Poppies

Question 1

Poem’s form

Answer 1

The first-person narrative means that the reader gets a strong impression of the mother’s emotions. There is no regular rhyme or rhythm, which makes it sound like the narrator’s thoughts and memories. Long sentences and enjambment give the impression thta the narrator is absorbed in her own thoughts and memories, whilst caesurae show how she tries to hold her emotions together.

Question 2

Poem’s structure

Answer 2

The poem is chronological, describing preparations for the son leaving, his departure and what the mother does afterwards. However, the time frame is ambiguous - the memories of the soon’s childhood are intermiingled with the memories of him leaving, and they’re often not clearly distinguished.

Question 3

Poem’s themes

Answer 3

• Effects of conflict
• Loss and absence
• Conflict of identity