Walking Away Flashcards
What may the title of WA suggest?
-repetition of away shows that the drifting is inevitable
- walking may mean that the son does not want the separation as he takes it slowly
Finish the quote: “a half-fledged thing…” WA
“a half-fledged thing set free into a wilderness”
Analyse the quote: “a half-fledged thing set free into a wilderness” WA
metaphor using bird imagery which may suggest that the father believes the son is not ready to fly and fears that he is throwing him head first into a risk
- juxtaposition of freedom and danger
-son does not fully understand himself or is surrounding s because he is not independent
Finish the quote: “like a winged seed…” WA
“like a winged seed loosened from its parents stem”
Analyse the quote:”like a winged seed loosened from its parents stem” WA
-simile
-natural imagery to symbolise the child becoming independent away from the shelter of a parent
Finish the quote: “the small scorching…” WA
“the small scorching ordeals which fire one’s irresolute clay”
Analyse the quote: “the small scorching ordeals which fire one’s irresolute clay” WA
-metaphor which compares growing up to clay being put in a kiln
-clay needs to be moulded to form something so has the father been the crafter and is now afraid to let go of hi creation?
- when clay is put in a kiln it hardens and transforms into something useful, it becomes easier to break and harder to mould just as when someone is figuring out their identity
-“scorching ordeals” shows a sense of pain and suffering
What quotes relate to a sense of pain and suffering for the father and can you give a general analysis on them? WA
“scorching ordeals” -burning sensation, torturous
“gnaws”- animalistic
“wrenched from its orbit”- struggle and harsh way just as the world is harsh to let someone experience
What are the last two lines of WA and can you analyse them?
“How selfhood begins with a walking away and love is proved in the letting go”
-enjambment to show that separation is inevitable and necessary for growth
-acceptance stage
-independence is found in isolation to figure it out yourself
What is a comparison that you can make about these two poems?
MAD is about maternal love whereas WA is about paternal love, one is the perspective of a parent whereas the other is from the son
is there something to be said about the connection between a mother and son versus a father and son?
What is the poem Walking Away about?
A father watching his schoolboy son walking away to school. the memory is representative of the son moving towards independence
What is the form of the poem WA?
first person lyric poem which is an individual perspective on a relationship but appears natural and relatable
What is the structure of the poem WA?
regular rhyme structure suggesting that the father is trying to hold onto the relationship
lines 1, 3 and 5 rhyme with away except for the fine stanza where they rhyme with letting go suggesting a shift in perspective/relationship with the father
half poem is about watching the son whilst the other is about the fathers personal feelings
What is the context of the poem WA?
-Cecil Day Lewis is a modern poet writing about a key memory
-mother died of cancer when he was young and his dad became very protective “smother love”
Who wrote WA?
Cecil Day Lewis
