Nettles by Vernon Scannell Analysis

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  • Created by: Gemma
  • Created on: 22-05-13 12:36
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  • Nettles by Vernon Scannell
    • Imagery & Symbolism
      • Military metaphors
        • Green spears
        • Nettles = military army
        • Regiment of spite
          • Personification
        • The narrator has made it into a war scene
          • He gets revenge
            • Slashed in fury
              • Brutality/ anger
        • Bullhook
          • Old weapon used by peasants
            • Old fashioned
              • I lit a funeral pyre
                • In India, the Hindi burn they're dead by putting someone on a platform of sticks and setting light to it = pyre
                • The Vikings used to use pyres too
                  • Old fashioned
                    • I lit a funeral pyre
                      • In India, the Hindi burn they're dead by putting someone on a platform of sticks and setting light to it = pyre
                      • The Vikings used to use pyres too
                      • The nettles have been there for hundreds of years
                • The nettles have been there for hundreds of years
              • His anger is age old
              • Ordinary people protect their children too
          • The fallen dead
          • Tall recruits
          • Fierce parade
            • Silly situation
              • The nettles won't do anything
        • blisters beaded on his tender skin
          • blisters = disturbing
          • Lots of beads in a sting
            • beads = decoration (unpleasant)
          • tender skin = young/fragile
            • Empathy from parent
        • Green spears
          • Green = good/natural /peaceful
        • Behind the shed
          • Bad things happen behind the shed
            • Out of sight
            • Will the boy be bullied behind the shed in the future?
        • It is no place for rest
          • Ironic
        • The boy came seeking comfort
          • (not in a nettle bed)
          • When you are young and hurt, you go straight to your parents
            • He's learning how to deal with pain
            • When you are older, you can deal with pain without running to your parents
            • The child is learning that his parents will be there to protect him
        • In two weeks the busy sun and rain had called up tall recruits behind the shed
          • Nature
            • Nature is harsh
              • You can't deal with it
          • Never-ending
            • He's never going to win
              • He won't always be able to protect his son
          • Continuous cycle
            • The fallen dead
              • Finishing the cycle
            • My son would often feel sharp wounds again
              • Throughout his life
              • Same as beginning
                • Full circle
      • Rhyme Scheme
        • ABAB rhyme scheme
        • Rhymes don't really stand out
          • Only emphasizes certain points
          • Certain words stand out
            • Spears
            • Tears
            • Blade
            • Parade
      • Language
        • My son
          • Strong start
        • aged 3
          • sums up the child's defencelessness
        • Fell in the nettle bed
          • Doesn't use 'into'
          • Does he fall down in life?
        • At last he offered us a watery grin
          • He had tears in his eyes
            • Grin was not genuine
          • Showing the parents that he is okay
      • Relationship between father and son
        • Poem shows narrators love for his child
          • He tries to protect his child
            • Can't protect him all the time
        • The narrator blames the nettles
          • He feels guilty about it
            • Turns the situation into a war scene
          • There's nothing worse for a parent than not being there to help their child
        • The narrator needed to be more alert
        • Good relationship between the narrator and he boy
          • Mutual understanding between the need of both the child and the parent

    Comments

    zahra16

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    Thank you for this really helpful piece of work! it really helped me write a short response to the poem.

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