View of Scotland / Love Poem Flashcards
“still giving it elbowgrease”
mother is hardworking and houseproud
“down on her hands and knees at ten at night on Hogmanay”
it is a tradition to clean the house at new years – or else bad luck
“too ordinary to be nostalgia
too vivid and descriptive to be nostalgia, poet trying to be truthful and honest, not romanticising the past. lochhead deliberately intrudes on what could become nostalgic memories, nostalgia can corrupt and distort truth through sentimentality
“we do not expect anyone”
they are traditionalists, setting out food for first footers even though they don’t know if they will have any
“rollers in with waveset”
mother takes pride in her appearance, takes part in traditions and is respectful of it
“half-ten already and her not shifted”
local dialect, very distinctive, adds a touch of humour
“if we’re to even hope to prosper this midnight must find us how we would like to be”
tradition to present yourself how you wish to be in the new year, ‘must’ suggests determination to start the year positively. suggests superstition.
“a new view of scotland with a dangling calendar is propped up under last year’s”
irony - the new view of scotland is one of the past. change in perspective to physical change from mental/emotional change. again shows superstition, bad luck to change a calendar early
“familiar strangers”
oxymoron - foreshadows their relationship. highlights the ease at which they felt when they first met - an immediate connection
“we did not know that we were the happiness we wished each other when the Bells went, did we?”
joy/closeness of the relationship to come. highlights how chance plays a part in love, they didn’t know, or did they? beautiful way to describe their love
“sunburst clocks tick”
what was fashionable at the time, connotes warmth, happiness and growth, also shows the relentless passing of time
“everyone puts on their best spread”
despite the passage of time, the traditions stay the same
“(for to even hope to prosper this midnight must find us how we would like to be)”
parenthetical nature - reference to stanza 2 of a new years eve tradition - although time has moved on, tradition still remains and still resonates with the speaker/ scotland
“and this is where we live. There is no time like the present for a kiss”
the poem concludes by finally reaching the present day. love, NYE traditions, final word = kiss. concluding idea of love and togetherness. the speaker is content in the moment.
