The Furthest Distance I've Travelled Flashcards
What are the themes in this poem?
Youth, experiences
What can be inferred about the title?
Literal/metaphorical - distances travelled in search for escape/freedom
‘my spine/curved under like a meridian’
Simile - travel becomes an inherent part of the speaker
Enjambment symbolic of life without adult restriction
‘Yes. This is how/ to live’
Monosyllabic phrase conveys complete certainty about her destiny
‘Krakow’ ‘Zagreb’ ‘Siberian’
Exotic place names convey a world of mystery/excitement
‘it came clear as over a tannoy/that in restlessness, in anony/mity:’
Simile conveys how the speaker gains complete clarity about how she wanted to live. Word broken across lines (highly unusual) represents the break from traditional norms/idea - a break from labels/definition of mainstream society
‘handful of bills’ ‘stuffing smalls’ ‘overdue laundry’
Domestic life is defined by chores and dull adult responsibilities
‘tiny stowaway/pressed flower’
Metaphor for her past self- which is now buried beneath the chores of her everyday life symbolic of her innocent, pre-adult life
‘alien pants, cinema stubs, the throwaway comment’
Syndetic listing to emphasise speaker’s nostalgia and perhaps her endless search for identity
‘unravelled’ ‘travelled’ ‘survives’ ‘lives’
Regular rhyme scheme /full rhyme symbolise structured regularity of her domestic life, contrasted with previous irregular line length /half rhyme that describes former life of travel/exploration
What is the final conclusion of the poem?
Speaker realises that the most important journeys are those in life which are with people, not with travel
