INHERITANCE Flashcards
what is it about?
explores inheritance and what is passed between generations
physical items, skills, knowledge
in light of gender, identity and culture
what happens?
narrator wonders what they have to offer their daughters, considers the idea that nothing we have is really ours. she mourns the idea that she has nothing to give, but by the end of the poem realises she did after all - she was passing on the gift of life, something she had all along
varied line length
from three words to fifteen
varied rhythm and pace = contributes to the confusion
vary within culture and society - inheritance is different for all
lack of rhyme
lack of control and ownership
powerless to spot patterns, relate to lack of power of mother
rhyme schemes often used to show expectation, order, control = the opposite done here
pronouns - mainly ‘I’ and ‘my’
shows personal connections to the inheritance
‘I’ = specifically what they have learnt from the world
children described with possessive determiner ‘my’ , could show ownership OR responsibility
geography and history in the poem
‘three rock mountain’ , ‘islands of waters’ = shows connection to home
‘silver’ and ‘silk’ importance of inheritance throughout history
change in attitudes - ‘the ground I stood on was never really mine’ - what did women have in the past
shifts in tone
at the beginning, the tone is wondering, just thoughtful
it then progresses to sad and regretful ‘I never had and can never hand on’
finishes with pride ; ‘I understood them’ ‘I must have learned that’ = lessons learnt, identity shaped
mix of emotions makes the poem very personal, and very real
it might not ever be theirs
‘might’ uncertainty, inability to control circumstances after death
link to real life problems with younger generations - makes a personal impact
to make the nothing… into something
the developing rights of women - as they turn nothing into value, it contrasts against what women have now. symbolise passing on of knowledge, of progression and movement with the times
I must have learned that somewhere
‘must’ is reassuring, there is no doubt there
there is knowledge to be shared - but it also feels regretful, slightly lost ‘somewhere’ - juxtaposes certainty with confusion
IDENTITY
how material shapes identity - land, materials, knowledge
how history of ourselves shape identity
looks at how society shapes identity in that what society gives us negotiates to an extent what we give our future generations
GENDER
this is a poem about mothers and daughters, and connections between women as well as their past struggles. this could be seen as more delicate and emotive, it leaves out the role of the father or sons - a comment on how easy inheritance is for them?
SOCIETY AND CULTURE
society factors are brought into this poem through the mentions of history and geography
