Climbing My Grandfather Revision Flashcards
‘Earth- stained hand’
L- adjective suggests he is very practical and loves working with nature.
C= poet was a lecturer in agriculture so reflects the poets interests about nature.
‘Glassy ridge of a scar’
L= metaphor- ridge because it sticks out so shows his scar tissue is raised on his arm.
‘Scar’ I= emphasises his work and hardship as he has physical scars.
OR
D=On a deeper level, they may symbolise the emotional scars that can’t be seen.
‘Warm ice’
L= oxymoron- smooth like ice but warm flesh. D= warm on inside but cold on outside- implies that he hides his emotions so it is a challenging journey for the speaker.
‘Not looking down’
Shows it has its dangers. Suggests that really his emotional journey could be dangerous. Might unearth things he doesn’t like. I= alternatively, he is looking up which shows he looks up to his grandfather and admires him.
‘,I rest for a while’
Caesura emphasises that the grandfather is an emotional support for him.
Eg topic sentences.
1-Even though they have a family relationship already, the speaker wants to explore the experiences of his grandfather.
‘Earth- stained hand’
‘Screed cheek’
2- tries to get a closer relationship with grandfather by attempting to explore his emotional experiences.
‘Glassy ridge of a scar’
3- represents trying to get a closer relationship as harder than expected.
‘Not looking down’
‘Warm ice’
‘Gasping’
‘Trying to get a grip’
Structure: caesura shows strong relationship.
‘,I rest for a while’
OR
No stanza breaks reflects the continuous nature of the journey to get to know his grandfather better, therefore, strengthening their relationship.
‘I decide to do it free’
L= verb ‘decide’ shows his determination to get to know his grandfather better.
It’s important that he tackles the climb free, without things to ensure his safety as it shows how he’s willing to take risks because he doesn’t know what he will discover.
‘Trying to get a grip’
Speaker attempts to get a grip on the grandfathers trousers. I= alternatively, he is trying to get a grip on him emotionally to get to know him better.D= shows its very hard to explore him as the grandfather is not very open emotionally
‘At his still firm shoulder’
L= metaphor. Shows how he supports him on his shoulders. Grandfather offers his grandson support physically and D=on a deeper level, emotionally.
‘Screed cheek’
L= metaphor showing skins quite rough from manual labour. Speaker gets a grip on the experiences of his grandfather.
‘Gasping’
L= verb shows how physically and emotionally exhausting the climb is but he’s close so won’t give up.
