Maura Dooley - Letters from Yorkshire

Question 1

What is the poem about?

Answer 1

• “Letters from Yorkshire” is thought to be about the relationship between Dooley and her father.
• The poem describes two people, one who works in news and the other who works in agriculture.
• Despite their evident differences, it is apparent that they derive great joy from their correspondence by letter.

Question 2

Give a brief synopsis of the poem

Answer 2

• The speaker describes a man digging potatoes who goes inside to write to the speaker
• The speaker then tells the listener that their relationship is not romantic
• They then question if the other person is living more authentically because they are outdoors rather than in a city writing for news
• They then say that their letter writing makes them feel connected to another world

Question 3

When was the poet alive?

Answer 3

• 1957-now

Question 4

When was the poem written?

Question 5

Context regarding Maura Dooley

Answer 5

• Dooley has lived in multiple places throughout her life; she was born in Cornwall but has lived in London, Bristol and Yorkshire.
• The disparity between urban and rural life is reflected in the poem.
• Many of her poems also contain the theme of communication which may also be the result of Dooley’s connections around the country.

Question 6

“In February, digging his garden, planting potatoes,”

Answer 6

• Active verb used shows the speaker’s respect for the character they are addressing by presenting them as an active character
• Alliteration of “planting potatoes” implies that this is a regular action for the character

Question 7

“he saw the first lapwings return and came”

Answer 7

• Allusion to spring time establishes the hopeful tone of the poem and references the cyclicity of nature - shows how their relationship is firmly planted in a mutual appreciation of nature

Question 8

“indoors to write to me, his knuckles singing”

Answer 8

• Colloquialism shows the characters’ familiarity which each other
• Joyful connotations of “singing” shows that letter writing is more than a means of staying in touch for the characters

Question 9

“as they reddened in the warmth.”

Answer 9

• Colour imagery in “reddened” to create a sense of warmth between the characters
• Red usually has angry connotations - this is subverted implying that the characters are taking something negative (living far apart) and extracting positive from the situation

Question 10

“It’s not romance, simply how things are.”

Answer 10

• Matter of fact tone - representative of the speaker’s role in news presentation

Question 11

“You out there, in the cold, seeing the seasons”

Answer 11

• Monosyllabic words used suggest that he lives and uncomplicated life - juxtaposes with the polysyllabic, alliterative phrase “seeing the seasons”
• Furthers the disconnect between the speaker and the person they are writing to

Question 12

“turning, me with my heartful of headlines”

Answer 12

• Alliteration used to emphasise that although the speaker loves the other character she also loves her separate life

Question 13

“feeding words onto a blank screen.”

Question 14

“Is your life more real because you dig and sow?”

Answer 14

• This rhetorical question shows the ongoing communication between the characters

Question 15

“You wouldn’t say so, breaking ice on a waterbutt,”

Question 16

“clearing a path through snow. Still, it’s you”

Question 17

“who sends me word of that other world”

Answer 17

• Alliteration used highlights the difference between the urban world the speaker is living in and the subject of the poem’s rural settings

Question 18

“pouring air and light into an envelope. So that”

Answer 18

• Metaphor shows the joy they receive from writing letters to each other
• The image created of someone pouring air and light into an envelope suggests that the speaker feels trapped in her urban life

Question 19

“at night, watching the same news in different houses,”

Answer 19

• He has previously given her part of his life and now the impact she has on his life is shown

Question 20

“our souls tap out messages across the icy miles.”

Answer 20

• Poem ends with a beautiful metaphor showing how they are not letting themselves become disconnected from each other
• “Icy miles” would usually act as pathetic fallacy to denote something negative however, Dooley has not allowed it to do so here. - also links back to the seasonal change

Question 21

Describe the perspective that the poem uses

Answer 21

• First person perspective of a speaker who is assumed to be Dooley herself.
• Dooley is writing about somebody they love who lives far away from her as she pursues her career.
• Whilst Dooley lives in the city, her friend/father lives in the countryside so she makes it clear throughout that she feels their lives as distinctly separate.

Question 22

Describe the structure of the poem

Answer 22

• The first four stanzas are centred on the speaker and her father’s separate lives, the tone changes in the last stanza as they are no longer described separately but together.
• This creates the sense of them coming together through their letter writing.
• Dooley shifts through the use of different sets of pronouns: from “he”, to the direct address of “you”, to the use of “our” in the final stanza.
• This means that the experience of the speaker is also moving from individual to the combined narrative of writing.
• Each stanza is three lines - which are called tercets - suggesting the brief nature of their communication.
• Most of the lines use five stresses, alongside some enjambment, which emphasises the poem as a piece of communicating speech.
• The enjambment works to tie the poem together, making up for the lack of rhyme scheme.

Question 23

Describe the opening of the poem

Answer 23

• The inclusion of the temporal deixis “In February” shows the strength of their relationship over time as well as their familiarity with one another due to the colloquial tone created.
• Dooley also uses asyndetic listing in “digging his garden, planting potatoes, he saw the first lapwings return” this gives a detailed insight into the man’s life from the outset of the poem to show the closeness between the characters.

Question 24

Describe the use of language about metahpors

Answer 24

• The entire poem has a joyful tone which is created by Dooley’s use of metaphorical language. Beautiful visual imagery is used in “pouring air and light into an envelope”.
• There is juxtaposition in “knuckles singing” as positive connotations are attributed to something negative (the cold outside).
• Dooley further opposes typically negative phrases in “our souls tap out messages across the icy miles” by subverting the usually dismal pathetic fallacy attributed to winter to show the joy the characters provide each other.
• Whilst Dooley is unequivocal in her love for her friend/father, her use of metaphors shows a more complicated relationship with her job.
• The alliteration used in “heartful of headlines” emphasises the happiness she gains from her job however, this contrasts with “feeding words onto a blank screen” in which harsh fricatives show that the speaker feels some distaste towards her job.

Question 25

Describe the use of language about weather

Answer 25

• Dooley uses the weather in order to show the unconventionality of their relationship.
• There is contrast between “reddened in the warmth” and “in the cold”.
• The juxtaposition between warmth and the cold is representative of the characters bringing warmth into their lives through letter writing when there should be cold and distance between them.

Question 26

Describe the use of language about communication

Answer 26

• It is evident in the poem that communication is significant to Dooley.
• The alliteration in “heartful of headlines” and the metaphor “feeding words onto a blank screen” emphasise that communication is significant to her in her job.
• This theme is developed further by the visual imagery used in “pouring air and light into an envelope” which implies that she is freed by the letters she receives.
• The listener is further provided insight into the way in which she benefits human connection through the antithesis used in “same news in different houses”.

Question 27

Compare with:

Answer 27

• Mother any distance