Skirrid A04 Flashcards
(8 cards)
What does Sheers say about his adolescence in a Guardian interview?
“Adolescence was time of border crossings, moving between natural beauty and petty violence.”
In what other works does Sheers write about the theme of war?
‘Pink Mist’, a play about three young men who went off to Afghanistan as soon as they came out of school and now return to reconcile with their psychological trauma. They are all called ‘boys’ repeatedly with emphasis
Hedge School: What other poem is Sheers inspired by?
Seamus Heaney’s “Blackberry Picking”, which uses blackberry picking as a conceit for adolescent idealism and mature realisation.
WHat does Sheers say in his poem ‘The Men You’ll Meet?’
‘Our traditional idea of being a man are just that: broken, outdated, unhelpful.’
How does Sheers criticise the institutions that enforce gender roles in his poem, ‘The men you’ll meet?’
‘The way that we teach about gender becomes who we are until it feels like nature.’
In Sheers’ poem ‘The men you’ll meet’ what issues of toxic masculinity does he criticise?
- ‘Boys will be boys’ culture
- The role of advertising in gender norms
- The idea of the narrow concept of masculinity and male roles limiting male capability.
What is the significance of the T.S Eliot quote at the beginning of the anthology?
Self dissatisfaction; TS Eliot was known to be very self critical. East Coker begins, ‘In my beginning is my end, and ends, ‘In the end is my beginning,’ reflecting nature’s constant cycle.
In which novel does Sheers return to the theme of social judgement?
In his 2015 novel ‘I saw a man.’ He questions masculinity and male bereavement and tension between private and public.. (also war related, set in Wales)
