Beachcomber Flashcards
What is the poem about?
A poetic voice who potentially has dementia looking back on old photos of her as a beachcomber.
Technique and meaning of ‘Beachcomber’.
-A common noun
-Someone who searches for treasures on the beach: meticulous, thorough and precise.
What is the techniques of “within an inch of the heart.” and what meaning does that create?
The cliché/idiom of ‘within an inch’ is changed to heart, which is MALAPROPISM. The common noun heart being used suggests that the memories make up who we are and therefore keep us alive.
Name the technique behind: “the child, and not in sepia, lives.”
Negation, demonstrating that the picture is alive which is additionally enforced by the short syntax and the active verb ‘lives’.
What does being a Beachcomber and having dementia suggest?
It creates the imagery of searching for memories like treasures on a beach
“or the spade
or the sand
or the seashell on the shore.”
What alliteration is in this quote?
Aspirant alliteration, implying that she is exhausted from searching for memories.
“or the spade
or the sand
or the seashell on the shore.”
What does the tongue twister show?
The speakers struggle to communicate due to having dementia.
It could also imply that her mind is returning back to basic things that are taught to children.
“or the spade
or the sand
or the seashell on the shore.”
What are is created in this quote?
A semantic field of the beach created through a lexical set of common nouns.
The sibilance also mimics the sound of the sea, conveying the strength of memories.
Themes and features in the poem.
Memory, the past, loss, frustration. The poem is in free verse, meaning it is irregular, chaotic and unpredictable.
How does the structure of the poem create meaning?
Demonstrates her erratic and jumpy thoughts due to her struggle with memory.
Also mimics the flow of the tides.
