the importance of communication in people’s lives. Morgan goes on to comment more directly on her death. Secret language. Let no one say communication is a cantword. They had to lift her hand from the bedside telephone. But what she had not been able to say perhaps she had said. 'All I had was my life.

30. Let no one say communication is a cantword. They had to lift her hand from the bedside telephone. But what she had not been able to say perhaps she had said. 'All I had was my life. She died trying to reach out to someone. Morgan quotes Monroe’s words. Emphasises her loneliness and isolation.

31. I have no regrets, because if I made any mistakes, I was responsible. There is now - and there is the future. What has happened is behind. So it follows you around? So what?' - This to a friend, ten days before. Morgan reports Monroe’s words ‘to a friend, ten days before’ her death. This gives us an insight into her attitude towards life. For Monroe, all that mattered was the present and the future... and she was a person who lived life to the full and regretted nothing.

32. Prepares reader for his hard hitting concluding lines Strong sense of irony And so she was responsible. And if she was not responsible, not wholly responsible, Los Angeles? Los Angeles? Will it follow you around? Will the slow white hearse of the child of America follow you around? Poem ends as it began... with a series of questions... focusing on responsibility and innocence.

33. emphasising the extent to which Morgan blames the pressures of celebrity for Marilyn’s death. This is repeated for the third time… And so she was responsible. And if she was not responsible, not wholly responsible, Los Angeles? Los Angeles? Will it follow you around? Will the slow white hearse of the child of America follow you around? Repeats Monroe’s words in a rhetorical question. but Los Angeles, and American society in general, is unwilling to accept any responsibility for the part it played in her death. The reader is forced to see that while Marilyn was willing to accept responsibility for her life…

34. Repeats image of white hearse. Reinforces the idea of Monroe’s innocence and vulnerability. And so she was responsible. And if she was not responsible, not wholly responsible, Los Angeles? Los Angeles? Will it follow you around? Will the slow white hearse of the child of America follow you around? This metaphor further strengthens this idea of innocence and encapsulates the poem’s themes. Monroe was a ‘child of America’ - born there, produced by the American film industry, and she possessed a child-like innocence. The finger of blame is pointed firmly at American society.

35. The reader is left feeling ‘Mother America’ has abdicated all responsibility for her child. This metaphor also contains an implied sense of parental responsibility on the part of American society. And so she was responsible. And if she was not responsible, not wholly responsible, Los Angeles? Los Angeles? Will it follow you around? Will the slow white hearse of the child of America follow you around? This metaphor further strengthens this idea of innocence and encapsulates the poem’s themes. Monroe was a ‘child of America’ - born there, produced by the American film industry, and she possessed a child-like innocence. The finger of blame is pointed firmly at American society.

36. ‘Death of Marilyn Monroe’ - Essay questions Your answer should address relevantly the central concern(s) / theme(s) of the poem and be supported by reference to appropriate poetic techniques such as: imagery, verse form, structure, mood, tone, sound, rhythm, rhyme, characterisation, contrast, setting, symbolism, word choice… 1 Choose a poem which explores loneliness or isolation. Show how the poet explores the theme, and discuss to what extent your appreciation of the theme was deepened by the poet’s treatment. 2 Choose a poem which makes you feel a sense of sympathy or compassion. Show how the poet evokes this emotion and discuss how important it is to the overall impact of the poem. 3 Choose a poem which highlights an unpleasant aspect of life. Show how the poet has achieved this effect and discuss how effectively you think the poet has dealt with this aspect.