Follower

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

Brought up in simple rural household eldest of eight children
Turned down role to be a national port because of his strong Irish roots identity

Question 2

Title

Answer 2

Ambiguous doesn’t clarify who is following who also relevant to central theme of poem

Question 3

Stanza 1

Answer 3

Remembering father, simile used that likens fathers ‘globed’ shoulders with a ‘full sail’ strong powerful man
Has control over horse with commands
Admiration from poet observing his dads work

Question 4

Stanza 2

Answer 4

Opens with ‘an expect’ confirms admiration followed by caesura demands reader to pause to consider his mastery explained in ‘fit,set, without breaking, single pluck’
Significant as rural work seen menial,unimportant. Poet elevates it to high level of importance. Enjambment used at end to illustrate plough turning to come back down the line

Question 5

Stanza 3

Answer 5

Father and horse described as team man and nature working in unison ‘his eyes narrow and angled at the ground mapping the furrow exactly’ shows precision details of fathers work
Poet attentively observing father with great pride to mimic him in future

Question 6

Stanza 4

Answer 6

Poets stumbling juxtaposes accuracy of his father ‘stumbled’ ‘fell sometimes’
Passive verb ‘he rode me on his back’ shows fathers in control could be interpreted as sentimental portrait of father who’s affectionate loving
Could also show poets frustration as he could never live up to him

Question 7

Stanza 5

Answer 7

‘I wanted to grow up and plough’ impact and influence of father shown
Melancholic tone when poet acknowledges that ‘all I ever did was follow’ revealing sense of his own failure and inadequacy

Question 8

Stanza 6

Answer 8

‘Tripping, falling, yapping’ recognises nuisance he may of caused
Recognises change in relationship as it’s now the father who ‘who keeps stumbling’ and ‘will not go away’
Poet couldn’t leave father due to his devotion towards, tenderly recognises roles switching or frustrated with fathers dependence on him having seen him as a role model all his life

Question 9

Structure

Answer 9

Rhyme scheme- consistent shows consistent imagery but some changes show changed in relationship also has robotic tone hints at solid relationship but not functional
Semantic field of precise work- ‘eye narrowed’ ‘mapping’ ‘exactly’