For Heidi With Blue Hair Flashcards
For Heidi with Blue Hair
Fleur Adcock
This poem is addressed as an encouragement to her young niece whose life was going through a difficult patch after the death of her mother. Thus this poem is deeply personal and has a heartfelt tone of sympathetic admiration for her niece’s struggle
Themes
Loss
Family and relationships
Rebellion
Notes on structure
It begins with Heidi’s hasty and bodged rebellious act in the opening two stanzas, but then the weak and vulnerable girl is revealed in the middle two. Finally we see the sympathy and love of those around her, who rally to help her deal with her loss and support her act of defiance.
Tone
Although the poem is filled with deep, powerful emotions, this is never really reflected in the tone, as everything is seen through a lens of admiration and celebration by Adcock
“For Heidi With Blue Hair”
Clear dedication to the person, demonstrates the deep personal nature of the subject
“When you dyed your hair blue”
Use ‘you’ 2nd person, personal pronoun to show a familiar and intimate relationship
“(Or at least, ultramarine for the clipped sides, with a crest of jet-black spikes on top)”
Speech like aside reveals the speaker is observant or the girl is very precise and deliberate in her act of rebellion
‘Crest’ admiration, the acknowledgement of small details
‘Jet Black’ very rebellious, dark and intense, so messing around,
“Yours was,”
Very personal attack from the headmistress
“Not done in the school colours”
Very childish argument, Adcock portrays the Headmistress as paradoxically old fashioned yet immature character, who’s reasoning is ludicrous
The use of the colours ‘jet black’ and ‘Blue’
Jet Black - might be a reference to death while the short vowel sounds creating a clipped tense mood
Blue - depression and sorrow
Link between Heidi’s state of mind and her hair
‘Clipped’ ‘Crest’
The alliteration of ‘clipped’ and ‘crest’ again create a harsh, abrasive sound.
“Tears in the kitchen”
Creates a domestic scene
“Freedom-loving father”
The father is depicted as sympathetic, caring and supportive. He is given speech emphasising his protection of her and his defence of her hair colour
“(You wiped your eyes, also not in a school colour”
While many people see this as a reference to Heidi’s eye make up or colour, I believe it refers to an red puffiness as a result of crying
This joke creates a sympathetic consoling voice
“Not even if I wanted to try”
Shows Heidi’s lack of repentance and determination
Stanza 5
Revealed that Heidi’s mother is dead
“Shimmered behind the arguments”
‘shimmered’ sounds etherial (spiritual) connotations of life after death
“Teachers twitter”
Alliteration makes them sound inconsequential and weak
We are encouraged to sympathise with Heidi and criticise the teachers
“Gave in” suggests confrontation before teachers give in out of pity
“Black friend had hers done
in grey, white and flaxen yellow”
In the final stanza the use of colour is very significant
It is an act of solidarity and generosity and described as a ‘witty tease’
We are encouraged to join the criticism of the petty rules and applaud the pupil’s minor rebellion
“Done” … “Won”
The rhyme creates a sense of finality
While the word ‘battle’ gives the situation more weight
“The battle was already won”
Heidi has ‘won and her friend’s loyalty and support is offered as some sort of solace
