To My Nine-Year-Old Self

Question 1

Structure

Answer 1

• Imagery - used to engage the reader, develop the character of both the speaker and her younger self, and establish symbolism
• Imagery - associates the speaker’s younger self with the qualities of playfulness and fearlessness but also highlights the 9-yr-olds physically fit and flexible body, highlighting youthful vigour which is then contrasted
• Dramatic monologue composed in free verse - lack of structure resonates with free-spirited nature of 9 yr old

Question 2

Dunmore

Answer 2

Speaker of actual poem is an anonymous adult woman reminiscing about her past, experiencing nostalgia for her childhood and longing to connect with her younger self. But: the more she observes, the more she realises how different she has become - she is physically frailer, more cautious and fearful, lacking the unbridled exuberance of the younger girl.

Question 3

Context

Answer 3

In the decade, activism regarding climate change began to take hold in the global consciousness. For Dunmore, the threat that humans pose to the natural environment is a pressing concern - the loss of the natural world is one that, like the past, can never be fully possessed again. Much of the natural world that the speaker is physically transported to and immersed by is lost to time. The current structure of society is inextricably tied to loss and destruction, of both childhood innocence and joy, as well as the natural beauty of the world.

Question 4

‘You must forgive me. Don’t look so surprised, perplexed and eager to be gone.’

Answer 4

• ‘Must forgive me’ - an apology, immediately suggesting that the adult speaker feels guilt or regret toward their younger self; the tone is almost pleading, they are aware they let their childhood self down -> ‘you’ positions her younger self as a separate entity, distant, detached
• Triadic structure mirrors the emotional gap between the past and present self: ‘surprised’ -> the younger self wouldn’t expect to be addressed this way, ‘perplexed’ -> hints at confusion of the child, who might struggle to understand the sorrow or regret, ‘eager’ -> children live in the moment while adults dwell on the past, the younger self does not share the nostalgia of the adult speaker and wants to return to their carefree existence
• Disconnect between youth and adulthood - speaker yearns to reconnect but the child version of themselves does not care or understand adult worries
• Memories fade, and childhood feels distant and unreachable

Question 5

‘I have spoiled this body we once shared’

Answer 5

• ‘Spoiled’ - strong negative connotations, suggesting decay, damage, or corruption -> the speaker blames themselves for what time has done to their body, rather than seeing aging as natural
• ‘Shared’ - metaphor for selfhood, emphasising how the same person can feel like 2 completely different identities -> highlights the disconnection between youth and adulthood; experiences have transformed them despite being the same person
• Past tense - youth and vitality are permanently lost -> where the 9-yr-old saw the body as something strong. energetic and limitless, the adult self sees it as weakened, burdened by age, regrets and responsibility
• Universal relatability - many readers relate to this feeling of mourning their younger selves, regretting the changes that come with time.