Poppies - NTL Flashcards
‘Three days..’
‘Before armistice sunday’
sets the time for a significant time to mark the end of world war 1
‘The dove pulled
freely against the sky’
doves symbolize freedom and peace, contrasting the turmoil of war and emotion pain of loss experienced by the speaker.
Who wrote the poem and when?
Jane Weir - 2005
‘I pinned..
one onto your lapel.’
signified a gesture of love and remembrance, showing the close relationship between the speaker and the son.
‘I was
brave.’
reflects the speakers attempt to convey strength and resilience, though also hinting at the underlying fear and vulnerability of letting go.
The impact of the civilians by war. - The soldiers aren’t the only one having to be brave
‘The world..
overflowing like a treasure chest.’
rich imagery contrasts the beauty of life and vibrant memories with the sorrow of loss, emphasizing the complex emotions tied to sudden loss and grief.
Simile
Excitement of leaving home, naivity to the real world.
‘Gelled black
thorns of your hair’
could stand for the hardships of war, possible a spike like a barbed wire like a prisoner of war camp?
thorns contrast with the mothers softness of the mothers love.
When and who made this poem?
Jane weir - 2005
Jane Weir
Born in 1963
Grew in italy and england
Lived in northern ireland in 1980s, experienced the troubles
Context
Writ from mothers perspective
heightened fear of absolute fear that parents experience in letting children go, anxiety and pain of loss.
Domestic conflict led by national conflict - impact of those at home.
Form
Dramatic monologue
Addressing silent listener- focused on pain caused for often ignored mother, and how the sons not there.
Structure
Written in free verse, stanzas in different lengths, enjambment and caesura which cause a chaotic structure - not ordered or controlled, like the chaotic impact of conflict on those at home. Their life is chaos and lacks organisation as they’re absorbed with the terrifying thought of the loved ones serving in war.
‘All my words flattened
rolled, turned into felt’
‘slowly melting.’
Stanza break shows the break in emotions of the mother.
‘spasms of paper red,
disrupting a blockade of yellow bias’
spasm - pain and suffering
blockade - war related, isolate or close of a place - closed off by troops.
Domestic image and war image which reflects how the mother sees the war through her everyday life.
Semantic field of war
‘grazed, reinforcements, blackthorns, bandaged, blockade, dove’
The war follows her through all of her life- domestic and military language blended shows how her suffering of her son is constantly on her mind, on everything she sees and does.
