Winter Swans By Owen Sheers Flashcards
Form of the poem
Mostly written in tercetos (three line stanzas)-makes each stanza look unbalanced
Uneven lines and lack of rhyme scheme-feeling of disjointedness (troubled nature of the relationship )
Enjambment reflects its continuity
Final stanza is a couplet
Structure of the poem
Narrator and his partner are separated for the first 5 stanzas, but reunite in the final 2 stanzas
Swans provide a turning point at stanza 3
Effects of natural imagery in the poem
Reflects the struggles in their relationship and then improves
Swans are a metaphor for their relationship
Effects of direct speech
Small piece of dialogue, shifts focus back onto the couple
Quotes to learn
“The waterlogged earth” “Gulping for breath at our feet” “Tipping in unison” “Icebergs of white feathers” “Our hands....folded...like a pair of wings settling after flight”
“Settling after flight “
Shows that change in the couples attitudes-solved their problems
“Icebergs”
Metaphor
More underneath suggests the couple have strong foundations
“Gulping for breath”
Implies struggle and desperation for their relationship
Personification