Red Roses Flashcards
What does the title of this poem imply ?
This implies a symbol of love
What does the opening of the poem infer ?
“His mother dances with him,” this sets a happy tone creating an image of happiness
“Red roses for a blue lady”
The mum is putting her anger on the boy
“Throws him across the room”
This is the almost revealing line, where this in some cases may cause raised eyebrows and to put the reader in an uncomfortable position, however sexton has used euphemism to make this phrase less alarming;linking to the beginning of the poem when his “mother dances with him” she then moves on and “throws him across the room”.The verb “throws” can be interpreted in two distinct ways, one way associated with violence and the other being thrown during a dance, Sexton has aimed to focus the readers attention on the latter.
“Laid a hand on him” what is the effectiveness of the couplets ?
To reinforce the young boy’s abuse.
Why has the poet used enjambment throughout the poem ?
This emphasise how the abuse of the child is endless and will continue occurring by all means of the mother.
Why hasn’t sexton not used rhyming couplets ?
The use of free verse in this poem helps to set the tone, creating a depressing tone and hasn’t used rhyming couplets as this would create a song like structure, although this would help to be memorable this isn’t appropriate instead sexton has used deletion throughout to make the situations more poignant.
What is the narrative of this poem ? And why
The narrative is in the third person, sexton may have used this narrative to ensure that the reader doesn’t engage with the poet but engages with the emotions of the young boy.
What simile has sexton used to describe the boy
This metaphor implies the distorted image of the little boy.He is compared to a scarecrow which is a real eye opener and disturbing towards the reader as we are aware of scarecrow having contorted features and they are used to scare away creatures, perhaps implying that the boy’s wounds and body were so distorted that people were traumatised by him.
What is another simile used to describe the boy ?
“He was like a sleepy river”
How has sexton controlled the readers thoughts ?
This poem almost manipulates the readers thoughts and controls them.Similar to the young and innocent boy in the poem.It appears to be that sexton has confused the reader into thinking that the mother is somehow only “dancing” with the boy but it also seems as if she is abusing the boy in some other way.Perhaps sexton has made the reader feel like they are the young boy who is confused at what his mother is doing, which automatically creates a sense of desperation in the reader as we are placed in the young boy’s shoes.
How do we see that the boy is eager to protect himself ?
Means ?
“He squashes like a fruit”
Simile
Shows his vulnerability
How does sexton show that the boy in actual fact loves his mother ?
“He pretends he is her ball”
Anne sexton previous life ?
Perhaps this is how sexton grew up and she is describing her childhood.We are aware that she grew up in tough background as she suffered from depression.
