As can easily be seen each poem is written with a different emotion driving the poem. My Grandmother is a poem driven by its’ sense of grievance that the Narrator didn’t get close to her grandmother and feels no plaintive emotion after the grandmothers death.
Piano however puts across a sense of happiness caused by the remembering of happy moments but also evokes a sense of sadness because Lawrence wishes he could live it all again.
At Castle Boterel has a change in emotion because it goes from happy times to a very melancholy moment where it switches back to present tense from the past, as he looked back at the relationship ”amid the rain”
Each poem has its own structure. My Grandmother has a very traditional structure it has eleven syllables per line. There are four equal stanzas each of six lines. The stanzas have a regular rhyme scheme, which is ABABCC, with the exception of stanza 3 lines two and four, which are examples of eye-rhyme. The stanzas vary between a focus of the Narrator and her grandmother.
Piano however has a varying amount syllables per line, three stanzas each of four lines. This poem has a rhyme scheme of ABAB. The A lines are a brief description of what is happening and the B lines are further developing the previous line (A).
At Castle Boterel’s stanzas are nowhere near equal but get shorter towards the end of the stanzas. The stanzas have the same rhyme scheme as My Grandmother (ABABCC). There are seven stanzas each of five lines. The poem switches between happy moments in the past tense and melancholy moments in the past tense.
Each poem uses different types of language. My Grandmother uses a lot of words and phrases which enhance that the grandmother was old for example “frail”, ”can’t be polished” and antique. The first stanza also makes religious references mentioning the Apostles and salvers, from salvation.
Piano uses a combination of cheerful words and phrases such as “appassionato” and “boom of the tinkling strings” as well as very melancholic words and phrases such as “weep” and his “manhood is cast”.
At Castle Boterel however uses a lot of archaic words such as “bedrenches” and “benighted”. The poem also mentions different types of roads, including to a “highway” and a byway”.
Each poem uses different images to enhance the poem. My Grandmother contains very few metaphors or similes but the few which are there are very effective, for example:
There was nothing then/ To give her own reflection back again.
(OCR Poetry Anthology pg. 12 St 3 lines 5-6)
This is comparing an old woman with a stereotypical old witch, who traditionally according to folk stories have no reflection and will never be able to gain one.
Piano again contains few but effective metaphors such as “Taking me back down to the vista of years,” this is effective because it is comparing a mans memory to a vista much like those found on hills which give a beautiful perspective on the surrounding area.
At Castle Boterel contains more metaphors than the other two but they are still as effective. For example “I look behind at the fading by-way,” this is effective because it talks of a road which has faded from view, this is compared to journey now being forgotten in hope of a brighter future.
All of the poems were slow this is no doubt to enhance the melancholy each of them includes. My Grandmother is a semi-slow poem because most lines are end-stopped and there are many caesuras throughout the poem slowing it down considerably.
Piano is also a slow poem this comes about because there are caesuras on the majority of lines but enjambment occurs on all lines but the final line of each stanza.
At Castle Boterel is also a slow poem because most lines are either end-stopped or contain caesuras.
Each poem has many types of language in it. My Grandmother contains examples of alliteration “Among Apostles” and examples of sibilance “Salvers and silver bowls,” as well as assonance “Sideboards and cupboards”. As mentioned before the poem follows the rhyme scheme ABABCC.
Piano contains many examples of onomatopoeia: “tingling”,” boom” and “tinkling” Again as mentioned the poem follows the rhyme scheme ABAB.
At Castle Boterel contains a combination of alliteration and assonance: “foot-swift, foot-sore,” It also contains an example of mid-word sibilance: ”first and last” as well as repetition: “shrinking, shrinking”. As mentioned before the poem’s rhyme scheme is ABABCC.
All in all My Grandmother is a melancholic poem which is trying to teach us to stay close to our grandmothers but not so much that you become what see lives for. It does this by use of few but effective metaphors.
Piano is much the same it is a melancholic poem which tries to teaches that the few years we spend as a child are the best years of our lives and we must treasure them whilst they last. This too is done by impressive use of metaphors and onomatopoeia.
Finally At Castle Boterel this too is a melancholic poem which talks about how a seemingly perfect relationship can turn sour. Use of archaic language and a lot of alliteration and sibilance and assonance do this.
The authors all chose a time in their life in which they now feel very sad about. They all say that we should hang on to what we have, because sooner or later we will lose it. However My Grandmother is the one that put this over most and At Castle Boterel the least.
