Walking away

Question 1

Walking away: STRUCTURE (3 points)

Answer 1

Quintets, and regular rhyme scheme
- Reflects the control the speaker has had on child until this point

Use of enjambment, “go drifting away/ behind a scatter of boys.”
Caesura, in the middle of line 6, “of Boys.”
- Unpredictable, which challenges control shown by prev.
- Shows the father losing control as son begins new chapter

Very conclusive ending, “And love is proved in the letting go”
- Shows the father has learned to let go and accept change

Question 2

What does the quote “half fledged” show

Answer 2

• Fledged is when a bird’s wings big enough to fly
  - Half fledged implies that speaker feels son not ready
  - Bird jumping from nest is a big risk, but natural
  - Speaker accepts that this is dangerous but necessary

Question 3

What does the quote “like a winged seed loosened” show

Answer 3

• Natural imagery, contrast to first quote, speaker accepts its natural
  - “loosened” much softer word to “wrenched”
  - winged seeds destined to fly away from parent plant Not like satellite

Question 4

What does the quote “touch lines new-ruled” show

Answer 4

• Image of boundaries and rules
  - Reflects the new boundaries are separations between father and son

Question 5

What does the quote “like a satellite wrenched from its orbit” show

Answer 5

• Satellites are supposed to orbit earth, “wrenched” violent word, its gone wrong
  - Enjambment - “wrenches” sentence apart. Just like the father and son
  - Lots of nature imagery, but this is man made, so the speaker feels its unnatural