Poem Revision

Basics

1) In the poem the narrator remembers a moment from his childhood. He and his older brother are given the responsibility of looking after their younger brother for the afternoon. 

2) They are exasperated with him- but excited to be out on their own.

3) They send their younger brother back to get his bus fare from their mother. But then they run on, leaving him behind.

Form,Structure and Language

1) Form- This is a narrative poem addressed to a six year old in the poem, seemingly some years after the events they describe. This poem is written in free verse, making it seem more like a story being told in spoken English. 

2) Structure- The first stanza establishes the relationship between the brothers. The second explains how the youngest had to go back and how the older two went on. The third stanza describes how the youngest got left behind, and hints at the impact this may have had.

3) Language about youth- Much of the poem contrasts the younger child's youthful exuberance with the older brothers' sense of self-possession and maturity-which is still mixed with the imagination of children.

4) Language about maturity- The older two think they're mature because they talk and act confidently- but the powm is written with the hindsight of actual maturity and sees that this is a bad momement for the relationship.

Feelings and Attitudes

1) Frustration- The narrator and Paul want to get away from the younger child. 

2) Guilt- The narrator presents his younger brother as eager, using childlike innocent terms. This makes the narrator's actions seem worse.

3) Regret- The poem suggests that, even at the time, part of him wanted to go back, and he wishes that he could close the "distance" in his relationship with his younger sibling.

Basics

1) The speaker in the poem is upset about love. He sees himself as a victim following the breakdown of a relationship.

2) He's gone to Paris with someone elese, but still seems unhappy an discontented. He doesn't want to go out into the city- he'd rather stay in the hotel room.

Form,Structure and Language

1) Form- The poem is made up of one main repeating stanza pattern, with a very different third stanza which makes it stand out. The poem is structured in quite a songlike way, with lots of repetition, including the main refrain, and internal rhymes to emphasise the rhythm.

2) Structure- The first stanzas are about the narrator, then the ficus shifts to Paris. The third stanza is structured differently snd is where he signals his intent. The penultimate verse turns the attention to their surroundings and the final verse onto his compainion- it ends with a more assertive than self-pitying tone.

3) Language about paris- The idea of being in Paris is very important in the poem abd he names some of the most important landmarks-but suggests they aviod them. Paris is often associated with romance- but in this context it seems pretty ironic as his thoughts aren't very romantic.

4) Humorous language- Nearly every stanza contains either a contrived or and unexpected ryhme.He also keeps repeating the word Paris, while reducing it to the inside of a horrible hotel room.

Feelings and Attitudes

1) Self pity- He starts the poem very focued on his own misery.

2) Bitterness- He's very resentful about the breakdown of his previous relationship.

3) Humour- He's self pitying, but the puns and unexpected rhymes suggest humour.

4) Lust- He makes his intentions very clear.

Basics

1) The three year old boy falls into a bed of nettles and is badly stung.

2) His father comforts him, then goes out and cuts down and burns the nettles.

3) Two weeks later they have grown back. This simple event is used to explore suffering and the powerlessness of parents to stop thier children from getting hurt in life.

4) The physical pain of the nettles has a deeper meaning of the emotional suffering which the father knows his son will have to eperience in life. His inability to destroy the nettles is a metaphor for the fact that the father can't pretend his son from the pains of living.

Form,Structure and Language

1) Form- This is a narrative poem with a first person narrator- this emphasises that the poem is talking about personal experiences. Use of enjambment makes it sound more like a story being told to the reader.

2) Structure- The poem goes through the story in a straightforward way, introducing events in the order they happened.

3) Military language- Imagery of war is used throughout the poem with the nettles personified as vicious soldiers who attack the boy, are defeated by the father but then rise up again.

4) Painful Language- The narrator gives very precise images of the boy's pain, but also links this to the more general pains of growning up.

Feelings and Attitudes

1) Anger- The father's angry at the nettles which hurt his son.

2)  Revenge- He attacks the nettles and tries in a rage to destroy them.

3) Frustration- He can't permanently remove the cause of his son's pain, and knows that his son will be hurt again and he can't stop it.

4) Tenderness- He comforts and takes care of his hurt son.

Basics

1) The poem brings up diferent aspects of a mother daughter relationship, showing how the mother was like a complete world to her child.

2) The mother is likened to water, the moon (night), sunrise (day) and food- a mixture of the necessities of life along with the days and nights in which it's lived.

Form,Structure and Language