From Long Distance Flashcards
Structure
The first three stanzas all described Dad’s grief to Mama’s death, but the last paragraph is about Harrison’s own grief.
Poet Context:
Harrison was a baker’s son who grew up in post-war Germany. His working-class background surrounded all his works.
Title: From Long Distance
Distance might suggest that the living cannot reach the dead. Grief arouses from this unachievable barrier. The distance exists both between Dad and Mom as well as Dad and the author.
“Dad kept her slippers warming by the gas,/ put hot water bottles”
There is a semantic field of warmth, togetherness and domestic life. This is the atmosphere Dad was trying to feel and rememer.
“He knew she’d just popped out to get the tea.”
“You haven’t both gone shopping;”
First, both getting the tea(dinner) and going shopping are very mundane and ordinary events with a guaranteed return, it is not the case now. Second, both “popped” and “shopping” have a plosive “p” sound, creating an internal rhyme, making these to lines parallel.
“and still went to renew her transport pass.”
“and the disconnected number I still call.”
Both lines described an event that Harrison and his father did long after the death of their loved ones. Both used the word “and” and “still”. Both events were obviously unnecessary to do, but both of them still do it for grief.
Form
From Long Distance is a free verse with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGHHG.
Theme
Grief, loss, unacceptance, family
Time period context
Harrison’s parents died (which can be told from the poem itself)
In my new black leather phone book there’s your name / and the disconnected number I still call
It can be seen from this sentence that the poet has faced the same situation his father did when mother died – unacceptance. It also emphasized the theme of loss and grief due to the death of both the poet’s parents.
Though sure that very soon he’d hear the key / scrape in the rusted lock and end his grief
The poet used details in this sentence to emphasize the idea of unacceptance. For example, “rusted” gives a sense of long time passing through. The sentence describes how father’s unacceptance of the loss of mother is in a very strong extent.
You couldn’t just drop in. You had to phone. / He’d put you off an hour to give him time / to clear away her things and look alone
Though the poet’s father shows heavy unacceptance of his loss, he is still rational and doesn’t want others to see his unacceptance. He knew that his lover had died, but he want to deny such a fact.
