never go back

Question 1

summary

Answer 1

• the poem begins in a bar described as a haunt for those lost in their past, where nostalgia fills the air along with echoes of conversations and memories.
• the speaker recalls trying to reconnect with the past through symbols and well-worn stories, hinting at a rehearsed and hollow engagement with remnants of days gone by.
• the mention of a ghost buying drinks emphasises the feeling of being haunted by what has been left behind.
• as the poem progresses, the speaker steps outside into a desolate setting; streets littered, wind blowing, and an environment marked by decay and neglect, mirroring the decline of the speakers memories and emotional emptiness.
• the journey leads to a house where the speaker once found happiness, which is now personified as afflicted with cancer.
• the house’s decay is evident in its “groans and creaks,” as haunting memories flood the speaker’s mind, leaving them overwhelmed.
• this journey into the past becomes too much to bear, resulting in a poignant realisation of the impossibility of reliving days gone by.
• the escape from these haunting memories is depicted in the closing verses; a taxi ride symbolically resembling a hearse carries the speaker away from the settings.
• ends with the speaker breaking free from their past through emotional distance, finding forgetfulness as they venture into an uncertain future, symbolically leaving behind their pain and relinquishing any hope of returning to what once was.

Question 2

what is the poetic voice?

Answer 2

• an adult who has returned to their home town/ past home and is reflecting on the past.
• a detached, almost dismissive narrator speaking to a “you,” likely a self from the past or a representative of those who might consider returning to a problematic place.
• speaks of themes surrounding sorrow, pain, death and the feeling of being trapped.

Question 3

how is the poetic voice created?

Answer 3

• second-person perspective ->’you’-directly addresses the persona, creating a sense of immediacy and forcing the reader to identify with their experience. also creates a sense of detachment from the persona’s own identity.
• imagery ->evokes a sense of nostalgia and the lingering presence of the past.
• alliteration and repetition ->to emphasise the emotional impact of the persona’s experience and create a sense of unease and detachment.

Question 4

themes

Answer 4

• memories
• attitudes to the past
• pain
• identity