Poppies by Jane Weir

Question 1

What themes are presented in Poppies?

Answer 1

• power of conflict
• power of memory
• power of inner conflict

Question 2

Context for Poppies:

Answer 2

• The poem looks at a mother of a son who has grown up and gone to war
• The poem is based very heavily around the idea of Poppies as memorials and therefore the idea of memory.
• The poem flashes back to key moments of the life of the mother and son.

Question 3

Form & Structure in Poppies:

Answer 3

• dramatic monologue
• second person narrative to directly address their son but never replies, implying that he is no longer there which creates a sense of death and loss
• Free verse - shows the speaker’s uncensored thoughts or shows the outpouring emotions or stream of consciousness.
• The chaotic structure reflects the speaker’s lack of control.
• Enjambment gives the sentences a fragmented feeling - this alludes to the speaker having incomplete memories

Question 3

“Spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade of yellow bias binding”

Answer 3

• Blockade - Military reference to blocking, perhaps of emotion.
• Alliteration - also used with bias, binding, blunder emphasise bustle, mothering over her son.
• Could be seen as a metaphorical bullet wound, noun “blockade” acts as a barrier - shows how the mother aims to protect her son, however the verb “disrupting” shows this is unable to happen.
• semantic field of war
• the semantic field of textiles - represents motherhood

Question 4

“Steeled the softening of my face”

Answer 4

• Sibilance gives a calm tone to the scene described in the poem.
• Softening - Her inner turmoil, apprehension, nerves, anxiety
• Steel - Metal, hard - She is trying to appear strong.
• ‘Steeled’ and ‘softened’ juxtaposes as his mother has to put on a brave face and be firm but at the same time, it contrasts with the motherly, warm-hearted and kind figure that she has to diminish as her son is leaving.
• The alliteration and antithesis shows the joining of the two emotions, showing how they are felt at the same time - inner turmoil

Question 5

“All my words, flattened rolled, turned into felt, slowly melting, I was brave”

Answer 5

• Power of three - reflects the way the mother is tongue tied and doesn’t know what to say, she is proud of her son but also doesn’t want him to go.
• He is not responding the way she wants, inside she is devastated, anxious, distraught. Outside she is hiding her emotions.
• Words from the semantic field of textile - represents women.

Question 6

“The world overflowing like a treasure chest”

Answer 6

• Simile - suggests how attractive the world appears to her son and also her aspiration for him to have opportunities.

Question 7

“Released a song bird from its cage”

Answer 7

• Metaphor - connotes that he is like a beautiful caged creature and needs to be set free. Implies that she understands this includes free to make mistakes and be harmed
• Metaphor - now he has gone, she can release her emotions after they have been trapped - crying

Question 8

“My stomach busy making tucks, darts, pleats….without reinforcements”

Answer 8

• Listing implies the awkward feeling of the mother, trying to distract herself from grief
• Semantic field of textiles - her stomach is folded with fear, merged with words from semantic field of war.
• She suggests that she has gone outside, unprotected, showing her guilt that she is unable to protect her son from the raw elements and harsh realities of war.

Question 9

“Your playground voice catching in the wind”

Answer 9

• Wishing she turn back time to when he was a child - could be a metaphor for elusiveness and fleetingness — like the spirit voice of her dead son.