Owen Sheers Context Flashcards
Division
Saw division as the ‘genesis’ of all of the poems in Skirrid Hill
Inspiration from Heaney
‘writ[ing] about what happens’, ‘words that cast two shadows’
Masculinity
Mentioned in a 2021 interview that he views traditional ideals of masculinity as ‘broken’
War
Wrote in an essay for the British council of literature ‘Where the lexicon of war defuses language, poetry charges it’.
Wales
Annexed in 12th century by Edward I
Tercets
Common in traditional Welsh poetry
Nature
Exceedingly enthusiastic about the environment, founding Black Mountains College which exclusively teaches ‘sustainable futures’
Mametz wood
20,000 Welsh volunteer soldiers from the same area were expected to make an attack in broad daylight under a smoke screen which malfunctioned - before attacking they sang Welsh hymns and pledged allegiance to their country
The farrier
Important part of Welsh cultural landscape
Women
Grew up around strong women
Skirrid Hill
Myth that part of the hill broke off at the time of Christ’s crucifixion
Joseph Jones
‘getting wings’ is RAF slang for passing a test
The past
The secondary school that Sheers attended is one of the oldest in the UK, and Abergavenny is a medieval town
Nationalism
Sheers travels a lot and has described himself as a ‘globetrotter’ perhaps indicating towards a dissatisfaction with his own country
The Steelworks
Before the creation of the Ebbw Vale steelworks, the area contained many animals. After its destruction, the industry in Ebbw Vale was negatively impacted
