Climbing My Grandfather

Climbing My Grandfather Form Structure Present Tense and 1st person Enjambment imitates the motion of climbing and emphasises the climber’s steady progress Visually the poem looks strong and solid – similar to a mountain The poem follows a climber’s progress up a mountain from the bottom to the summit – it feels as though he is getting higher with each line of the poem.

Exploration/Mountains Language AO2 Exploration/Mountains Personal Discovery The extended metaphor of the grandfather as a mountain shows how the grandson sees him – permanent/reliable/impressive. Locate and highlight examples of this language. The climbing metaphor creates a sense of adventure that reflects the child’s excitement – the child-like way in which he notices things shows how he is fascinated by features he discovers. Find/highlight – discuss vocabulary choices/effect. The poem can also be read as the words of an adult who is learning about his grandfather – it is adult in tone and complex. The narrator is actively trying to get to know his grandfather as a person – “I discover gently” / “watch a pupil open and close” (double meaning)/”reaching the summit gasping for breathe”

Attitudes and Feelings Inquisitiveness – child like curiosity/fascination/small detail Effort – journey to exhaustion Closeness – affection/emotional and physical closeness Context: bonds across generations/heredity/roots/guidance and support to learn and embrace family relationships Find evidence and ‘explode’ 2 quotes for each ‘red’ word You will be using these to construct a short response to the question: How does Waterhouse present the speaker’s process of learning to understanding and knowing his grandfather? Have at least 4 mini quotes ‘peppered’ through your response. Remember: topic sentences/method terminology/intention and context point/reader response/some readers may feel…../however