Poppies

Question 1

Who was poppies written by

Answer 1

Jane weir

Question 2

What is the boy shown to be in the poem - Poppies

Answer 2

A soldier and a son

Question 3

Form of poem and why its used - Poppies

Answer 3

Dramatic monologue, second person focaliser on the son. This used to emphasise the pain the mother felt of the son dying

Question 4

Why are everyday objects being described with military imagery provide examples - Poppies

Answer 4

‘Spasms of paper red, disruping a blockade of yellow bias’

‘Selltaped around my hand’

‘Graze my nose’

‘Reinforcements of scarf,gloves’

To emphasise the idea of the impact of war and the impacts upon the mother from war (son is suffering in her mind constantly)

Question 5

Langauge stanza 1 - Poppies

Answer 5

“Petals of paper red, disrupting a blockade’. This could suggests how the mother tried to stop him from going to war however was powerless. Also asyndetic list used to show mother remembers in detail. Additionally, shows the mothers suffering (overwhelmed)

‘Three days before Armistice’ temporal deixis establishes theme of rememberance

Question 6

Langauge stanza 2 - Poppies

Answer 6

‘Rounded up as many white cat hairs’ represent how the son was possibly captured (white symbolism for surrender)

‘Steeled the softening if my face’ trying to toughen herself up but doesn’t wsnt son to go

‘All my word flattened,rolled,turned into felt, slowly melting’ All her words emotions turned into (felt feeling). Enjambment
“If one is to grieve, one has to, at some point, let it dissolve” (Jane Weir)

Question 7

Langauge stanza 3 - Poppies

Answer 7

‘I was brave’ no longer brave shows effects of suffering even those not in war

‘Overflowing like a treasure chest’ simile shows sons sense of excitement leaving (childish)

‘A split second and you were away’ Euphesim for death (split second shows how quickly people can die reality of war)

‘Intoxicated’ harsh effects on war on people (suffering) ‘released a song bird from the cage’ mourning sons death

‘Without a winter coat or reinforcments of scarf or gloves’ Metaphor for invulnerability of mother from the death of the son

Question 8

Langauge stanza 4 - Poppies

Answer 8

‘War memorial’ group death memorial no importsnt place for the son

‘Like a wishbone’ wish to go to war but dies (snaps) or the mother is on her knees (physicsl grief)

‘The dove’ symbolism for mourning

‘Hoping to hear your playground voice catching on the wind’ hopless memory she wants to return to. She wants his soul to revisit her and his voice.

Question 9

Structure of the poem - Poppies

Answer 9

Past tense, free verse, no rhyme scheme, irregular stanza + line lengths

Chaotic structure reflects war

Cyclical son goes from participating rememberance to being remembered

Question 10

Similarties with Kamikaze and Poppies

Answer 10

psychological effects of war is seen in both poems. Weir shows how grief leads the narrator to process blissful, domestic memories of having “sellotape bandaged around [her] hand” whereas Garland recounts the day the character’s “father embarked at sunrise”.

Both poems are focused on the unconventional victims of war, not those who went into battle themselves. This shows how far reaching the effects of violence are.

Question 11

Differences with Kamikaze and Poppies

Answer 11

Poppies, the narrator’s physical loss is shown by the wistful “I listened, hoping to hear // your playground voice”.

In Kamikaze, the main character’s father is rejected by society rather than killed and she has to “live as though he had never returned”. This shows how even those not actually killed in war can have their lives ruined also.

Question 12

Similarities with remains and Poppies

Answer 12

psychological impact of losing a son is seen in Poppies through the desire to return to “play at being Eskimos like we did when [he was little”].
Armitage also explores the psychological effect of losing someone however, whilst Weir’s narrator wishes to remember, Armitage’s attempts to forget “the image of agony” after killing a man.

Remains, he is unable to “Sleep” or “Dream” and in Poppies the irregular structure shows her unable to hold herself together. These memories seem to extend the impact of war for both narrators

Question 13

Differences with Remains and Poppies

Answer 13

Armitage presents the narrator’s guilt through the harsh repetition of
“his bloody life in my bloody hands” as well as the desperate
“the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out”.

In Poppies, the narrator instead experiences grief which is shown in the declarative
“I was brave” and having to “[lean] against it” when seeing the war memorial.