Poem For My Sister

Question 1

What can we say about the structure of the poem?

Answer 1

There is no rhyme
The stanzas are different lengths (free verse)
There is no regular structure
Is this maybe done to reflect the ups and downs, and inconsistencies of life

Question 2

‘My little sister likes to try my shoes,’

What does the phrase ‘try my shoes’ suggest?

Answer 2

• A metaphor for the fact that the younger sister wants to be like her (the voice) - she admires her and looks up to her as a role model

Question 3

‘She says they fit her perfectly,
But wobbles’
What technique is used here and why?

Answer 3

ENJAMBEMENT is used to enable to author to put ‘but wobbles’ on a separate line to emphasise it.

Question 4

Explain the juxtaposition that is created between ‘strut’ and ‘wobbles’

Answer 4

Juxtaposition if verb choice to indicate that the sister is Trying to grow up to quickly, yet simultaneously managing to highlight her youth
- Also, there is juxtaposition between what the voice sees, and what the sister sees, again emphasising her rush to grow up

Question 5

‘Admire her spindle thin 12 year old legs’

What does she suggest about the sister?

Answer 5

Suggests fragility and emphasises her youth

Question 6

‘In this seasons styles’ is an example of which technique?

Answer 6

Sibilance

Question 7

What are the implications of ‘strut’ and ‘this seasons styles’

Answer 7

• Connotations of catwalks
• We know that Lochhead is a feminist writer - this is perhaps a criticism of society
• She is questioning the fact that society dictates how women look and behave, and that women feel defined by their appearances, which is wrong
• Perhaps a criticism of women’s role in society

Question 8

‘On their high heels, they’re hard to balance’

What is suggested?

Answer 8

HARD TO BALANCE - suggests that it is difficult to keep steady in life - emphasises the challenge of making the right choices in life

Question 9

‘I like to watch my little sister’

What is the significance of using the word little?

Answer 9

LITTLE - to highlight her youth and vulnerability, and bring a protective undertone

Question 10

‘Playing hopscotch, admire the neat hops and skips of her’

Analyse ‘admire’

Answer 10

ADMIRE - a sense of nostalgia as she reminisces, wishing to be young again

Question 11

‘Playing hopscotch, admire the neat hops and skips do her’

Analyse the syntax.

Answer 11

This enables Lochhead to emphasise her and shift the focus onto the sister

Question 12

‘Their quick peck’
Who/what is being referenced with ‘their’?
What does this represent?
What technique is used?

Answer 12

• THEIR - the little sisters feet
• The fast movements of her feet represent how quickly she is moving through her life
• CONSONANCE is used to emphasise this point

Question 13

What does the extended metaphor of feet and shoes enable to author to do?

Answer 13

The lives of the narrator and the sister are contrasted through the metaphor of feet and shoes - the callouses and struggles of the voice versus the innocence of the younger sister

Question 14

'Neat hops-and-skips of her'
'Quick peck'
'Never-missing' 
'Over-stepping' 
Why is this done??

Answer 14

Lochhead is able to create a certain rhythm in ore to mimic the beat of the childhood games she is describing, or to perhaps mimic the rhythm of a children’s poem

Question 15

‘I try to warn my little sister
About unsuitable shoes’
What are the shoes metaphorical of?
What else does ‘unsuitable’ represent? (The author is reflecting on herself)

Answer 15

The shoes are a metaphor for bad decisions in life. She is trying to warn her little sister about the importance of making the right decisions in life
- ‘Unsuitable’ also suggests that she deems herself an unsuitable role-model

Question 16

What is the poem literally about?

Answer 16

The author is writing about her younger sister, who is practising walking in her high heels, but stumbles.
The metaphor if shoes being representative of life is represented throughout the poem
However, the author feels that she is an inadequate role model, and reflects on her mistakes in life

Question 17

‘Point out my own distorted feet, the callouses’

What is this a metaphor for?

Answer 17

The distortions and callouses symbolise the emotional pain she has experienced as a result if poor decision making, the marks of which she carries around with her

Question 18

‘Odd patches of hard skin’

What is suggested by the term ‘odd’?

Answer 18

ODD - not everything was a mistake

Question 19

‘I should not like to see her
In my shoes’
What is implied?

Answer 19

That she doesn’t want her younger sister to follow in her footsteps - she speaks with regret

Question 20

What tone is made apparent through the final stanza, emphasised by ‘I try’ and ‘I wish’

Answer 20

Perhaps a sense of hopelessness, that, despite her efforts, she is doubtful that she will succeed

Question 21

‘Sure footed’
This line is inverted
What does this suggest?

Answer 21

Perhaps suggests that this is already beginning to fall apart, to fall out of place
Links to the tone of hopelessness throughout the stanza
The indent also creates a pause before a significant final line

Question 22

‘…….stay
Sure footed
Sensibly shod.’
What technique is used and why?

Answer 22

Sibilance - we often link the sound to snakes, which connote evil, therefor suggesting that a threat is coming her way