Mother, Any Distance- Armitage 19 February, 2019 What could these be a symbol for? What could they be a metaphor for? Anchor Mini Starter Discuss in pairs/groups… Kite Tape Measure CHALLENGE Write an example of how one item could be used as an extended metaphor. A symbol works two ways: It is something itself, and it also suggests something deeper. It is crucial to distinguish a symbol from a metaphor: Metaphors are comparisons between two seemingly dissimilar things; symbols associate two things, but their meaning is both literal and figurative. Background Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tom_hall_nz/15375375972/ Kite Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/arabani/8689023102/ Anchor Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cibercorsario/14971309574/ Tape Measure Image:https://www.flickr.com/photos/jkfid/4333013417/in/photolist-7ATPVT-7AXC7f-hTNeHj-64QeX1-ftDwK-Z23zo-9kFe96-5ED23X-pkxhAr-8vTCmb-bX7FrJ-agzy1s-6ftp8v-oT2HhB-7SqUBG-e4ZTnB-4JREY4-9KWjP1-d6PKgJ-d6PKFm-d6PK1N-d6PKsq-JL55z-oANpMX-ogP2Tx-29NHmC-7X3xtc-7EzEsq-bap71H-bzrgpr-9sjpRP-eG8WhW-4QqGTn-e8nrKF-4gt1eq-7xaERd-4goW9r-4goWfD-diD4qB-5LjJhq-5Basnp-7nSGek-opCzR9-8acE3t-c2CfK7-5aUt6b-quGbrB-6HNXDz-sppAP-99jXti Must: Understand and be able to thoughtfully explain the meaning and main themes of the poem. (AO1) Should: Explore and consider multiple interpretations of the poem. (AO1/AO2) Could: Analyse the language, form and structure of the poem. (AO2)

Critical View on Poetry https://youtu.be/TvFcbedyQ0A?t=2m5s ‘Not nearly enough people know about poetry let alone value it.’ PAIR Are Armitage’s ideas similar or different to your own? How? To what extent do you agree with this statement? or https://youtu.be/TvFcbedyQ0A?t=2m5s ‘There is something about poetry which is oppositional and it’s a form of dissent’. Dissent: hold or express opinions that are different to those commonly or officially held.

Context: Simon Armitage Simon Armitage was born in Huddersfield in 1963. This poem is taken from Book of Matches, a collection of 30 sonnets which Armitage wrote for his 30th birthday. The sonnets are based on a party game in which the players talk about their lives in the time it takes for a match to burn (around 20 seconds). In the original book, none of the poems have titles, but they all start with an asterisk (*), which represents somebody striking a match.

Meaning Which of these phrases do you think best describes the movement through the poem: From dependence to independence? From present to future? From being close to being apart? From security to risk? Select a quotation from each stanza that depicts this change and explode it into your book. Explain the connotations of the words used in the quotation. Explore the explicit and implicit meanings. Analyse the message that the poet is trying to convey and the effect on the reader.

Developing our language analysis Go beyond the connotations of keywords. Consider why the writer has chosen that particular word above all others. For both your Literature & Language examinations you will always need to question and dissect texts. Task 1: Look at the examples below and perform a close and detailed language analysis of each. Use the questions as a prompt. Task 2: Now select 5 others words from the poem. Write your questions around them and then analyse and annotate the words. Why not just fingers? ‘Fingertips’ ‘Pinch’ Why so specific? Why such a childish verb? Why such a harsh verb?

What is the poem about? The narrator’s mother comes to the house he’s moving into to help measure things such as walls and doors. She holds the end of the tape measure while he walks away to measure things. This makes him think about how she’s always looks after him.- but now she has to let him go. The narrator is looking forward to being independent, but he’s also a bit scared by it. He doesn’t know if he’ll succeed without his mum or not, but there are hints that she’ll always be there for him if he needs her.

A “single span” is the distance between his outstretched hands – he needs two people to measure anything larger than this. It’s a small distance, which suggests that his mother’s support is still important to him. He addresses her directly. The poem is like a personal message to her. Mother, any distance greater than a single span requires a second pair of hands. You come to help me measure windows, pelmets, doors, the acres of the walls, the prairies of the floors. “doors” and “floors” rhyme, but “hands” and “span” is only a half rhyme-this shows the dislocation between him and his mother. Metaphors and hyperbole create images of vast, open spaces – this hints at adventure and exploration, but also suggests that he feels daunted.

Holding the start of the tape measure could stand for the time when he was born. You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape, recording length, reporting metres, centimetres back to base, then leaving up the stairs, the line still feeding out, unreeling years between us. Anchor. Kite. The tape represents their shared history, but enjambment imitates how they’re crossing into a new phase of their relationships. Moving away from his mother physically, but also emotionally. He’s a kite starting to fly, but his anchor mother still keeps him secure. These two one-word sentences slow the pace of the poem, suggesting that he feels apprehensive and thoughtful.

He feels there’s no limit to the opportunities open to him-they can’t be measured like the walls. His tone is optimistic, in contrast to the uncertainty of the final line Space metaphor reflects how he feels that being on his own is an exciting adventure, but it’s also scary. It emphasises that this is a new experience for him. Their relationship needs to change. He is trying to move away and she’s trying to hold on. I space-walk through the empty bedrooms, climb the ladder to the loft, to breaking point, where something has to give; two floors below your fingertips still pinch the last one-hundredth of an inch...I reach towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky to fall or fly. The ellipsis could reflect how the tape is being stretched out, or it could suggest that his mother finally lets go of the tape. Bird imagery suggests hatching and ‘flying the nest’ – he’s breaking free of his mother’s protection, but doesn’t know if he’ll succeed without her security. The two short lines “has to give” and “to fall or fly” emphasise this message The use of the word “pinch” suggests how desperately she doesn’t want to let him go. However, it also suggests pain- if she doesn’t let him go, she’ll hurt him.

Metaphors Metaphor for what? Mother, any distance greater than a single span requires a second pair of hands. You come to help me measure windows, pelmets, doors, the acres of the walls, the prairies of the floors. You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape, recording length, reporting metres, centimetres back to base, then leaving up the stairs, the line still feeding out, unreeling years between us. Anchor. Kite. I space-walk through the empty bedrooms, climb the ladder to the loft, to breaking point, where something has to give; two floors below your fingertips still pinch the last one-hundredth of an inch… I reach towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky to fall or fly. How do these metaphors illustrate how the poet feels? An extended metaphor. Why has the poet used it? What effect is created? Why here? Why two short sentences? Which interpretation has no-one else thought of? (Grade 8/9) What does he mean by this? Why does the poem end in this way?

Feelings and attitudes The narrator is excited about being independent in his new life. He’s also worried by the thought of being on his own. The tape represents the strong bond between mother and son. He appreciates her help and the security she offers him. What do the words “Anchor. Kite”. tell you about the narrator’s relationship with his mother? Do you think the narrator’s mother lets go of the tape? Why do you think this? What is the effect of the final rhyme?

Key Themes Family relationships, independence, getting older. ‘Walking Away’ looks at the way that a parent and child’s relationship changes over time. You could also compare the presentation of the mother in this poem with that of the mother in ‘Before You Were Mine’.

ANALYSING YOUR POEM Voice Ballad Tone Sonnet Symbolism Free verse Structure How is the piece organised on the page? Can you identify the topic of each stanza? Are the stanzas equal or unequal? How many stanzas/verses? Is there rhythm/repetition/enjambment? What is the line length/rhyme scheme? Effect What effect on the reader is the poet aiming to achieve? (How is it intended to make you think/feel?) What opinion is conveyed by the poet? What is the purpose of the poet’s choice of language/opinion/theme? Meaning What is the poem about? Can you discover more than one meaning of the poem? What ideas and themes is the poet portraying? What is the poet’s point of view? Voice Tone Ballad Sonnet Free verse Dramatic monologue Symbolism Alliteration Assonance Juxtaposition Oxymoron S.M.I.L.E Simile Extended Metaphor Personification Rhyming Couplet Enjambment Emotive Language Repetition Language Which words has the poet used to convey meaning? What are the connotations of the language used? Is there more than one meaning of the word/phrase? Has the poet used figurative language? (onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance…) How has the poet used language to infer meaning? Imagery Which images are conveyed to the reader? Does the poem contain metaphors, similes or personification? Why do you think the poet has included the images in the poem?

Reflection: SMILE Paragraph Point: Topic sentence with an adjective. Evidence: Quotation- try to embed it in the sentence. Explain: Select a keyword- why does it stand out? What is the effect on the reader? Language Analysis- Analyse what the word suggests & how it links back to the adjective. This suggests… The use of the word… implies that… This infers… The poet was trying to convey The writer wanted to suggest… The connotations of this word are… Word Bank