Mother Any Distance

Question 1

Who wrote Mother, any distance?

Answer 1

Simon Armitage

Question 2

‘span’, ‘acres’ …

Answer 2

… ‘prairies’, ‘metres’, ‘centimetres’, ‘last one-hundredth of an inch’

• language feature creating semantic field of distances
• childlike imagery - begs the question as to whether the speaker is ready to embark on new adventured

Question 3

‘Anchor.’ …

Answer 3

… ‘Kite.’

• structural feature in caesura contrasts enjambement throughout the poem
• pause could reflect a moment of reflection for the pair
• or moment of conflict, is the speaker being held down?

Question 4

‘I reach’…

Answer 4

…‘towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky’

• noun ‘hatch’ has double meaning, window or reference to birds
• metaphorically leaving the nest?

Question 5

‘Mother’…‘You’…

Answer 5

…‘I’

• structural change in pronouns used at the start of each stanza
• mirrors progression of speaker, from attachment to independence

Question 6

Describe the form of Mother, any distance?

Answer 6

• loosely based on the sonnet form
• love poem but relationship changes which is reflected in the subverted form
• last line ‘to fall or fly’ is alone, dramatic impact of decision with severe consequences

Question 7

What can you compare Mother, any distance to?

Answer 7

• Walking Away
• Before You Were Mine
  (both linked through changing relationships)

Question 8

What is the main theme of Mother, any distance?

Answer 8

Changing relationships