View of Scotland/Love Poem

Question 1

Down on her hands an knees (line 1)

my mother still giving it elbow grease (line 3)

Answer 1

Poem is told from the point of view of a young women. Immediately establishes the character of the mother as hard-working

Question 2

ten at night

Answer 2

first mention of time-establishes theme of the past and present

Question 3

Hogmanay

Answer 3

scottish term for nye. Establishes setting of poem

Question 4

jiffywaxing and vinolay

Answer 4

made up words suggest scottish dialect. Establishes a domestic scene. Suggests this is a working class home. These are words the family use

Question 5

(This is too ordinary to be nostalgic)

Answer 5

parenthesis-speaker explains that despite the poem being a recollection of the past, it should not be considered nostalgic. She does not want to be overly sentimental

Question 6

sockeye salmon

black bun

petticoat-tails

Answer 6

Food associated with Hogmonay

Question 7

Petticoat-tails fanned out

Answer 7

(imagery)

petticoat tails are a type of shortbread. Petticoats are old-fashioned undergarments worn under a dress or skirt. Links to tradition

Question 8

‘Last year it was very quiet…’

Answer 8

This is spoken by the mother as she looks to the past. She will continue with the preparations even if no one is expected to show up

Question 9

Mum’s got her rollers in

her well-pressed good dress

Answer 9

precise depiction of the mother - dressing for the occasion

Question 10

waveset

candlewick

Answer 10

old-fashioned words help establish the setting as the past

Question 11

Nearly half-ten already

Answer 11

Theme of the past and the present-time is passing but when compared with the rest of the poem, it passes more slowly in the past

Question 12

even

hope
prosper

Answer 12

suggests fragility of the situation

tone-optimistic words of the future

Question 13

this midnight MUST FIND US

Answer 13

tone-urgent, critical

Question 14

If were to even hope to prosper
this midnight must find us
how we would like to be

Answer 14

tradition-start the year as you mean to go on

Question 15

A new view of Scotland

Answer 15

allusion to the poem’s title. The ‘new view’ relates to the opportunities awarded by the new year.
Optimistic tone is established

Question 16

with a ‘dangling’ calendar
is ‘propped’ under last year’s, ready to take its place.

Answer 16

Imagery

New calendar symbolic of looking forward/old calendar still ‘dangling’ suggests clinging to the past

Context: It is considered bad luck to replace the calendar before midnight

Question 17

Darling,

Answer 17

new voice

opening of the stanza is immediately intimidate and affectionate as the speaker addresses her lover directly

Question 18

thirty years since

Answer 18

Shift in time to 30 years in the future from the previous memory. Suggests time moves quicker the older we get

Question 19

‘looking in the mirror to see a lassie
with as many heids as days in the year’

Answer 19

a new voice-from the past reinforces how vivid this memory is. Reminds us how much the past informs and influences the present

context-A hogmonay trick-children were told that when they looked in the mirror or dec 31st they would see their face reflected back as many days there are in the year. Children expect to see their reflections 365 times but the trick is that dec 31st is the last day in the year, so they would only see a single reflection

Question 20

-
and two already since,

Answer 20

sentence structurr
the dash introduces a further time skip - it’s been two years since her and her partner met at a hogmonay party

Question 21

familiar strangers at a party,

Answer 21

setting has changed from mother’s kitchen to a party. No matter how old we are, we celebrate hogmonay with friends and family

‘familiar strangers’
oxymoron- suggests that the people we learn to love in our lives were all once strangers to us

Question 22

we did not know that we were
the happiness we wished each other
when the Bells went, did we?

Answer 22

Question-the speaker questions her lover. She introduces ‘love’ element of the poem by discussing the way they fell in love on Hogmonay when they innocently wished each other well

Question 23

for where they want to be

Answer 23

new voice

optimism-suggests people have a choice over their future

Question 24

to bring the new year in.
In high rises and tenements

Answer 24

scottish identity. People make their way to bye parties, emphasises the camaraderie that bonds committees together during Hogmonay

Question 25

sunburst clocks tick

Answer 25

imagery-the clock symbolises the relentless passage of time

word choice-old fashioned clocks established this as being set in the past

Question 26

on dusted mantelshelves.
Everyone puts on their best spread of plenty

Answer 26

Despite the passage of time, the traditions remain the same

Question 27

(for to even hope to prosper
this midnight must find us
how we would like to be).

Answer 27

sentence structure
repetition of the line in stanza 2. Reminds us that traditions must be observed. Emphasised by the use of parenthesis

Question 28

golden crusts

Answer 28

word choice
‘golden’ highlights optimism of the future

Question 29

steak pies
like quilts in a double bed.

Answer 29

simile
suggests warmth and comfort.
Links to the past by recalling the mother’s dress on the bed and the shared love between the couple. This is the final mention of the past.

Question 30

And this is where we live.

Answer 30

Sentence structure
Short sentence and
conjunction ‘and’ introduce this
patriotic statement. Suggests the
love Scots have for their country.

Question 31

There is no time like the
present for a kiss.

Answer 31

(T) Past and the present. Although the
poem focuses on the past, the final
message is to remember to seize the day
– ends on an optimistic tone.