Material

Question 1

Title: literal

Answer 1

Literal: Refers to handkerchief fabric, symbolizing the mother’s care, tradition, and the past.

Question 2

Title: abstract

Answer 2

Represents values, lessons, and emotional legacy passed through generations.

Question 3

What does the shift title meaning show

Answer 3

The speaker realizes her own life forms the “material” of parenting, highlighting the balance between nostalgia and personal agency.

Question 4

Structure

Answer 4

Eight-line stanzas and steady rhyme scheme reflect the reliability and permanence of the mother’s world, just like the fabric handkerchiefs she cherished. This structured form mirrors the sense of order and continuity that the hanky represents

Question 5

Shift in structure

Answer 5

Breaks structured rhythm, mirroring the shift to disposable tissues and the speaker’s uncertainty.

Question 6

When hanky meant a thing of cloth not paper tissues bought in packs

Answer 6

Highlights consumer culture’s emphasis on convenience over tradition. The nostalgic tone suggests that modern life lacks the personal, lasting connections embodied by cloth handkerchiefs.

Question 7

My mother was a hanky queen / when hanky meant a thing of cloth not paper tissues bought in packs

Answer 7

Hanky queen = proud of ger culture
The enjambment between lines reflects the passage of time and changing values. By repeating the contrast between cloth and disposable tissues, the speaker reinforces how her mother’s world—rooted in care and permanence—has faded, replaced by a throwaway culture.

Question 8

When those who used to buy them died

Answer 8

Signals the loss of both people and traditions. The death of those who valued hankies symbolizes the fading of their customs.

Question 9

Nostalgia only makes me old

Answer 9

Rather than comforting, nostalgia highlights the passage of time and distances the speaker from her past. The phrase suggests that dwelling on memories does not bring back what was lost but instead reinforces the inevitability of change and aging.

Question 10

There’s never a hanky up my sleeve. / I raised neglected-looking kids

Answer 10

Symbolises preparedness, care, and attentiveness—qualities associated with the speaker’s mother. By stating she never does this, the speaker suggests she has not followed the same traditions of motherhood.

Question 11

That this is your material / to do with, daughter, what you will

Answer 11

This concluding statement passes the theme of material—both physical and symbolic—to the next generation. The phrase acknowledges that traditions evolve, and each person must shape their own legacy