Poppies

?
  • Created by: Safi:)
  • Created on: 30-11-19 10:34
View mindmap
  • Poppies
    • Structure and form
      • free form: free verse, enjambment, caesura and different length stanzas
        • mothers thoughts can't be ordered/ contained
        • whilst she tries to have a calm exterior, inside she is breaking
      • dramatic monologue
      • lots of references  to time
        • makes it specific and relatable- lots of mothers had to go through that
        • , Yes, it was hard for veterans, but barely anyone talks about how hard it was for mothers
    • beginning
      • "I pinned one onto your lapel"
        • VERB 'pinned' suggests how she might not what him to leave and its an attachment trying to keep their  bond strong
        • a very motherly, intimate act
      • "crimped petals,"
        • suggests a damaged poppy, which implies that war damages people, whether a fallen soldier or grieving family.This also links with the theme of death as he crimped poppy may represent flowers that are withering.
        • JUXTAPOSITION  – 'crimped' shows something which has been ruined, while 'petals' display hope and peace
    • context
      • poem is about mother and son
      • it's about the affects of war in a domestic sphere
      • Poppies are a symbol of remembrance - if we rememeber well enough, we won't do it again
      • poppy was one of the only plants to grow on the otherwise barren battlefields - therefore showing the beauty that came ouut of war
    • middle
      • "Sellotape bandaged around my hand,I rounded up as many white cat hairs as I could"
        • white is the symbolic colour of innocence which is an ironic contrast to the serious injuries in war. It suggests that she will always look after him, like he is still a child
      • "steeled the softening of my face"
        • VERB mother attempts to mask er feeling which is hard. Primary role of parent is protection and now she can't protect him anymore
      • "the world overflowing like a treasure chest."
        • SIMILE - could represent her emotions and how she can no longer contain them as she watches her beloved son slip away from her. He is her treasure
    • end
      • "released a song bird from its cage."
        • METAPHOR - she is “releasing” her son. He has been caged by her side, for years and now she is freeing him into the world, but he may not come back. She is finally trying to overcome her emotional attachment
      • "I listened, hoping to hear your playground voice catching on the wind."
        • The ending relates back to the beginning suggesting that the death of innocent soldiers is a never-ending thing

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar English Literature resources:

poppies
See all English Literature resources »See all AQA Anthology resources »