Walking away đ°ď¸ đđ Flashcards
Fill in the gaps and give analysis: âfire oneâs __________ clayâ
Hint: L, environment changes us from iressolute clay toâŚ
âfire oneâs irresolute clayâ
L= metaphor- highlights that painfu l events, are what fire people into clay, which will then shape their life. ; it also suggests they painful events in life can be permanent, leaving fixed marks on a person. [mental/physical]
- Clay is a metaphorical representation of the body but also the self. Suggest that our environment that we mature in/grow up in, is what changes us from âirresolute clayâ to âclayâ.
- However the âclayâ may also be symbolic of how the son was socialised at home/school because it portrays humans as mouldable beings.
- And because of the environment they are subject to throughout their child, this can change a person.
- L= religious imagery- âfire oneâs irresolute clayâ- perhaps this is a Christian reference, as this is a notion that humans are made from earth and dust. For example, Isiah 64:8 teaches that âthou art our father; we are the clay and thou our potterâ.
- therefore this could reflect paternity,[and the father-and-son relationship in this poem.]- and by deliberately using this Christian reference, it suggests that life is a potter which shapes. This religious imagery, reinforces the idea that life and our environment, are what changes us from âirresolute clayâ to âclayâ.
- I= on the other hand, this religious imagery could reflect how the speakerâs son is being shaped into his own person [rather than living in his fatherâs shadow]
- linking to the message of the poem: parents cannot protect their children from suffering; they should instead allow them to become independent.
- ; the fire is ironic, since although it can be emotional painful/harmful, itâs metamorphic, as it morphs and shapes him into his form that he has chosen/decided
I= in contrast to this, the metaphor could also imply his shape has been predetermined by God- the potter- he was what shaped and morphed the son, not himself.
C= this is interesting to note contextually, because Day-Lewisâ father became a victor- so perhaps the speaker perceives/sees his parental relationship [with the son], as Godâs will/plan- instead of mother natureâs will/plan.
I= ; this use of this alliterative metaphor- âsmall, scorchingâ ordeal, could also reflectâs the speakerâs emotional pain because his son is departing from him. This is emphasised by the adjective âscorchingâ. [sibilance is also used]
I= Alternatively, the juxtaposition of âsmallâ and âscorchingâ could also imply the speaker knows how he feels/his emotions, are larger than needed for the current situation- perhaps the speaker understand that this process is natural, although it may emotionally hurt him now- the speaker will eventually accept this/learn to live with this.
âlike a satellite, wrenched from its orbitâ
Hint: âwrenchedâ + âhesitantâ
L= dramatic/powerful verb- suggests that the parting was emotionally hard for the speaker, as his son has been âwrenchedâ from orbit, imitating how the speaker feels/thinks his son has been painfully wrenched from him.
- But the juxtaposition of âwrenchedâ and âdriftingâ might suggest that the speaker has resistance in letting his son go; the the son is ready to gain his independence /freedom- highlighting how helpless the speaker feels at this point, as his only choice is to let his son go.
I= Alternatively, the verb âdriftingâ could also suggest that the son didnât want to quickly part.
I= On the contrary, it could perhaps also suggest the son shouldnât be âdriftingâ away from the speaker [because there could be consequences].
- As when a satellite comes out of orbit, it crashes/collides to the ground- is this highlighting the speakerâs terror: his son will fall out of orbit, if he drifts away.
L= simile- the son is described as a satellite, that is orbiting the Earth; he has been savagely taken out of orbit, as the speakerâs son no longer resolves or âorbitsâ around his father.
C= This is because, its a reference to the space race, as the poem âwalking awayâ was first brought out/published in 1962- in the peak of the space race.
- Therefore, this [deliberate reference] reflects how this parting has disturbed/unsettled the speaker, similar to how the peak of the space race, had disturbed/unsettled the world.
- this furthers the idea how the father believes, how he feels absent/a sense of lost, in the [parental/familial] relationship of his son: since the speaker is no longer focus of his sonâs universe/world.
Fill in the gaps and give analysis: âpathos of a ____-_______ thingâ set free into the â___________â
Hint: L- the son is not ready to become independent
Hint #2: R,C
âpathos of a half-fledged thingâ
L= emotive metaphor- shows how the son is vulnerable and not ready to become independent + go.
R= A reader may feel pity for the son because he is only a young child.
C= the speakerâs guilt reflect how Day-Lewis had guilt at leaving a young child at boarding school
Fill in the gaps and give analysis: â_____ at mind still.â
HInt: L- highlights emotional impact of parting, D, C- sonâs mother R
Hint#2: animalistic connotations + uncontrollable sadness
âGnaws at mind still.â
L= verb- suggests how years later, the parting has had a psychological effect on the speaker. But âgnawsâ also had animalistic connotations- it shows the uncontrollable nature of the speakerâs sadness.
R= by placing the verb at the beginning of the line, it interests the reader because they want to know what is gnawing in his mind.
L= caesura highlights the emotional impact of the speakerâs son parting.
D= On a deeper level, it suggests the speaker still has guilt from leaving his family which reflectsâŚ
C= how Day-Lewis still feels guilt from leaving his sonâs mother + the leaving a young child at boarding school (whose mother he has just divorced).
I= perhaps it could also reflect the guilt, from the speaker not noticing his son enough/giving him attention- the speaker finally understands he hasnât been a nurturing/supportive father figure/parent- is this why their parental relationship had distance- the father caused it.
- this idea/notion is reinforced by the father claiming he has had âworse partingsâ; the psychological effect of his son distancing himself and growing up seems to be superior than his worse partings- as they were inferior to the other partings that appeared to be dreadful/worse at the time.
C= on a contextual level, this worse partings could be reflective of his affairs he had committed. This is because Cecil Day-Lewisâ son Nicholas largely wrote about this [which was highly disturbing/distressing- to the extent, that Lewisâ other son: Daniel- attempted to take his own life, when he was sixteen years old.]
- so overall, this could be used to reinforce the idea of what these worth partings in fact were.
I= this could once again reflect the guilt, the speaker is feeling as relating this to context, it could highlight how guilty he feels that he was the root of what caused Daniel and Nicholas to have space between each other/to have distance between each other.
Fill in the gaps and give analysis: âPerhaps it is roughly Saying what ___ _____ _____ _________ ____-â
Hint: ______ __ was inevitable
âSaying what God alone could perfectly show-â
L= Biblical analogy- as God let his child go and he was hurt by the world but now the speaker let his son walk away from the father and into the âwildernessâ.
- poem ends with a religious reference by saying/claiming only âGod aloneâ could do this- this implies the speaker has reached the conclusion that was inevitable/unavoidable- he must let his child grow up in order to mature (and to do that, he must let him go).
- âperhapsâ is speculative/tentative language- begins the notion, that the speaker isnât certain whether he should let his son be independent and grow up
R= this leaves the reader in suspension, as they donât know if the speaker emotional pain will still âgnawâ at his mind, or gradually leave him.
- L= adverb- âroughlyâ- this has connotations of harm and violence, perhaps reflecting how the speaker feels he was treated âroughlyâ by the son- [he does this to remind him]
I= or it could perhaps reflect how roughly the speakerâs behaviour was, to the son in this poem- so perhaps could be the guilt that now âgnawsâ at his mind.
This is another question about this quote. Fill in the gaps and give analysis: a half-fledged thing thing set free into a â__________â
Hint: L [uneasy about his feelings]
, dehumanising, C- emphasises relationship- why would Day-Lewis do this?
a half-fledged thing thingâ set free into a âwildernessâ
- By dehumanising the son and suggesting he is a simply a âthingâ that should be set into the wilderness, this further highlights the speakerâs unwillingness to let his son go.
- L= noun- âwildernessâ- suggests the speaker is uneasy about his feelings.
C= the speaker is emphasising/highlighting the parental relationship between them, which could reflect why Day-Lewis has decided to do this becauseâŚ
Day-Lewis was brought up by his father because his mother died young, so this may explain why he is putting so much emphasis on this relationship.
- the word âfledgedâ has connotations of feathers, implying this half-fledged creature is similar to a bird; it lacks assurance and confidence to fly- metaphor suggests the son is ready to be âset freeâ, yet âhalf-fledgedâ has connotations of peril, disaster and danger.
- this is a connection to âlike a satellite, wrenched from its orbitâ- this once again highlights the speakerâs terror: he worries his son isnât out of harmâs way- enjambement of âset freeâ furthers this
- ; this is also juxtaposed with into a âwildernessâ- natural imagery has connotations of a hunter and a predator, therefore perhaps this suggests the son is vulnerable and will suffer from the things that are inside [the wilderness]- perhaps it could also suggest the future will be perilous Aswell.
âThat hesitant figure, eddying awayâ
Hint: L, L
- The son is doing badly
L= eddying- verb: suggests that the son is ready to gain independence because he is now also âhesitantâ, and the use of this adjective highlights that the son has realised his vulnerability.
What is the rhyme scheme of Walking away? Fill in the gaps: Walking away has a ____ rhyme scheme which reflects the speaker making an _____ decision to let his son __.
Walking away has a free rhyme scheme which reflects the speaker making an active decision to let his son go.
Quick question: What poems can we compare walking away to?
- mother, any distance
- Follower
What is the rhyme scheme of walking away and what does it reflect?
- walking away has a ABACA rhyme scheme, reflecting the stable nature of familial love (love for a father + child and vice-versa).
- ; the poem is written in four quatrains [each stanza], that has three lines that are rhyming- this is untypical of poetry, as it would expected that the second and fourth lines rhyme.
- the use of rhyme could represent an emotional bond between father + son but the 2nd and 4th lines might represent that children need to develop independence, without their parents.
I= But on the other hand, the deliberate and untypical use of the second and fourth lines remaining unrhymed, could perhaps reflect the speakerâs emotions:
- the speaker feels his parental relationship isnât fulfilled and complete, therefore the rhyme scheme is partial to reflect this- he argues and feels his son, is âwalking awayâ from him, therefore he must now let him âgoâ, so he can grow.
R= this would slightly disturb a reader, perhaps making them uncomfortable because the rhyme scheme is incomplete, reflecting the unsettling tone of the poem.
Quick question: What are the themes in Walking away?
- parental love
- family relationships
- pain
Fill in the gaps about the structure of Walking away: Walking away has _________ between the end of the first + the beginning of the ______ stanzas. What is the effect of doing this?
Walking away has enjambment between the end of the first + the beginning of the second stanzas- creates space between stanzas, like how the father creates space, from the son.
What is the emphasis of the caesura in the last stanza?
Emphasises how much the parting has pained the speaker.
Fill in the gaps about the structure of walking away: Day-Lewis has chosen to rhyme some lines but leave others free of a rhyme scheme. What does this suggest about the relationship.
- rhyme represents an emotional bond between father + son but the 2nd and 4th lines represent children needing to develop independence, without their parents.
What is the form of walking away ?
- the form of walking away seems to be a [parental] love poem- this poem reflects the parental love that a father has, for his son- the speaker.
I/C= this is interesting to note on a contextual level, since although walking away can appear to be dedicated to his son âSeanâ, as it describes the father leaving hi, alone on his first day at boarding school.
I/C= Alternatively, it could also suggest this poem is dedicated to his second son, âNicholasâ [who rejected following his fatherâs path, and became an engineer, instead of a writer like his father].
- So in view of this context, this poem could reflect Nicholas, deciding to âwalk awayâ and not become a writer. [like his father]
