Letters from Yorkshire Flashcards
“he saw the first lapwings return and came
indoors to write to me”
“to write to me” - keeps her informed of his situation.
Technique: enjambment
-Significant of their continuous communication.
Reader sees a healthy relationship as there is communication.
“his knuckles singing”
“singing” - happy, excited.
Techniques: personification
-Knuckles personifies to show the excitement of the speakers friend to inform them.
Reader gains an insight to the delight the speaker’s friend feels when they talk to the speaker.
“You out there, seeing the seasons
turning, me with my heartful of headlines
feeding words onto a blank screen.”
“seeing the seasons turning” - work is laborious, farmer probably. Also a long time apart - many years as seasons are changing.
“feeding words onto a blank screen” - seems unlively and boring. Life is blank when she doesn’t write to her friend. Reporter.
Technique: contrast
- Compares the lively and active occupation of friend to repetitive, even tedious news reporter job of her own.
Reader given insight to how strong the relationship still is despite the time spent apart.
“Is your life more real because you dig and sow?”
Technique: rhetoric question
-Contrast in lifestyles between speaker and subject.
-Show the differences, which makes room for distance.
-“more real” - sense of superiority, could cause resentment.
Made evident to reader that there are differences between them
“Still, it’s you
who sends me word of that other world.”
Technique: half-rhyme, enjambment
-Reinforces sense of distance and space.
-How continuous conversations are.
-“other world” - reflects physical distance.
Readers see a strong relationship as they cope with the space well and don’t allow for distance to cause issues.
“pouring air and light into an envelope.”
“air and light” - needed for a plant’s survival and growth.
Technique: personification, nature imagery
- The friend gives the speaker life with the letters he sends her; she needs them to survive/cope.
Readers see how they rely on each other to pass time and cope with the distance.
“at night, watching the same new in different houses,
our souls tap out messages across the icy miles.”
Technique: juxtaposition, adjective
-“same” and “different” juxtaposed to show their closeness despite the distance.
-“icy” - often describes people who are reserved. -Suggests the distance has created a barrier for them to communicate.
-“souls” - spiritual connection; relation under strain.
Reader shown that the physical distance between them has created emotional distance too, but they manage to maintain their companionship.
Form, Structure, Context.
- Free flowing prose which reflects the speaker’s contemplative tone.
- Relationship between Dooley and her father.
