box room Flashcards
“a space”
short statements to begin the poem - suggests bluntness
words suggest friendliness but ‘space’ suggests an intentional distance
“a space”
short statements to begin the poem - suggests bluntness
words suggest friendliness but ‘space’ suggests an intentional distance
“a space”
short statements to begin the poem - suggests bluntness
words suggest friendliness but ‘space’ suggests an intentional distance
“put me in my place”
highlights the mothers dominance (of the house, the visit, and her son)
“(Oh with concern for my comfort)”
the parenthesis and word choice of ‘oh’ give a sarcastic tone. the speaker does not actually believe the woman is interested in her comfort
“‘He brings a Friend’”
capitalisation of ‘Friend’ lends importance to the word. subtly suggests that these visitors were more than just friends (she is undercutting the relationship)
“when he comes home”
could be read as a prediction. the mother thinks this relationship will not last and her son will return home alone.
“when he comes home”
could be read as a prediction. the mother thinks this relationship will not last and her son will return home alone.
“night or two. Once or twice before”
the mother is emphasising how this relationship will be temporary, her sons relationships never last long - the relationship will be short. again emphasising that she is not the first girlfriend to be brought home.
“(Lightweight, glossy, made of some synthetic /Miracle)”
lightweight suggests insubstantial, glossy suggests superficial, and synthetic suggests not real - whereas the mother has a long standing loving connection with her son, she’s made the younger woman feel her own relationship with him is false and not built to last.
“pathetic / Shrine”
enjambment highlights the word ‘pathetic’, clearly shows the speakers contempt for the mother and how she has left the room. ‘Shrine’ suggests reverence for the dead, mother desperately trying to preserve her sons childhood despite him having grown up.
“Think she can brush off time with dust”
mother still sees and treats her son as a child. gives an mage of a woman tending to a shrine, suggests the dust that we return to when we die. relationship between mother and son = dead.
“I laugh it off in self defence”
defensive - suggests she is responding to an attack rather than asserting control.
“for a weekend to state my permanence”
contrast in words shows that the girlfriend is aware of how short her time is with her lover, compared to the enduring relationship she wants or the long standing one the mother has.
“for a weekend to state my permanence”
contrast in words shows that the girlfriend is aware of how short her time is with her lover, compared to the enduring relationship she wants or the long standing one the mother has.
