Poppies

Question 1

what are the big ideas?

Answer 1

effects of conflict 
loss and absence 
memory
negative emotions- fear 
identity 
individual experiences

Question 2

What’s the form?

Answer 2

At first glance, the poem appears to have a strong, regular form. There are four stanzas – the first and last have 6 lines, whilst the middle stanzas have 11 and 12. But, a closer look reveals that 19 of the 35 lines in the poem have breaks in the middle.

Question 3

What’s the structure?

Answer 3

Poppies is a free verse poem, free from the constraints of a regular rhyme or rhythm. This, and the first-person narration, make the reader feel a part of the mother’s own memories and emotions. Long sentences and enjambment are used to reflect the rather rambling nature of memory.

Question 4

why are metaphors used?

Answer 4

Figurative language is highly prevalent throughout the poem, particularly from the 3rd stanza onward. e.g, the door to the house represents the door to the world.

Question 5

what does the dove represent?

Answer 5

symbol of peace –showing the narrator that their son is now at peace.

Question 6

what dies the release of the singbird symbolise

Answer 6

the narrator letting go of something that has given her joy - her son

Question 7

why is a drmatic monologue used?

Answer 7

rhyme would seem to lively in a solem piece about love and loss

Question 8

how does this link to context and cyclical structure ?

Answer 8

The last stanza sees the parallels between the first stanza and the last one which is much like the process of making felt where the first layer of cotton is layer in parallel to the last

Question 9

why was poppies made?

Answer 9

to raise awareness of the mistreatment and deaths of British soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Question 10

what is the breaks in the lines indicative of?

Answer 10

suggestive of a narrator that is trying to keep calm but is breaking down inside.

Question 11

why is caesura used?

Answer 11

is used to symbolise the attempt for the mother to stay in control of her emotions as her son is leaving to go to war, or is in war. While it can also be used in warfare or shootings.

Question 12

what is the narrative structure?

Answer 12

the poem is in chronological order in accordance with the narrators emotions

Question 13

what is the time sequence?

Answer 13

‘three days before’ (line 1), ‘before you left’ (3), ‘after you’d gone’ (23), to ‘this is where it has led me’ (25). At the end of the poem, the narrator finds themselves caught between the past and the present.

Question 14

why is the time frame abiguous?

Answer 14

memories of the son’s childhood are intermigled with memories of him leaving, and they’re often not clearly distinguished

Question 15

why is imagery used?

Answer 15

accentuate the contrast between the horrific manner in which the son has assumedly died, and the comforts of home. e.g, the use of the term ‘Sellotape Bandaged’ causes the reader to consider a battlefield injury, whilst on another level gives a more comforting image of a mother cleaning cat hairs off her son’s
blazer

Question 16

what is the significance of her pinning a poppy on her son?

Answer 16

a nurturing image which is contrasted with the words ‘spasm’ and ‘red’, presenting the idea of a horrific, violent death

Question 17

why are a variation of verbs used?

Answer 17

to demonstrate the manner in which actions are carried out – this helps to carry the tone and key messages of the poem. The variation in these verbs
helps to form the sharp contrasts that shapes the poem

Question 18

what sort of verbs does the mother use when talking about the past?

Answer 18

the narrator reminisces about fond memories from the past, using positive verbs such as ‘play’ and
‘smoothed’ reminding herself about good memories before her son went off to war.

Question 19

what sort of verbs does the mother use when talking about the present?

Answer 19

Verbs used to describe their interactions in the present all offer connotations of pain and discomfort, e.g. ‘flattened,’ ‘pinned’, and ‘graze. shows that he only reminds her of the gruesome death he died.