Poppies Flashcards
Quote about “spasms”
Spasms of red, disrupting a blockade//of yellow bias binding around your blazer
Spasms - suggests injury
red - connotes to blood and pain, powerful, emotive language.
“disrupting” - a direct reflection of how war disrupted the family life
“blockade” - could be a metaphor to reflect how the war has created a barrier between her and her son
bias binding - alliteration draws attention to the metaphor binding, as it is alsmot as if the son has been bound to war, due to it being compulsory, reflecting the speakers internal anger`
Quote about “steeled”
“steeled the softening of my face”
Sibilance to reflect the mother’s bitterness towards the fact that her son left her
Steel could refer to the metal, suggesting that war has made her apathetic towards the loss of her son, but it could also be referring to “steal”, reflecting her anger towards the war.
Quote about “all my words,”
All my words, flattened, rolled, turned into felt.
Asyndetic listing contrasts with the earlier rhythmic caserua earlier on in the stanza, could reflect the mother’s deteriorating mental state.
Semantic field of sewing could reflect how the mother is attempting the stitch the relationship between her and her son back together
Enjambment is used to reflect her continuous grief
After you’d gone
After you’d gone, I went into your bedroom
Euphemism
Songbird metaphor to indicate that the mother is releasing all of her emotions by crying. Could also be a metaphor to reflect how she is releasing her son into the free world, suggesting that she is trying to overcome her emotional attachment by letting him go.
Comment on structure and form in Poppies
Four stanzas of irregular length, free verse- The mother does not want to accept the truth that her son is gone, shows her mental instability
Form of a Dramatic monologue, only hear from the mother, exemplifying her emotional dominance, ironic as she was powerless to stop her “intoxicated” son from leaving. Explores how the patriarchy left the mother powerless, as she had been overpowered by the men in authority and by her male son
Biblical imagery in Poppies
“The blackthorns of your hair”
Metaphor symbolic, to how the mothers son made a sacrifice just like Jesus, Weir could be criticizing war, as supposedly the only way to be respected, alike Jesus, was to make a sacrifice, but this meant that she ultimately loses her son
Context in Poppies
She had two sons which may have influenced her to investigate into why young men felt so obliged to join the wars.
How can poppies relate to war photographer
Internal conflict and how people can be indirectly affected by war
