Poppies Flashcards
What is the poets influence
With the news filled with stories of conflict – for example, in Iraq and Afghanistan – the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, asked several poets to write on this theme.
Weir was interested in the voice of women involved in conflict, which she believed were often silenced. So she chose to focus on the grief of a mother and the pain of letting her child go.
What is the summary
The mother reminisces about the day he left and the way her memories are brought back on Armistice Sunday.
Key ideas
Strength and bravery of war victims
Weir celebrates the strength and bravery of those left behind in war - the victims of war who don’t risk their own lives but still suffer.
Parents and children
This poem is a depiction of a mother’s pain and grief as she sends her son to war.
It explores the difficulty parents face allowing their children to become independent and enter the world.
There is a contrast between the sadness and nostalgia of the mother and the son’s freedom.
The mother tries to preserve the son’s childishness and reminisces about the games they used to play as a child.
She is coming to terms with the fact that she can no longer keep him safe in the same way she could when he was small.
Loneliness and loss
Loneliness and loss are key themes.
There are hints that the son has died as she visits the war memorial on Armistice Sunday, but this is unclear.
How is caesura used
I listened, hoping to hear / your playground voice catching on the wind." The caesura (breaks in the line) in the last stanza could indicate her faltering voice as she is on the verge of tears.
How is a metaphor and rule of three used together
“All my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt”.
This indicates that the mother’s grief and fear has left her speechless.
How is a metaphor and simile used
“On reaching the top of the hill I traced / the inscriptions on the war memorial, / leaned against it like a wishbone”.
Climbing to the top of the hill could be a metaphor for her struggle to deal with the grief of sending her son to war.
What does opening the door symbolise
to the front door, threw / it open”.
You could argue that this is symbolic of the mother accepting her son’s choice.
What does the song bird symbolise
Released a song bird from its cage”.
This could reflect her acknowledging and trying to come to terms with her son’s desire for freedom and independence.
What does flying pear tree symbolise
“Later a single dove flew from the pear tree”.
This could reflect her acknowledging and trying to come to terms with her son’s desire for freedom and independence.
What is the treasure chest similie
the world overflowing / like a treasure chest”.
This simile indicates that the mother recognises her son’s excitement and is understanding about the opportunities that await him.
Tactile images
run my fingers through the gelled / blackthorns of your hair”.
“I traced / the inscriptions on the war memorial”.
Tactile (relating to touch) images emphasise the mother’s desire for closeness.
Possesive pronouns
Use of possessive pronouns “I” and “your” throughout the poem give a sense of the close bond between mother and son.
