Walking Away Flashcards
1
Q
Language-Natural imagery
A
‘With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free into a wilderness.’
2
Q
Structure
A
The final two lines of the poem are a conclusion- he understands that whilst it was a painful event, it was necessary as part of his son’s development. ‘How selfhood begins with a walking away, and love is proved in the letting go.’
3
Q
Form
A
The use of the regular ABACA rhyme scheme reflects the steadiness of the father’s parental love and the repetition of the A rhyme reflects how the memory is still affecting him years later.
4
Q
Theme-Loss
A
‘I have had worse partings, but none that so gnaws at my mind still.’
