The furthest distances I've travelled Flashcards
(12 cards)
Why does the poem begin with ‘Like many folk’
A sense of universal experience as this experience is shared with many
Why is parenthesis used in the poem?
Presents an interuption of the older voice who has endured the impact of travelling
Why is the speaker described as ‘Feeling its weight on my back - the way my spine curved under it like a meridan’
Suggests that travelling has become an inherant part of the speaker but also their concern with travelling
Analyse ‘This is how to live’
The monosyllabic language is used to convey how the speaker’s complete certainty with travelling and the ease in which they come to this conclusion
Why is the speakers desire to travel described as ‘clear as over a tannoy’
Suggests a sense of certainty from the younger self as she has complete clarity on how she wants to live
What happens to the structure in the second half of the poem?
The line lengths become longer and the structure becomes more rigid which contrasts with the structure in the first half
What quotes are used to display the image of domestic chores
‘post office’ and ‘handful of bills’ ‘overdue laundry’
Why does the writer use images of the domestic such as bills?
To present how the speaker has now given up travelling for a more domestic and mundane life
Why is listing used in ‘alien pants, cinema stubs, the throwaway comment’
Listing is used to emphasise the amount of memories the speaker has made whilst travelling
Why is the metaphor used ‘tiny stowaway pressed flower’
It is used to symbolise the romance of her former travels which now feel out of place in her more mundane present life
Why does the speaker state ‘the furthest distances i’ve travelled is those between people’
The speaker gains a sense of clarity and realises her most meaningful experiences in life are those with people, not travel
What is the structure of the final stanza?
The final stanza is more regular in line length and rhyme which symbolises the regularity of her domestic life which is contrasted with the irregular line length used to describe her travelling life
