Mother, Any Distance - Simon Armitage:

Question 1

Context:

Answer 1

This is one of the poems that was supposed to be shorter than a match burning.

Question 2

Summary:

Answer 2

A mother comes to the house the narrator is moving into to help measure things such as walls and doors.

Question 3

Form:

Answer 3

Interrupted sonnet – traditionally used for love poetry – he still loves his mother. Unlike a sonnet, it has an irregular rhyme scheme - uncertainty. The uneven lines of the last stanza reflect how the bond between the mother and son reaching ‘breaking point.’

Question 4

Structure:

Answer 4

He describes his need for his mother in the first stanza. The second stanza – he begins to explore independence. In the last, he realises that something has to give to be independent. The poem ends with the reader unsure whether he will ‘fall’ or ‘fly.’

Question 5

Language about measurement:

Answer 5

Extending metaphor – changing relationship with mother.

Question 6

Language about movement:

Answer 6

Shows how the poet is breaking away from his mother. Walking around his new house – exploring a new world – he feels ready to try to ‘fly’.

Question 7

Imagery:

Answer 7

The tape suggests an umbilical cord. The idea of the anchor suggests the mother keeps the narrator secure. At the end, this link seems about to break showing he is breaking away from his mother.

Question 8

Themes:

Answer 8

Excitement – For independence.

Fear – Worry.

Connection - The tape represents a strong bond.

Appreciation – For help and the security she offers him.

Question 9

Compare to:

Answer 9

Walking Away, Before You Were Mine, Eden Rock and Follower.