Walking Away

Walking Away-Cecil Day-Lewis

LINK TO MOTHER, ANY DISTANCE OR FOLLOWER

Extra Detail:

• Each stanza
  • Distence grown
• ABACA rhythm scheme
  • 'A' represents the parent always being present.
  • 'B' and 'C' represents the child changing and growing up.

Context:

• Day-Lewis was brought up by his father after his mother died when he was two.
• The title, "Walking Away", was originally titled "For Sean" which was his son.
• Was Written as the poet looks back at his sons 1st day of boarding school-7 years old.
• His father went to a boarding school so knew all about how the enforced seperation of a boy from his parents affects the child.

Themes:

• Seperation
• Nature
• Distance
• Parent/child relationship

Stanza 1:

• "It is eighteen years ago"
  • "Eighteen"
    • Looking back on a memory
    • Become an adult at 18...
• "A sunny day with leaves just turning,"
  • "Sunny"
    • A pleasent memory/positive
  • Autumn
    • Leaves fall off the tree
    • Also they mature before dying
      • Metaphor for the child growing up and leaving
• "The touch-lines new-ruled - since i watched you play" 
  • Enjambment
  • Caesura
• "Your first game of football, then, like a satelite"
  • "Your"
    • 1st person
      • Talking directly to the child
      • More personal
  • Caesura
  • Enjambment
  • Similie
  • "Satelite"
    • Size of satelite (child) compared to the size of Earth (parent/actual Earth)
    • Reflecting how the child is dependent on the parent
• "Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away"
  • Enjambment
    • Seperation between the perant and the child
  • Caesura
  • "Wenched"
    • Harsh sounding
      • Physical pain
  • "Drifting"
    • Slow movement
    • Lack of gravitational pull to earth
    • Child going into the unknown
    • Connotations:
      • Wondering
      • Unfocused

Stanza 2:

• "Behind a scatter of boys. I can see"
  • Caesura
  • Enjambment
  • …