The Furthest Distances I've Travelled - Leontia Flynn Flashcards
What is The Furthest Distances I’ve Travelled about? (4 points)
It is a coming-of-age poem that explores the themes of youthful energy and, ultimately, the meaning of relationships
The speaker is initially full of confidence and excitement - her emphatic statement ‘This is how to live’ attests to the joy she derives from back-packing
Towards the end of the poem, the pace slows to a more meditative mood as the speaker has matured
She accepts that it is the people she met rather than the places she visited that give her travels their significance
What is the structure of The Furthest Distances I’ve Travelled? (4 points)
The poem comprises eight four-lined stanzas or quatrains, with lines of uneven length and varying rhythm
There is no rhyme scheme - consonant rhyme is used in key stanzas for emphasis
Lines are enjambed at unexpected points in the sentences, perhaps to unsettle the reader and to signify the vicissitudes of back-packing, where buses and trains are spasmodic
It may also signify a mind that is excited and restless - the last stanza is slower and measured to reflect her change in attitude and maturity
What is the language and imagery of The Furthest Distances I’ve Travelled? (4 points)
The voice is that of the speaker, using the first person singular pronoun ‘I’
The language is spare and choppy, with not a word wasted - the speaker uses holophrasis, naming towns and regions that have significance without needing an explanation
The language is also conversational and occasionally colloquial, for example, ‘smalls’ and ‘pants’
References to ‘a ‘giro’ — a Post-Office system of money transfer now obsolete — sets this in the past
