Walking Away

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  • Created by: Scythe27x
  • Created on: 24-05-17 23:14
"like a satellite" "go drifting"
In this quote, there is a use of a negative simile, a satellite is not meant to fall out of orbit, and to drift away makes the son sound helpless and in danger. The simile also emphasises how the father has stopped being the centre of his sons life.
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"Wrenched from its orbit"
Enjambment puts the unexpected word "Wrenched" at the start of the line, which emphasises it. This reflects how the father found the separation sudden and painful.
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"Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem"
Natural simile, which contrasts with the satellite simile in stanza 1, "loosened" is less painful and forced than "Wrenched". This shows how the father is coming to terms with what happened and understands its natural.
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"Gnaws"
The verb "gnaws" is animalistic and vicious, the father is still affected by seeing his son go through the tough process of growing up.
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"Wilderness"
This suggests a hostile place, his father worries his son won't survive without his protection.
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"half-fledged thing"
This is a bird metaphor, which is used to show the father's concern that his son isn't ready yet.
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Narrative
The poem describes a father dropping his son off for his first football game and how eighteen years on the experience still haunts him to an extent.
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Context
The poem was about his son but the poet himself had attended boarding school when he was younger.
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Form
The poem has a first-person narrator, this emphasises that it's talking about personal experiences. The use of enjambment and caesura contributes to the rhythm of the poem, which sounds like natural speech.
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Form 2
The regular ABACA rhyme scheme reflects the steadiness of the father's parental love, and the repetition of the "A" rhyme reflects how the memory of that day continues to affect him years later.
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Structure
In the first two stanzas, the narrator talks about the memory. In the final two stanzas, he reflects on how the memory still pains him. The final two lines, give a conclusion, the narrator understanding it was a necessary part of development.
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Natural Imagery
Natural imagery is used to show the father's growing understanding that his son walking away from him is natural, but also that he remains concerned about him. He compares his son to a "half-fledged" bird out in the "wilderness".
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Language about Pain
Verbs such as "Wrenched", "scorching" and "Gnaws" show how the process is traumatic for the father as well as for the son.
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Author
C. Day Lewis
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

"Wrenched from its orbit"

Back

Enjambment puts the unexpected word "Wrenched" at the start of the line, which emphasises it. This reflects how the father found the separation sudden and painful.

Card 3

Front

"Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem"

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

"Gnaws"

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

"Wilderness"

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

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