Poetry - Blackberrying

Question 1

“Nobody in the lane, and nothing, nothing but blackberries,”

Answer 1

Repetition of blackberries, the speaker is surrounded by nature.
The repetition of ‘nothing’ isolates the speaker and reinforces their solitude. The feeling of emptiness in the landscape.

Question 2

“I follow the sheep path between them. A last hook brings me”

Answer 2

Animal imagery suggests the speaker is being herded like cattle. Religious imagery like a lamb to the slaughter - the speaker’s death.
The recurring motif of the speaker and reader being pulled. Suggests the speaker has no control.

Question 3

“The honey-feast of the berries has stunned them they believe in heaven.”

Answer 3

Berries are used in wine, flies feeding off berries become drunk and feel euphoric.
Biblical allusion to the land of milk and honey, the speaker wishes to feel this way in death.

Question 4

“Slapping its phantom laundry in my face.”

Answer 4

The wind is violent, she is no longer protected from the elements. Nature is no longer peaceful.
The personification of the wind slapping the speaker’s face creates a sensation of hostility from nature.

Question 5

“To the hills’ northern face, and the face is orange rock”

Answer 5

Repetition of ‘face’ - contrast created between the green meadows and rock face. The speaker has also changed through the transition.
Enjambment propels the reader forward, mimicking the forward motion of the speaker.