winter swans Flashcards
owen sheers (28 cards)
CONTEXT
- welsh poet
- focuses on exploring identity and relationships
- along with hoe people live together in society
- this poem succinctly combines both these themes
MEANING
- realtionship is struggling
- tough times for the relationship
- lacking of communication ((maybe))
STRUCTURE - what do the tercets show us
- imbalance -> something wrong in relationship
STRUCTURE - what does the couplet show us
- only becomes a couplet at the end of the peom
- change in structure
- optimistic, together, united ending -> rel becoming better
STRUCTURE - uneven line lengths
- imbalance, something wrong
- disjointed nature of structure relectcs the broken nature of relationship
-> different line lengths relfect the differences and distance between the couple - also shows the flexible and unpredictable nature of relationships
STRUCTURE - enjambment - where is an example of it
“two days of rain and then a break / in which we walked”
STRUCTURE - enjambment - what does the example show us
“two days of rain and then a break / in which we walked”
-> forced break in line relfects the break in weather
-» breaking point of relationship bewteen the couple
STRUCTURE - where is are examples and what does this show us
- “we skirted the lake, silent and apart,”
-> pause, emphais on speration between the two adn how distant they are - last line/ending - “like a pair of wings settling after flight.”
-> end with a fullstop
-» trouble is ending
-»> couple is becoming mroe positive and loving (as they hold hands)
significance of the title
- the swans are “winter” - the swans would migrate in winter so strange that they’re present in winter
-> this theme of migration linke to the theme of movement within relationship
-» couple is unorthodox and going through issues
LANGUAGE - “the clouds had given their all two days of rain and then a break” (first lines of poem)
- pathetic fallacy
- ominous and foreboding tone to start the poem (“two days of rain”)
- “given their all” personification relfects the downtrodden externala forces that are negatively impacting their relationship
-> links to the foreboding atmosphere of poem and hints to the reader that the relationship is detrimental
LANGUAGE - a quote (not the first line one) that shows personification
“the waterlogged earth gulping for breath at our feet”
LANGUAGE - “the waterlogged earth gulping for breath at our feet”
- personification
-> relationship is overhwilmingly filled to bursting point with negativity - “waterlogged” adjective shows bleack imagery
-> the couple is emotionally lacking, defeated
LANGUAGE - what is the significance of “we skirted the lake, silent and apart,”
- verb “skirted” implies them avoiding their issues and not communicating
- lake metaphorically is representative of their issues and how they are avoiding them
LANGUAGE - “with a shows of tipping in unison as if rolling weights down their bodies to their heads they halved themsleves in the water”
- “show” implies it is just for the couple to watch, they are admiring and looking at the swans
- “halved themselves in the dark water” - rich image, symbolic meaning that they can’t be indepentant ro selfish in realtionship but have to support each other in unity
quote to show the swans coming in
…“a show of tipping in unison as if rolling weights down their bodies to their heads they halved themselves in the dark water”
LANGUAGE - “they halved themsleves in the dark water, icebergs of white feather”
- juxtaposition between the “dark” water and the “white” feathers
-> contrasting colour imgarery that relfects the completxities of their relationship, both positive and negativities that they experience - colour symbolism of “white” suggests purity, light and positivity
LANGUAGE - how is it significatn in comparing the swans to “icebergs”
- metaphor
-> could be seen as negative but also could be seen as represntative of thier firm and strong foundations that the couple have
-» implieing there is more beneath the surface in the relationshp
LANGUAGE - simile of boats quote
“returning again like boats righting in rough weather”
LANGUAGE - “returning again like boats righting in rough weather”
- simile
- hope ((“returning again” “righting in rough weather”)) to couple that they can survive the rough time in relatiosnhip
-» reassurance and stability
LANGUAGE - symbols of hope
- swans
- “light”
- “returnign again like boats righting in rough weather”
- “stilling water”
LANGUAGE - “stilling water” in context of “porcelain over the stilling water”
- hope
- weather is calming
- couple can get things back on track
- starts stilling as woman says “they mate for life”
-> as though the first dialogue in poem relfects how the woman is reaching out to speaker to make things right
-» their final communication ((diagloue)) begins the “stilling” of water on the next line and the calming of hteir problems
LANGUAGE - “porcelain” - adjective
- beautiful, treasured, purity
LANGUAGE - their hands had “swum the distance between us”
- metaphor
-> couple learn from the commitment and unity of the swans and the swans are such a positive influence of the couple that they start to mirror the actions of them - extended with them “folding, one over the other, like a pair of wings” ((hands))
LANGUAGE - “and folded, one over the other, like a pair of wings settling after flight.”
- extended metaphor from the couple’s hands holding relfecting the swans
- “one over the other” = semantic field of reuniting and pairings
