To My Nine-Year-Old Self - Helen Dunmore Flashcards
What is To My Nine-Year-Old Self about? (2 points)
The poem is written from the point of view of Helen Dunmore talking to the child she once was
We can deduce that she had a happy and lively childhood in contrast to her life at the present - seemingly envious of the child she used to be
What is the structure of To My Nine-Year-Old Self? (4 points)
The poem comprises six uneven-length stanzas with no rhyme scheme
Final lines of each stanza are short, providing a crisp finish to each idea
This is a free verse poem with enjambed lines and long, unstructured sentences as if she is speaking as her memories occur to her
She interrupts her sentences with disconnected thoughts
What is the language and imagery of To My Nine-Year-Old Self? (3 points)
Dunmore uses the first person singular pronoun ‘I’ and addresses the ‘you’ of the child she was - clear distance between the two
Imagery is vivid, such as the scab on her knee at the end of the poem
The games she played as a child are metaphors for her freedom and happiness
