From Long Distance Flashcards
What is the main theme of the poem? (From Long Distance)
The poem focuses mostly on his father grieving his wife but then also focuses on the speaker’s own grief of both his parents
Paragraph 1? (From Long Distance)
Harrison begins the poem by looking at an almost irrational, emotional side to grief
Quotes for paragraph 1? (From Long Distance)
‘though my mother was already two years dead’
‘slippers’ ‘hot water bottle’ ‘transport pass’
one routine per line
‘though my mother was already two years dead’
already –> belittling the grief and placing a value judgement
‘slippers’ ‘hot water bottle’ ‘transport pass’
all mundane things even after 2 years which seems unnecessary and almost irrational
also all domestic kind of things which shows how the grief impacts his everyday life
one routine per line
each line of the first stanza has one routine which makes it seem more routine and almost second nature, showing the impact of the grief on his father’s routine and day to day life, even 2 years later
Paragraph 2? (From Long Distance)
Harrison then goes on to highlight a societal shame associated with his father’s ongoing grief
Quotes for paragraph 2? (From Long Distance)
‘give him time to clear away her things’
‘look alone’
‘as though his still raw love were such a crime’
‘give him time to clear away her things’
shows how he is hiding his grief, illustrating the shame associated with his grief, even with his own son
‘look alone’
ironic –> he is alone but doesn’t feel like it. this shows his pain and loneliness but also his shame that he feels even though he isn’t hiding anyone (he literally is alone)
‘as though his still raw love were such a crime’
crime –> social expectation concerning his grief making it seem unacceptable, which only makes the grief more isolating and emotionally draining
Paragraph 3? (From Long Distance)
In the final stanza, the shift of the poem focuses more on the narrator’s own grief of both his parents after the death of his father
Quotes for paragraph 3? (From Long Distance)
‘I’
rhyme scheme
‘my new black leather phone book there’s your name’
‘I’
the shift to first person shows that he only has himself now, showing the speaker’s isolation and depicting the loneliness of grief
rhyme scheme (From Long Distance)
there is a change in rhyme scheme in the last stanza that seperates his grief from his father’s because he is now alone
‘my new black leather phone book there’s your name’
new –> even in a new life, the grief is still there
CONC: enjambment after ‘name’ creates disconnect between having the number and trying to call it, showing his lack of success
