Poppies Flashcards
1
Q
What is Poppies about?
A
- A mother describes the experience of her son leaving home to join the army
- She reminisces on memories of his childhood, yet the tone becomes increasingly sombre as the narrator implies her son has lost his life in battle
2
Q
What is the contextual significance of Weir’s family?
A
Weir has two sons herself which likely drove her empathy towards a mother who had to say goodbye to a son leaving for war
3
Q
What is the contextual significance of WW1?
A
- Being published in 2009
- WW1 would have been fleeting from people’s living memory
- Weir may have seen it as her duty to keep enforcing the importance of remembrance
4
Q
What quote reflects domestic imagery interwoven with conflict?
A
“blazer”
5
Q
How does the quote “blazer” reflect domestic imagery interwoven with conflict?
A
- There is an extended metaphor throughout the poem which parallels the notion of going to war with a comparatively mundane departure of leaving for school
- This is made apparent through the noun “blazer” which in this sense represents military uniform however it would more commonly be associated with school uniform
- Through this Weir translates the act of losing a child to battle into an experience her readership would more easily be able to relate to, evoking a stronger sense of empathy
6
Q
What quote reflects fear?
A
“steeled the softening of my face”
7
Q
How does “steeled the softening of my face” reflect fear?
A
- The metaphor “steeled the softening of my face” is a sibilant depiction of a mother trying to put a ‘brave face’ on
- She is actively trying to fight the impulse to outwardly advertise her anxiety
- This sibilance could represent the tearful sniffing sound made when trying to repress crying- it forces the reader to mimic this sound much like the speaker’s emotions are forcing an emotional response
8
Q
What is the structural significance of enjambment?
A
- Used to convey how overwhelming her emotions were particularly in the simile “the world overflowing // like a treasure chest”
- She is taken aback in this moment as they transcend the domestic safety of their home & enter the outside “world”, it gives the impression of the outside intruding in
9
Q
What is the alternative use of enjambment?
A
- Alternatively, the symbol of a “treasure chest” could be an allusion to the conflicting attitudes between mothers & their sons
- For many young boys & men, the notion of going to war advertised an idealistic & exciting oppurtunity of adventure
10
Q
What form is used in the poem?
A
Dramatic monologue
11
Q
Why has Weir used a dramatic monologue?
A
- It is a dramatic monologue which allows every aspect of the poem to be imbued with personal emotions
- It is written in the second person & directed at her son, the suggestion of an absent listener amplifies the sense of loss & mourning
- It gives a voice to those who were generally overlooked during the war- the mothers & families of soldiers still when through traumatic emotions, but public attention was directed towards the soldiers themselves
12
Q
Why has Weir uses irregular rhyme within the dramatic monologue?
A
- There is no regular rhyme, or rhythm (it is written in free verse), & the stanza length is also irregular which makes the poem seem conversational & intimate
- The reader is given the impression that the speaker finds it hard to control, organise & understand her emotions
