Importance of Character in Jan Beattys Poem, A Waitresss Instructions on Tipping or Get the Cash :: Waitresss Instructions on Tipping

Importance of Character in Jan Beatty's Poem, A Waitress's Instructions on Tipping or Get the Cash Up and Don't Waste My Time Jan Beatty's waitress teaches us that no amount of money can make up for poor character. The poem "A Waitress's Instructions on Tipping or Get the Cash Up and Don't Waste My Time" is a plea from a waitress, tired and overworked, to us, her customers. Throughout the first twenty-nine lines, she gives commands on how to tip and stresses the importance of money in the relationship between waitress and customer. At the end of line 29, we would describe the waitress as cold, materialistic, and unattached from her customers. Then, in the final line, she tells us, "If you're miserable, there's not enough money in the world." After reading this final line, we realize that the entire poem exists just to prepare the reader for the climax of that last line. To show the importance of a person's character, she builds up the importance of money throughout the entire poem, and then says that character is more important. Beatty uses rhetorical schemes throughout the poem to achieve different purposes. The most visual of these is the anaphora that she repeatedly uses, both to highlight the themes in those lines and to stress the line that that follows. Lines 7-9 all begin with "Never." The repetition of such a strong word reminds us of a scolding parent or teacher and serves to grab our attention. Also, as all three lines are closely related in meaning, the anaphora makes the meaning of the lines more apparent; if we missed the point on the first line, we still have two more chances. Following those three lines, the waitress says, "Overtip, overtip, overtip" (10). The repetitive sound of the anaphora in a way lulls us, only to be jolted back by the important command to overtip. Line 10 could sum up the theme of the majority of the poem; its placement following the anaphora helps us to realize its significance. Beatty again uses anaphora in lines 26-29 which all begin with "Don't say." The purpose of t hese lines is almost identical to that of lines 7-9. They repeat an important point (not to say inappropriate things to the waitress) and, more importantly, create a lulling, repetitive sound that will be shattered by the important line following them. Similarly, the use of parallelism stresses the importance of lines throughout the poem.