Y Gaer Flashcards
Describe this poem in relation to ‘The Hill Fort’.
They form a diptych on the subject of grief. The fact that the titles are reversed, turned on their head, is perhaps a reflection on how the grieving process is turned on its head by having the son die before the father.
What mythology does this poem connote to?
The mythology behind Skirrid Hill itself, as a site formed by God’s grief at his son’s death.
What is the significance of nature on this poem?
It depicts another image of the creation of men worn away by nature. In this case it is the ruins of a Roman battlement – a symbol of nature’s prevalence over the artificial.
How does this poem link to ‘On Going’?
Erosion has worn away the fort, in the same way that illness wore down the woman in the previous poem.
Why does the man only come to the hill fort during ‘bad weather’?
As a reminder that people can not defeat forces of nature.
Describe the last stanza.
Sheers makes use of pathetic fallacy - nature is not protecting him (‘take the rain’s beating’). Not in harmony with nature as his son has died.
