View of Scotland Flashcards
“View of Scotland / Love poem”
Metaphor - Embodies both ideas of Scot new year and personal poem on expression of love.
“hands”
Symbol - Shows hard work ethic of her mother in preparation of new year - superstition.
“still giving it elbow grease”
Dialect - Glaswegian dialect gives authentic detail of mothers work ethic.
‘elbow grease’ - suggests the hard physical work involved in ensuring the house was clean for the new year
“This is too
ordinary to be nostalgia”
Enjambment / Punctuation - Emphasises writers preference of memory over rose tinted glasses nostalgia.
“sockeye salmon…black bun”
Metaphor- All traditional Scottish foods creates sense of importance around the event and the writers admiration for Scotland - bragging.
“on bone china”
- Metaphor - Emphasises careful preparation and raises importance of new year.
- traditional image highlighting the importance of the occasion as this would be a rare luxury/needed to be seen by others
“Last year it was very quiet…”
Narrative - Direct speech from mother creates authentic perspective.
parenthetical aside shows how the traditions were still upheld/arrangements made for visitors whether they were expected or not
“good dress”
Metaphor - Good dress for important night
“waveset…candlewick”
WC - 1950’s recall shows precise details of memory.
“Nearly half-ten already and her not shifted”
WC - Urgency - excitement for new year.
“midnight must find us how we would like to be”
Metaphor - Start new year how you want to finish it
“A new view of Scotland”
Metaphor - Speakers optimism/hope for her life in the year ahead.
emphasises the need to be ready for the transformative potential of the year to come
“Darling”
Narrative - Poet addresses husband directly - intimate conversation
“it’s thirty years since”
wc - Passage of time - longing for relationship.
“looking into… in the year”
Narrative - Direct speech creates authentic recording.
“two already since”
Metaphor - Fast passage of time - ‘flys by’
“familiar strangers”
oxymoron - creates idea that despite being strangers, they always were meant for eachother.
“party”
Setting - New Year party links two underlying themes together.
“we did not know we were the happiness that we wished each other”
Metaphor - Husband is the embodiment of her joy.
“the Bells”
WC - Scottish term - Links themes together
“did we?”
Punctuation - Intimate conversation.
“all over the city”
Setting - Idea of city lights - Exciting & Optimistic feeling.
“People make for where they want to be”
Metaphor - People reflect on direction of lives.
“In high rises and tenements”
Setting - Urban landscape - Hussle and bussle
“Sunburst clocks tick”
WC - 70’s 80’s lookback - Tick represents passage of time
“on dusted mantel shelves”
Metaphor - Start new year how you want it to be
“(For to even hope to prosper this midnight must find us how we would like to be)”
Parenthetical aside - Links to stanza 1
use of ‘even’ followed by two verbs ‘hope’ and ‘prosper’ suggest the fragility of the possibility of success in the next year
‘must find us’ - imperative tone suggests there is no question - we must do certain things to ensure a good year ahead
‘how we would like to be’ - suggests possibilities and hopes for the new year/sets the tone for the new year
“Golden crusts on steak pie’s like quilts on a double bed”
Simile - Evokes idea of marital bed which brings warmth and comfort
“And this is where we live”
Single line sentence - draws attention to idea of reflection of the present.
“There is no time like the present for a kiss”
Metaphor - Need to appreciate the present / time passes quickly.
‘jiffywaxing the vinolay’
evocation of era to show reality/extent of preparations/traditions
‘Though we do not expect anyone’
use of the word ‘Though’ suggests the need to be prepared regardless of whether guests arrive or not
‘well-pressed’
precise description suggests her attention to detail
‘slack across the candlewick’
suggests the great care she took to
prepare and look her best for the occasion
‘dangling calendar/propped under’
suggests being ready to embrace immediately the arrival of the new year
