Poppies In Depth Flashcards
Content and meaning
Modern poem that offers alternative interpretation of bravery in conflict: does not focus on soldier in battle but on mother who is left behind and must cope with his death
Narration covers her visit to war memorial, interspersed with images of soldiers childhood and departure for war
Language
Cat hairs, playing eskimos, bedroom: contrasting semantic field of home/childhood with war imagery, blockade, bandaged, reinforcements:
All my words flattened, rolled, turned to felt: aural imagery shows pain and inability to speak and I listened, hoping to hear his playground voice catching the wind, shows longing for dead son
I was brave, as I walked with you, to the front door: different perspective of bravery in conflict
Structure
Elegy: poem of mourning
Strong sense of form despite free verse, stream of consciousness addressing son directly- poignant
No rhyme scheme makes melancholic
Enjambment gives anecdotal tone
Nearly half lines have caesura: trying to hold it together, cannot speak fluently as she is breaking inside
Rich texture of time shifts, and visual, aural and touch imagery
