Buying Winkles: Analysis (General) Flashcards
What are the recurring themes in Paula Meehan’s work? (particular to this poem)
Memory and continuity are recurring themes in Paula Meehan’s work.
What does this poem provide for the reader in terms of the poet and it’s location?
‘Buying Winkles’ is not only a vibrant snapshot of Dublin’s social history in the early 1960s, but also evokes the mystery and charm of the act of writing poetry.
what type of image do the opening lines create (and describe the image)?
The poem’s opening lines present a tender image of Paula Meehan’s early days in Dublin’s inner city.
What is the narrative of this poem?
She recalls the eager anticipation and excitement of being sent to buy winkles for her mother who would ‘spare her sixpence
How is the close mother-daughter bond highlighted in the first stanza?
The close child-mother bond is highlighted by the verb ‘spare, suggesting that she has been specially chosen and trusted with an important task
How is the poem brought to life, early in the poem? Use quotation to aid answer
This small domestic drama is immediately brought to life with the mother’s words of warning: don’t be talking to strange/men on the way.
How does this quote affect the poem?
don’t be talking to strange/men on the way.
This small domestic drama is immediately brought to life with the mother’s words of warning
What does the poet imagine on the stairs of her tenement home?
The poet recalls her younger self, leaving behind imaginary ghosts’ on the dark tenement stairs where she lived to ‘dash’ along the neighbouring streets on her important errand.
What indicates that young Meehan enjoys this errand? (in general)
Everything delights her on this magical journey. ‘even in rain I was happy’ (line 8).
how does sibilance affect the description of the winkles?
Sibilant ‘s’ sounds used to describe the wet winkles that ‘glisten blue like little/night skies’ add a tactile quality to the image.
What is the effect of the enjambment in this poem? Give an example.
Energetic run-on lines emphasise the child’s intense feeling of freedom: “I’d hold the tanner tight/and jump every crack in the pavement’
What are the darker, underlying themes in this poem? (what is society shaped by?)
Despite all the friendliness and good humour, society is shaped by both poverty and gender roles.
How are women depicted compared to men in this poem? (2)
To a great extent, women are depicted as being marginalised in this crushingly patriarchal environment. Some are restricted to the shadows, at sills, while prostitutes wait patiently, lingering in doorways Meanwhile, the men are free, heading out for the night.
They are all assuming the role of provider of sustenance while the men characters are described as out drinking
In line 15, the poet introduces a larger-than-life figure from her past. Who is this?
The winkle seller
Where is the winkle seller found? Describe her set-up.
The winkle-seller is found in her usual location ‘outside the Rosebowl Bar using a discarded orange-crate as a makeshift seat, she exhibits her merchandise on an old pram.
