Piano Flashcards
Piano (title), and first word “softly”
Word play - they are synonyms
Creates a calm atmosphere that is emphasised from the start
The vista of years
Vista - suggests pleasant childhood experiences are being recalled
In the dusk
Metaphoric phrase, suggests the speaker’s mind is about to shift from the present to the past
Till I see
A child sitting under the piano
Enjambment - reflects the speed at which his childhood memory appears
Indefinite article “a” - creates a sense of detachment, makes memory more universal than personal, also creates an image of the speaker watching the memory play out in front of him
“Under the piano” - creates a sense of comfort and safety as the piano surrounds him
Pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings
“Pressing the… feet” - shows the loving relationship
Indefinite article “a” - universal quality
“Smiles as she sings” - sibilance, creates a soft and gentle tone to reflect that of the speaker’s memory
In spite of myself
Suggests the speaker is trying to resist the memory (may be too painful for him)
The insidious mastery of song
Suggests something cunning/underhanded has taken place - the song overpowers and controls him
Betrays me back
Emphasises idea that the speaker doesn’t want to revisit his past/childhood
Till the heart of me weeps to belong
Personifies the speaker’s heart - powerful metaphor, highlights how desperately he wants to relive his childhood
Heart is symbolic - associated with love, so he is trying to describe the depths of his longing (comes from a place of love)
The tinkling piano our guide
“Tinkling piano” - onomatopoeia, pleasant sound
“Guide” - piano is guide between past and present, personification
The singer to burst into clamour
Suggests the music is now loud and confusing (“clamour”) instead of soothing
Appassionato
Italian term meaning performing with great emotion/passion
My manhood is cast
He has succumbed to his memories, adult self is overpowered by them
Glamour of childish days
“Glamour” - shows speaker finds memory appealing
I weep like a child for the past
Simile - suggests he has succumbed to his past instead of resisting it
Although he can cry “like a child”, he will never be a child again
