1. Eden Rock- Causley 4 February, 2019 Must: Should: Could: Mini Starter
CHALLENGE
Is there a difference between genders?
Child
Mini Starter
How do relationships with parents change as we grow up?
Mindmap/Bullet Point your ideas in pairs.
Teenager
Young Adult
Think about:
Dependence/Independence
Power
Love
Generation Gaps
Changes in role
Adult
Background Image:
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)

2. Context: Charles Causley
Charles Causley ( ) was a quiet and modest man. He was born and brought up in Cornwall, where he lived for most of his life, and which he wrote about in many of his poems. His poetry is known for its simplicity and directness, often in the form of ballads- traditional narrative poems in short rhyming verses. Some of his poems were written for children. ‘Eden Rock’ (1988) is one of several poignant poems that Causley wrote about his parents. His father, a groom and gardener, died in 1924, when Charles was scarcely seven, from wounds sustained in the First World War. He never married, and his private life remained private. He refused to write an autobiography, since he said the truth about his life was available in his poems. Eden Rock is a fictional place.
Why may he have
named the poem
‘Eden Rock’?
Explode the title.

3. What is the poem about?
The narrator imagines that his parents are both young again-his mother is 23 and his father is 25. They’re both on the bank of a stream and his mother is preparing a picnic- it’s an idyllic scene.
The narrator is on the opposite bank to his parents, and they encourage him to cross the river to join them.
The setting may be based on a real memory, or it may be an imagined scene of the time before the narrator was born or when he’s near death-his parents could be beckoning him to join them in life, or in the afterlife.

4. Perspectives To what extent do you agree with this statement?
The poet does not return to the stream with the thoughts & feelings of his childhood self: he is there only with an adult perspective, reflecting on the past.
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
THINK
Why do you agree/disagree? Link ideas to the poem.
SHARE
Share with the rest
of your group.
PAIR
Pair and share your ideas with a partner. How can you develop your explanation?

5. Biblical reference to the Garden of Eden
Biblical reference to the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was a perfect place, which suggests that, for the narrator, this place with his parents is perfect and peaceful.
Vague description hints that this is an imagined scene
The use of the present tense makes the scene he’s describing feel more vivid
They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock:
My father, twenty-five, in the same suit
Of Genuine Irish Tweed, his terrier Jack
Still two years old and trembling at his feet.
The introductions to the two parents mirror each other-this reflects the closeness of their relationship.
The narrator seems to take comfort in remembering specific things about his parents.

6. The introductions to the two parents mirror each other-this reflects the closeness of their relationship.
These beautiful details show how precious this memory of his mother is to the narrator
My mother, twenty-three, in a sprigged dress
Drawn at the waist, ribbon in her straw hat,
Has spread the stiff white cloth over the grass.
Her hair, the colour of wheat, takes on the light.
Pure, heavenly colour
The light in his mother’s hair is an angelic image.

7. The detailed descriptions of these specific, ordinary things show their importance to the narrator and the affection he has for the way his parents did things.
The actions of the mother and father are tranquil and peaceful.
She pours tea from a Thermos, the milk straight
From an old H.P. sauce-bottle, a screw
Of paper for a cork; slowly sets out
The same three plates, the tin cups painted blue.

8. Caesura slow the pace of the poem, which emphasises the feeling of peace.
This hints at something otherworldly, in contrast with the ordinary descriptions of the first three stanzas –it is likely a heavenly light. The three suns could also symbolise that their family of three has been reunited.
The sky whitens as if lit by three suns.
My mother shades her eyes and looks my way
Over the drifted stream. My father spins
A stone along the water. Leisurely,
Even the stream is peaceful. This suggests he’ll have no trouble crossing it to get to his parents.
(They) Enjambment creates a pause, which may imitate the leisurely way the narrator’s parents beckon to him.

9. Possibly a metaphor for crossing into death.
They beckon to me from the other bank.
I hear them call, “See where the stream-path is!
Crossing is not as hard as you might think.”
I had not thought that it would be like this.
The narrator’s parents comfort and encourage him – a typical role of parents.
Monosyllabic language creates a tone of child like simplicity. The meaning of this last line is ambiguous- we don’t know what “it” actually is. He may be referring to his preparing to be born or to die, or he may be talking about the afterlife itself.

10. Poem Dictionary
Eden- the perfect garden in the Bible where Adam and Eve were said to have lived
Tweed- a woollen fabric, often with a checked pattern
Sprigged- patterned with small bunches of flowers
Thermos- a brand of flask

11. Feelings and Attitudes
1. Deep lasting bond- The parents have been waiting for their son. If the narrator is talking about death, he isn’t scared-he’ll be reunited with his parents, so it’s just like going back to childhood.
2. As the poet’s father died when he was 7, the narrator’s affection for the time when he and his parents were together as a family could reflect the poet’s own desire to see his parents again.
3. Peacefulness- There is a feeling of peace throughout the poem. This could reflect the narrator’s emotions- he feels at peace when he thinks about his parents and imagines being reunited with them.

12. Have ago at answering these questions to help you come up with your own ideas about the poem:
Why do you think the poet chose to call the place in the poem Eden Rock?
How would you describe the mood of the narrator?
Why do you think the last line is separate from the rest of the stanza?
Key Themes:
‘Follower’ also explores the close, lasting bonds of parent/child relationships. You could discuss the vivid childhood memories in ‘Before You Were Mine’ or how distance is overcome in ‘Letters From Yorkshire.’

13. What I think this implies
Interpretations: Use the following as a guide and add your own quotations.
Quotation
(line number)
What I think this implies
Questions I have
PAIR
‘In the same suit of genuine Irish tweed’
A favourite suit of his father’s that he associates with days out, perhaps his best suit.
Is the ‘Irish Tweed’ significant?
‘Still two years old’
The memory is from a time when his father’s dog was still young as well.
Was the writer a similar age or older?
‘The same three plates’
Annotate this
on your
copy of
the poem.
‘Leisurely they beckon’
‘Crossing is not as hard as you might think’
Discuss your questions in your pairs… can you use the text to suggest an answer?

14. 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?

15. 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