Mother, Any Distance Flashcards
Where is the poem from
‘Book of matches’ a book of sonnets which are based around a game where a player talks about his life before the match burns out
Give some comparisons to other poems
Walking away - parent/child relationship changing over time
Before you were mine - presentation of a mother
What themes are there in the poem
Family relationships
Independence
Getting older / growing up
How is independence shown
Boy is exploring new things in the house but this could be a metaphor for new things in life
Mother is reluctant to let him go
How are extended metaphors shown in the story
Through measurements and distances
They represent the poets changing relationship with his mum
Give a quote to show how there moving forward with life
‘Unreeling / years’
Represents shared history and enjambment shows how their crossing into a new phase
Movement is a big part in the poem and what does it show
Shows the sun walking around the new house and he is exploring a new world, ready to ‘fly’
What imagery is in the poem
Tape - like an umbilical cord
Kite - narrator is described as this and the mother is described as an ‘anchor’ > censure used here
What do the first word of each stanza show
His journey towards independence
‘Mother’ ‘you’ ‘I’
What kind of poem is this and what does it show
Loose sonnet which shows his love for her
But it’s loose because it’s got an irregular rhyme scheme which reflects his uncertainty and unstableness in relationship speaker say how his relationship is changing but he still loves mother
How does the rhyme scheme break down throughout and what does this show
1st stanza - 2 rhyming couplets emphasis goes the strong bond
2nd 3rd stanzas - rhyme starts to break down reflecting he is pulling away from her
Last stanza - there are uneven lines which shows bonds between mother and son are reaching ‘breaking point’
However last two lines rhyme which suggests there bond will never break
What does enjambment do for the poem
Makes a natural flowing rhythm and emphasises verbs like ‘climb’ ‘pinch’ ‘reach’ highlighting his efforts to break away
Last stanza says what about his final feelings
Sums up narrators feelings about Independence
That there are danger like he might ‘fall’
But the ‘endless sky’ offers exciting opportunities
What does the structure portray
The uncontrolled line length reflect the new pasrbof life the boy is testing out and how he is loosing control of his mother
What imagery is used
Childish imagery ‘span’
Reminder of childhood and reminds mother of past or could be hinting at how the boy isn’t ready
