Poppies

Question 1

what is the poem about (4)

Answer 1

1 speaker describes seeing poppies on the graves before armistice day and remembers pinning one onto her sons blazer
2 she describes the difference between how she wanted to act and how she did act when he went to war
3 after the son left she went upstairs to his bedroom, touches his things emphasises how much she misses him
4 she goes to the churchyard and visits the war memorial hoping to hear her sons voice from the playground

Question 2

what form does the poem take (3)

Answer 2

1 dramatic monologue
2 first person narrative and direct address - strong impression of mothers emotions
3 free verse - no regular rhythm or rhyme scheme - sounds like memories

Question 3

what is the structure of the poem (3)

Answer 3

1 long sentence and enjambment shows mother gets lost in her memories
2 caesura shows mother trying to hold emotions together maybe pausing to hold back tears

Question 4

what is the key context (2)

Answer 4

1 poppies are associated with remembrance day, strong reminder of bloodshed
2 weir is a writer and textile designer
weir grew up in Manchester and Italy and lived in Belfast

Question 5

what are the poets messages (1)

Answer 5

1 war has a devasatting impact on the people left behind when their loved ones go to war.

Question 6

Key quotations

Answer 6

1 the world overflowing like a treasure chest
release - suggests freedom of leaving home was exciting for her son
2 released a songbird from it’s cage - metaphor for mothers crying
3 my stomach busy making tucks darts pleats- metaphor conveys uncertainty through clothing imagery
4 play at being eskimos - shows how close they were making loss even greater or that she cant let him go and clings to his innocence

Question 7

which poem to compare to and why

Answer 7

Emigree
1 both poems feature positive memories and the narrators sense of loss
2 In Emigree the speaker has vivid memories of her former city that its been personified - my city takes me dancing

3 similarly in poppies the mothers memories of her sons childhood such as they would “play at being eskimos emphasises her sense of loss by informing the reader of their love for each other
4 while there is the use of memories in both poems the mothers sense of loss in poppies is perhaps presented more successfully. The speaker of the Emigree is still able to engage with the city as it is present in some way to here, whereas the closest the mother gets to her son in poppies is in touching the war memorial