Poppies Flashcards
1
Q
“Spasms of paper red”
A
- “spasms” connotates lots of bodies
- death in war is uncontrollable
- “paper red” suggests that it has been stained -> emphasise the bloodshed
2
Q
“Steeled the softening of my face”
A
- sibilance
- caesura -> shows the mother is controlling herself
- she’s trying to stop hersel from crying
3
Q
“Gelled blackthorns of your hair”
A
- religious imagery
- she doesn’t want to sacrifice her son like jesus
- she’s afraid of loosing her son
4
Q
“I traced the inscriptions on the war memorial”
A
- reminding herself and the reader of the individual soldiers who have lost their lives
- hoping/ remembering that her sons name isn’t on there
5
Q
What are the key themes of Poppies?
A
- powerlessness
- grief
- memory
- fear
- effects of conflict
- Christian symbolism
6
Q
What structure is used in Poppies?
A
- Enjambment -> replicate the constancy of her memories -> makes it flow like the ongoing war
- Caesura -> break in the text to highlight the key aspects of the poem, draw the readers attention
7
Q
Who is narrating the poem?
A
- the mother’s perspective
- shes talking about her son going of to war -> she misses him
8
Q
What is Armistice day?
A
- November 11th
- the day that the Allies and Germany signed a cease fire agreement
9
Q
Why did Jane Weir write Poppies?
A
- it was written in response to those who died in Afghanistan and Iraq
- she wanted to highlight the amount of deaths caused in wars
