Winter Swans Flashcards
Context for the poem?
Written by Owen Sheers from the collection of poems, Skirrid Hill and Skirrid translates to divorce or separation
He writes about the landscape and this reflects the difficulties people face in their lives
How is love presented in the poem?
Romantic yet separated
What are some themes in the poem?
Unity, Separation, conflict
“Clouds had given their all”
Personification - no more left to give, reflects the relationship in the poem
Clouds eventually move on and pass over like how their relationship might
Suggests an argument has happened
“Two days of rain”
Metaphor - rain represents all the tears they have shed
Religious Metaphor - they day in the poem is the 3rd day, day of peace when Jesus rose
“The waterlogged earth / gulping for breath”
Personification - reflects how the relationship is suffocated and that they need a break for air
Holding onto their emotions
“Skirted around the lake”
Metaphor - the body of water is their problems and they are avoiding them
“Silent and apart”
Verbs - could suggest they are comfortable in silence and they like each other’s company
However could mean that their relationship is dead and they can no longer talk to each other
“Before returning again like boats”
Simile - the swans are stable and strong which contrasts the relationship presented
“Porcelain”
Metaphor - their relationship is beautiful and elegant on the outside but also very fragile
“Afternoon light”
Metaphor - a break in the clouds as the brightest part of the day occurs, light = hope so it could mean there is hope for the relationship
“Settling after flight”
Verb - argument is resolved but could take off again
What is the significance of the structure?
Tercet stanzas represent the pair and the argument that comes between them
This is resolved by the last stanza which is a couplet
However, it isn’t rhyming which implies there is still distrust between the couple
Parenthesis on line 17 “,Somehow,”
Doesn’t understand how it has happened, it is subconscious and natural, head vs heart
Links to other poems?
When we two parted - both explore difficulties with relationships due to silence, lack of communication
