Now add your own notes and analysis of the poem. Remember to state your name at the start of each comment.
5 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Lines 14-16 These lines emphasise the amounts of people that would have died in these events. There is a defiant tone in the next few lines, which is unexpected from a group of people recovering from the impact. The word "but" introduces this contrast in tone.
The repetition of "if" suggests defiance. These things are connected with communication. And you would expect people in this situation to want this. "We would not" is very defiant.
Lines 18-20 personify the world, like a creature that eats its own children. This is a revolting idea that is unnatural. "Quick, this pn suggests the world has eaten the children alive, as the destruction of the world was so quick.
Line 21 "nations lying asleep" is a euphemism for millions of people dying. "curled blindly" is a reference to the position that they died, this suggests people curled up in the foetal position to try and protect themselves. The tone here is of people who are confused and puzzled, and can't come to terms with what happened.
Lines 24-30 mark the transition from modern technology to pre-industrial technology. Tractors are compared to sea monsters in lines 24-25, these items are both quite large. There is also a sense of threat, as the tractors represent the old ways. This is surprising as it shows that the community has moved on.
By having direct speech in line 27, it humanises our survivors. This also reinforces this saga register by using archaic language. "moulder" to mould away. "loam" is fertile soil.
Lines 31-32 is a link sentence which brings us up to date, a year after the nuclear war.
"Strange horses" show that they are important and somehow mysterious.
There s a juxtaposition. We have the Horses compared to Oxen. Oxen are beasts of burden, meanwhile the horses arrived of their own free will.
Lines 31-34 These lines build tension as the horses get closer. His word choice starts with the quieter noise: "tapping". Then goes to a louder noise: "drumming" and "thunder". The survivors muzt have been scared.
"We saw the heads like a wild wave charging" this is a simile. The horses manes are being compared to a wild wave. This is to make them seem powerful and uncontrollable. There is a sense of awe when they saw these anmals, they were frightened and impressed.
Lines 40-41, the new horses are compared to the type of animal that a medieval knight might have used. A proud animal. To them it was like seeing something from a story book come alive. This suggests that the horses have come to save the survivors, like a knight and steed in a story book would have.
This ties into the story telling nature of the saga, as it talks about knights, linking back to archaic days.
"that long lost archaic companionship" over thousands of years, humans and horses have lived together. Over the years, the use of horses has died out. They are no longer used in fields, or for transport.
"As if they have been sent by some old command" this is instinctive in horses to seek humans out, as traditionally they had worked together.
"stubborn and shy", stubborn shows that they are unmoving, as if they are there for a purpose. 'Shy' shows that they are uncertain.
Lines 46-47, these show an equality between the horses and the survivors. They thought they were friends.
"Colts" represent new life, this is a tone of hope as the young horses have brought the possibility of a future to the survivors.
"yet new as if they had come from their own Eden" relates back to the creation story in Genesis. The implication here is that the world has been reborn, which emphasises the tone of hope.
Lines 51-53, these are an epilogue, bringing us up to the present day.
"Free servitude" is an oxymoron. This tells us that unlike the oxen, the horses have volunteered to help the humans.
The survivors do not want to repeat the mistakes of their disfunctional civilisation, they are embracing a non technological lifestyle, working with the planet. This represents humanity trying to make a fresh start, and not try to recreate the past.
situation: Poet describes his journey to the hospital when his wife is giving birth to his child. He is brutally told that his son has Downs Syndrom and at one point nearly rejects the baby, but towards the end of the poem he accepts and loves his son.
- tone of the first 3 sections - excitement, hope. - at this stage of the poem, even the traffic lights are all green, everything is sharing his excitement. - Green is a colour we associate with spring and new life. - simile - lights compared to peppermints - shape and coloured - treats, children and innocence - black trees - lamposts, railings, he imagines them bursting into life as he passes them (as if the town is sharing his excitement) - fairytale image - "lucky prince..." - male pride - the creator of new life. "spiralling" - reference to the double helix in DNA.
section 2
direct speech - intensity for his wish to have a son. - to personalise the narrator, to bring him to life. personification - refering to having a hand - agai9ng is showing that everything around him is sharing his excitement.
section 3
spring - a time for new life, mimic s what's happening in the hospital. personification - everything sharring his excitement
"child's hand" - refers back to childhood, innocence, a childs innocent excitement.
Reference to the body “Spinal” “Bone white Focus on the physical. Repetition – mirrors the contractions his wife is experiencing.
“New minted” – coin is pressed - child being compared to money - positive comparison - both valuable in different ways - looks like the – stamped with their images
-“white sheet”- new life, what happens in his life will be written on that page. - “my best poem”- nothing this poet could write that could beat his son. Section Five Tone changing dramatically from excitement to foreboding. - “scissored” and “slicing” – sense of tangible damage. - Violent words. Direct speech- impact – to put us in his position. Professional –breaks the news with no compassion. - broke this difficult news in a busy, public corridor.
•“bullet” – continues the idea of slicing.(violence) He compared the news that is child has down syndrome to his heart stopping when I bullet pierces it. •“leaving no mark on the skin” – this suggests that his heart is broken and he is hurt on the inside.
For most of section six the man is obviously in dire shock and the prospective of the poem changes to show him viewing a situation. “a pilot treading air” – here, he is being compared to a jet pilot that has been ejected from a plane. The shock has the effect of distancing himself from the situation and this feeling stays with him through the car park. Seeing the Almond Tree again makes him come back down to Earth and confront his feelings. This situation has change who he is; he doesn’t recognise himself and the way he is acting. He is horrified with himself.
Section VII
Metaphor – here the poet is comparing the hospital to a ship and the patients to the people onboard. For some of the patients, if their life was mapped out, they would know that their life is coming to an end.
The description, “blood-dark” is a reference to pregnancy. The man’s whole being has changed once he witnesses his newly born baby. He refers himself to being ignorant about lives difficulties. The birth of his son has opened his eyes to the realities of life. It is ironic that the newly born baby had taught the grown man more than he has had the time too. What should be a celebration of new birth is postponed by the parents learning lives hard teachings from their disabled son.
There is now another tone change from a negative, disheartening feeling to a feeling of acceptance and realisation that this child will enrich his life with lessons.
Section VIII
These lines suggest that the child will still be like an able bodied child, upbeat and happy.
The suggestion that the man’s own life has been limited until now is very strange but the section tells us that father and son will help each other to experience life as fully as they can. “covenant” – This word suggests a very solemn agreement that father and son make to each other.
By the end of the poem the fathers feelings towards his son have changed from disowning to loving and caring.
IN ORDER TO HAVE A ORDERED AND COMPLETE LIFE THERE HAS TO BE DIFFICULTIES ASWELL.
5 comments:
Lines 14-16 These lines emphasise the amounts of people that would have died in these events. There is a defiant tone in the next few lines, which is unexpected from a group of people recovering from the impact. The word "but" introduces this contrast in tone.
The repetition of "if" suggests defiance. These things are connected with communication. And you would expect people in this situation to want this. "We would not" is very defiant.
Lines 18-20 personify the world, like a creature that eats its own children. This is a revolting idea that is unnatural. "Quick, this pn suggests the world has eaten the children alive, as the destruction of the world was so quick.
Line 21 "nations lying asleep" is a euphemism for millions of people dying. "curled blindly" is a reference to the position that they died, this suggests people curled up in the foetal position to try and protect themselves. The tone here is of people who are confused and puzzled, and can't come to terms with what happened.
Lines 24-30 mark the transition from modern technology to pre-industrial technology. Tractors are compared to sea monsters in lines 24-25, these items are both quite large. There is also a sense of threat, as the tractors represent the old ways. This is surprising as it shows that the community has moved on.
By having direct speech in line 27, it humanises our survivors. This also reinforces this saga register by using archaic language. "moulder" to mould away. "loam" is fertile soil.
Lines 31-32 is a link sentence which brings us up to date, a year after the nuclear war.
"Strange horses" show that they are important and somehow mysterious.
There s a juxtaposition. We have the Horses compared to Oxen. Oxen are beasts of burden, meanwhile the horses arrived of their own free will.
Lines 31-34 These lines build tension as the horses get closer. His word choice starts with the quieter noise: "tapping". Then goes to a louder noise: "drumming" and "thunder". The survivors muzt have been scared.
"We saw the heads like a wild wave charging" this is a simile. The horses manes are being compared to a wild wave. This is to make them seem powerful and uncontrollable. There is a sense of awe when they saw these anmals, they were frightened and impressed.
Lines 40-41, the new horses are compared to the type of animal that a medieval knight might have used. A proud animal. To them it was like seeing something from a story book come alive. This suggests that the horses have come to save the survivors, like a knight and steed in a story book would have.
This ties into the story telling nature of the saga, as it talks about knights, linking back to archaic days.
"that long lost archaic companionship" over thousands of years, humans and horses have lived together. Over the years, the use of horses has died out. They are no longer used in fields, or for transport.
"As if they have been sent by some old command" this is instinctive in horses to seek humans out, as traditionally they had worked together.
"stubborn and shy", stubborn shows that they are unmoving, as if they are there for a purpose. 'Shy' shows that they are uncertain.
Lines 46-47, these show an equality between the horses and the survivors. They thought they were friends.
"Colts" represent new life, this is a tone of hope as the young horses have brought the possibility of a future to the survivors.
"yet new as if they had come from their own Eden" relates back to the creation story in Genesis. The implication here is that the world has been reborn, which emphasises the tone of hope.
Lines 51-53, these are an epilogue, bringing us up to the present day.
"Free servitude" is an oxymoron. This tells us that unlike the oxen, the horses have volunteered to help the humans.
The survivors do not want to repeat the mistakes of their disfunctional civilisation, they are embracing a non technological lifestyle, working with the planet. This represents humanity trying to make a fresh start, and not try to recreate the past.
IGNORE THIS LAST COMMENT IT IS "THE HORSES" NOT "THE ALMOND TREE"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
themes - fatherhood
disability
situation: Poet describes his journey to the hospital when his wife is giving birth to his child. He is brutally told that his son has Downs Syndrom and at one point nearly rejects the baby, but towards the end of the poem he accepts and loves his son.
- tone of the first 3 sections - excitement, hope.
- at this stage of the poem, even the traffic lights are all green, everything is sharing his excitement.
- Green is a colour we associate with spring and new life.
- simile - lights compared to peppermints
- shape and coloured
- treats, children and innocence
- black trees - lamposts, railings, he imagines them bursting into life as he passes them (as if the town is sharing his excitement)
- fairytale image - "lucky prince..."
- male pride - the creator of new life.
"spiralling" - reference to the double helix in DNA.
section 2
direct speech - intensity for his wish to have a son.
- to personalise the narrator, to bring him to life.
personification - refering to having a hand
- agai9ng is showing that everything around him is sharing his excitement.
section 3
spring - a time for new life, mimic s what's happening in the hospital.
personification - everything sharring his excitement
"child's hand" - refers back to childhood, innocence, a childs innocent excitement.
This post is by Frazdo and Marto.
Section Four
Reference to the body
“Spinal”
“Bone white
Focus on the physical.
Repetition – mirrors the contractions his wife is experiencing.
“New minted” – coin is pressed
- child being compared to money
- positive comparison
- both valuable in different ways
- looks like the – stamped with their images
-“white sheet”- new life, what happens in his life will be written on that page.
- “my best poem”- nothing this poet could write that could beat his son.
Section Five
Tone changing dramatically from excitement to foreboding.
- “scissored” and “slicing” – sense of tangible damage.
- Violent words.
Direct speech- impact – to put us in his position.
Professional –breaks the news with no compassion.
- broke this difficult news in a busy, public corridor.
Posted by #Stefan#
Section VI
•“bullet” – continues the idea of slicing.(violence) He compared the news that is child has down syndrome to his heart stopping when I bullet pierces it.
•“leaving no mark on the skin” – this suggests that his heart is broken and he is hurt on the inside.
For most of section six the man is obviously in dire shock and the prospective of the poem changes to show him viewing a situation. “a pilot treading air” – here, he is being compared to a jet pilot that has been ejected from a plane. The shock has the effect of distancing himself from the situation and this feeling stays with him through the car park.
Seeing the Almond Tree again makes him come back down to Earth and confront his feelings. This situation has change who he is; he doesn’t recognise himself and the way he is acting. He is horrified with himself.
Section VII
Metaphor – here the poet is comparing the hospital to a ship and the patients to the people onboard. For some of the patients, if their life was mapped out, they would know that their life is coming to an end.
The description, “blood-dark” is a reference to pregnancy.
The man’s whole being has changed once he witnesses his newly born baby. He refers himself to being ignorant about lives difficulties.
The birth of his son has opened his eyes to the realities of life. It is ironic that the newly born baby had taught the grown man more than he has had the time too. What should be a celebration of new birth is postponed by the parents learning lives hard teachings from their disabled son.
There is now another tone change from a negative, disheartening feeling to a feeling of acceptance and realisation that this child will enrich his life with lessons.
Section VIII
These lines suggest that the child will still be like an able bodied child, upbeat and happy.
The suggestion that the man’s own life has been limited until now is very strange but the section tells us that father and son will help each other to experience life as fully as they can.
“covenant” – This word suggests a very solemn agreement that father and son make to each other.
By the end of the poem the fathers feelings towards his son have changed from disowning to loving and caring.
IN ORDER TO HAVE A ORDERED AND COMPLETE LIFE THERE HAS TO BE DIFFICULTIES ASWELL.
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