Before You Were Mine Vs Eden Rock

Question 1

Both connote the afterlife

Answer 1

‘Your ghost clatters towards me’

• ‘ghost’ is a reflection of who her mother was before
• implying that her mothers carefree and jovial personality when she was young ‘died’
• ‘clatters’ is onomatopoeia - as usually ghosts float, extreme juxtaposition (guilt that she ruined her mothers life)

afterlife is referenced in order to highlight how the child has changed her mother

‘Crossing is not as hard as you might think’
- one interpretation is that they are calling to him from the underworld - comforting and reassuring him (connoted by Eden Rock, as Eden is in heaven)

afterlife is connoted in order to highlight the deep and lasting bond between parents and child

Question 2

Both narrators are in awe of their parents

Answer 2

‘Where you sparkle and waltz before you were mine’

• narrator is idealistic - through rose tinted glasses
• uses connotations of light to present mother as angelic glamorous, centre of attention)
• possessive (role reversal)

‘Takes on the light’

• as a child he is in awe
• golden / angelic - figure of guidance and reassurance

Both view mothers as perfect and use connotations of light, but BYWM has a more regretful tone as it highlights mothers unfulfilled potential

Question 3

In both poems there is a separation (time vs location)

Answer 3

‘I’m 10 years away from the corner you laugh on’
- I’m vs you - personal singular pronouns, separate, highlights the distance between them

‘They beckon from the other bank’

• ‘they’ are together while he is separated from them by the stream
• however ‘beckon’ implies persuasion x they are convincing him to join them

in ER the parents won’t be together with their child and they are convincing him to join them