All content (Letters from yorkshire)#

Question 1

What does the fact that the poem is written in tercets suggest?

Answer 1

That there is an imbalance, and in perfection in the relationship

Question 1

what does the enjambment suggest

Answer 1

There is enjambment between stanzas, creating a disjointed and fragmented tone, which reflects the fragmented and broken nature of the relationship

Question 2

“to write to me, his knuckles singing”

Answer 2

The caesura separates the word “me” and “him”, which reflects the physical distance between them.
The word singing reflects the joy felt by the man as he writes to the speaker

Question 3

What is an example of internal half rhyme, and what does this show?

Answer 3

“digging” and “planting”, the rhyme is not full, just like the relationship is not full. However, in the final stanza, we get the full rhyme of “night” and “light”, which creates a sense of optimism for the relationships future

Question 4

In the first stanza, the subject is referred to as “he”, but in the final stanza, referred to as “you”

Answer 4

This change in address shows the growing intimacy between them, and reinforces the idea of optimism for the future

Question 5

“the first lapwings return”

Answer 5

stands as a metaphor for the mans desire for the speaker to return to Yorkshire, and to him.

Question 6

“my heart full of headlines / feeding words onto a blank screen”

Answer 6

The speaker uses negative words about her own life, e.g “blank” and “feeding”, which suggests that she longs to be in Yorkshire with the man

Question 7

“our souls tap out messages across the icy miles”

Answer 7

The harsh, tangible idea of “tap”, paired with the plosive sound it makes, contrasts to the intangible, metaphysical idea of “souls” and the soft sibilance it creates, shows how the speaker desires to escape the harsh technology of life, which is partly what is separating them (her job), and instead to flow freely like souls, to be with him truly.