Piano

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

• poem is semi autobiographical - Lawrence had a very close relationship with his mother, and her death affected him deeply
• piano was written at a time when men were expected to suppress emotion, so the speaker’s weeping is powerfully subversive

Question 2

Themes

Answer 2

1. Nostalgia and memory
   - music acts as a trigger, transporting the speaker back to childhood
   - warm, sensory memories contrast with his current adult detachment
2. Motherhood and love
   - his mother is a central figure
   - she represents security, warmth and unconditional love
3. Masculinity and emotion
   - the speaker weeps - showing vulnerability
   - this emotional openness contrasts with traditional male stoicism
4. Time and loss
   - the speaker mourns not just his mother, but also his lost childhood
   - theres a end of longing and retreat for something that can’t be recovered

Question 3

Structure and form

Answer 3

• 3 quatrains in rhyming couplets - creates a musical, rhythmic structure mirroring the piano’s music
• enjambment and fluid rhythm reflect the flow of memory
• chronological movement from present to past, then returning to the present in the final stanza

Question 4

Language and imagery

Answer 4

• auditory imagery: ‘the tinkling piano’, ‘hymns in the cosy parlour’ - evokes vivid sound memories
• personification: the piano becomes an emotional guide - ‘taking me back down to vista of the years’ as if music literally pulls him back through time
• metaphor and simile
• ‘I weep like a child for the past’ - direct simile of emotional regression
• the flood of remembrance’ - metaphor for overwhelming emotion

Question 5

Tone and mood

Answer 5

• warm and tender in memories of the mother
• melancholic and mournful in the present
• overwhelming emotion builds throughout, ending in open grief

Question 6

Messages

Answer 6

• memory has immense emotional power, especially when connected to sensory experiences like music
• parental love, especially maternal, can leave lifelong emotional marks
• the poem challenges expectations of masculinity - emotion is not weakness
• nostalgia is bitter sweet - beautiful but painful because it reminds us of what we’ve lost