Poppies Flashcards
Analyse the form of Poppies
Weir uses a dramatic monologue to reflect the isolation of the mother. Through the dramatic monologue, Weir implies that there is no one to listen to the mother, suggesting that her son never returned. Despite him not returning, she continues to talk; perhaps she continues to speak to herself as a coping mechanism, or even out of madness. We feel sorry for the mother as, even though her son is the one who died, she still has to live the rest of her life with such immense pain and loneliness.
Analyse the opening of Poppies
Weir, in her first stanza, integrates war and domestic vocabulary – describing ‘’spasms of red’’ disrupting a ‘’blockade’’. We can see that those at home can’t escape the thought of their loved one’s suffering. Furthermore this ‘’blockade’’ represents the mental block that the mother tries the place regarding her son, however this is quickly ‘’disrupted’’. Perhaps ‘’spasms’’ reinforces this, implying involuntary action, maybe Weir is showing that the mother isn’t in control and is dictated by conflict.
Analyse the structure of Poppies
Weir uses free verse in her poem, to create an unorganized, almost chaotic atmosphere. The stanzas of different length furthermore represent the lack of control those at home have on the fate of their loved ones and even the chaotic atmosphere that they leave. Perhaps the free verse implies that her son is free – he is no longer confined to home. Although, perhaps more sinisterly, he is no longer trapped in life or suffering.
Analyse the language of Poppies
Weir also uses a metaphor to show the uphill challenges that people feel, describing the ‘’hill’’ that the mother ‘’traced’’. The ‘’hill’ immediately connotes struggle – perhaps the struggle that her son faced in the war. However, the verb ‘’traced’’ implies she faced this similar struggle, Weir implies that those at home feel the same emotional trauma.
Analyse the ending of Poppies
Weir shows how hope is practically futile, as the mother ‘’listened, hoping to hear’’ her son’s ‘’playground voice’’. By the end, we understand the son’s never returned – whether he’s died, or he’s grown up, she will never hear his ‘’playground voice’’. The caesura almost could represent her holding back tears – with ‘’hoping’’ showing her idealized views rather than being realistic. Our sympathy lies with her as we begin to understand how much people on the homefront truly suffered during the war.
