letters from yorkshire Flashcards
He saw the lapwings first return… his knuckles singing
He’s connected with nature and it’s cycles. The personification shows the delight he feels
You out there, in the cold, seeing the seasons turning, me with my heartful of headlines feeding words onto a blank screen
His simple way of life - enjambment imitates the changing seasons. She comparing both their lives - perhaps she feels his is more real and is jealous
Is your life more real because you dig and sow?
Rhetorical question in the middle stanza reflects how this issue is at the centre of what the poem is about,
It’s you who sends me word of that other world pouring air and light into an envelope
He wouldn’t think there was anything special about his life, but the narrator would. Almost magical description ‘air and light’. She romantices his life.
Same news in different houses our souls tap out messages across the icy miles
Their lives aren’t so different - shared experience makes her feel closer to him. ‘souls’ - spiritual language shows they have a deep and meaningful connection. Communication brings them together, despite the distance. ‘icy’ suggests she doesn’t like being so far from him.
