Jacques Prevert was born on 4th February 1900 in Paris in France. After completing his primary education he left school and went to work in a major department store in Paris. After that, he joined the military service in 1918. His poems are about life in Paris and life after the second world war. Most of his poems are compiled in the school syllabus and textbooks. Not only in France but in many countries worldwide. He died on April 11th, 1977.
The poem “breakfast” comes under the theme “conflict”. We should think about what sort of a conflict it is. It’s a family conflict. It’s the disparate between the speaker and “he”. Maybe the husband and “wife” who live in one house or apartment block.
Note
The writer Jacques Prevert presents us with a common social theme, which prevails in the fast-moving western society at present. In order to depict this; he visualizes q couple of life partners, he introduces us with the pronoun “he” and “I” in the content of this poetic composition. The writer of this poem is so much efficient in order to talk us a lifelong story of a couple of life partners in a very much precise, and direct poetic composition.
It is like a mini-film of four snap scenes. He presents these narratives as the direct spoken of the female life spiritual contact with a male partner. So, she watches or may he thinks of the series of events, She witnessed on this morning while she was looking at, he prepared a cup of milk coffee for his breakfast. He had it and kept away the cup without even a single word with her. The second splash scene tells us what he did next. He lit a cigarette and started to smoke while sitting in a chair. For a while, he released circles of smoke in the air and finished it off also soon. Even at this also, he didn’t look at his life partner or didn’t speak a word with her.
Using the third episode of the scene, the speaker reveals to us that; he put on his hat and the raincoat as it was raining, and then he went out in the rain; without a look or without a word. The last episode tells us that, she held her head with her hands and wept bitterly. The writer remains wordlessly after releasing this poetic version before the readers.
This is direct, short, and smart very much close information to the reader. Through it is short, and in nutshell; it bears the overall witness about the nature of the union of the couple. Truly speaking a cup of milk tea is not a breakfast. It’s just the morning tea (bed tea) that we have immediately after getting up as a stimulant. After having the wash; before leaving for work; we have a sound diet for our breakfast. Put at this situation; the morning tea ( the cup of milk coffee ) replaces the breakfast. In other words, he makes do his breakfast with a cup of milk coffee while his wife looks on.
While smoking he releases rings of smoke into the air; which symbolizes his utmost satisfaction and contentment. Then he put on his hat and the raincoat and leaves home; without looking or speaking to his wife. She couldn’t bear up this. So that she burst into tears. The family life of any couple of a male and a female partner is full of gossip, happiness, joy, and togetherness with warmth and spiritual affection based on the heart-to-heart faith of one another. The married couple is but one; though there are two. They have always been together. Even if they leave for certain purposes, they are spiritually bound together hard and fast with the bond of love.
The rain symbolizes the cold atmosphere; which has on unfold invitation for the opposite life partners to seak each other’s warmth not go away looking aside. According to the gist of the idea; she also being the female partner ( the wife) should know that she is to get up a bit earlier than the husband and to prepare the bed tea; and the meal for the breakfast. She is to parcel the lunch also. Here she doesn’t show us any contact with him. No union at al. She should at least make a sincere attempt to approach him by performing her duties on him. Though they live close to one another, in one house; in the close vicinity. They go in two different tracks with their cold-hearted reactions to one another.
The writer uses very simple language to tell us this exposes conflict in two individuals who live under the same roof. He uses the blank verse, stanza form to tell us the completeness and the gap in their lives.
So it’s a very much precise, but very creative masterpiece of literature.