poppies by Jane weir Flashcards
effects of war on those who are not at war
- dramatic monologue ( speaker is not the poet) - poem addressed to the son but we never hear from
what does the form tell us
the dramatic monologue highlights the fact that the son is not there as he is either dead or at war. This deepens/ heightens/ intensifies the sense of loss the mother must be feeling.
what about structure ?
free verse no rhyming - reflects how the mother cannot express to he son her true feelings of not wanting him to go to war.
varies stanza lengths - enjambment - caesura = makes the reader stop and pause= combined to create a chaotic structure rejecting the chaos of war and the abundance of negative emotions the mother must be feeling as a result of her son going to war.
caesura may also mirror the fact that she cannot communicate her feelings to her son non matter how much she tries or wants to.
enjambment in the poem?
’’ all my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt, slowly melting.
‘I was brave as I walked – with you’ - the enjambment reflects her overflowing want to tell her son not to go to war however she cannot. Yet the enjambment could mean that there is no way she can as the break in the next line could suggest so, as well as this it may imply that she is breaking emotionally yet has to put on a ‘ brave face’
‘brave’ = she had to take on the attributes that a solider would have to suggesting she Is feeling great misery and anxiousness, because if she want brave she may have been ‘slowly melting’ into a pit of overwhelming sadness.
The pain she is experiencing withe her son going to war warrants her to be brave otherwise she would be ‘slowly melting’ into a pit of overwhelming sadness.
conflict as despite not wanting her son to go she has to let him. She lacks control and the my lead her into a negative mental state.
quote showing her sadness ?
all my words flattened, rolled, turned int felt, slowly melting.
the listing could hint she if facing overwhelming sadness as she seems to not even be able to express her words.
The listing may also suggest that the grief of loosing some to war, in this case her son to war is like an everlasting conflict within the mother as she will forever be coping with emotions of immense sadness.
The author my be trying to imply that dealing with the grief of someone going to war or passing as a result of it is like war itself is like an everlasting war and conflict with oneself. She may be highlighting that swell as the men deserving attention, there needs to be some attention payed to the people that are dealing with that loss, in order to make sure they are in a well mental state.
a split second you were away, intoxicated.
imager and metaphor of war
'’sellotape bandeged around my hand’’
‘I wanted to graze nose across the tip of your nose’
metaphors - or ambiguous language ask miss
she is preparing her son to go to war however the verb ‘bandaged’ could imply that she herself is being emotionally damaged and hurt as a result of this situation.
‘bandaged’ -imagery of being wounded - ironic that the mother is feeling destroyed, however the mental fatigue and sadness of a loved one going to war can result in that.
the verb ‘graze’ has connotations of pain an suffering. In life a graze is described to be more painful than a cut, it can affect many nerves signifying the vast pain and mental agony the speaker is experiencing.
the constant merging of domestic and military language demonstrates the suffering/ idea of her son at war is constantly on the speakers mind- in everything she sees and does .
synonyms for pain and conflict
agony
suffering
war
misery
anguish
dejection
despair
gloom
gloominess
loneliness
melancholy
what poems does poppies link to
kamikaze - inner conflict is arranges to die for his country but cannot- longs to go back home - identity
The Emigree - she longs to go back to her home country and will forever be ‘branded by and impression of sunlight’
remains
war photographer.
‘smoothed down your shirt’s upturned collar’
-She is embracing the motherly role as this may be her last time- what she loves is being stripped from her. could make the reader feel apathy and a sense of sorrow for her as they could imagine something they love dearly being stripped form them.
‘steeled the softening of my face’
metaphor highlights the mother it on the verge of breaking down as a result she needs to become robotic like like and incredibly strong. ‘ steel’ - connotation of robotism, strength, emotionlessness which is what she has to become like.
authors intentions.
the author may be implying that that there is not only a sacrifice of the soldiers themselves, but they people who they were loved by are also showing a huge sacrifice. In this case the mother is showing a great sacrifice by caring for her sone event though she longs for him not to go to war.
‘To the from door, THREW It open’
She is reluctant to even let her son step out of the house and go to way, another force has to come over her she has to be an embodiment of strength so that she will not crumble.This is seen through the poem through words , ‘brave’ ‘ steeled’ ‘threw’
semantic field of weakness and pain within
-bangaged
-garze
- slowly melting
-tucks, darts, pleats
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