Compare the poets(TM) attitudes to child/parent relationships in two or more of your choice.

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Poetry- 1914

Compare the poets’ attitudes to child/parent relationships in two or more of your choice.

        Child relationships are a universal theme that has been used in poetry throughout a number of centuries. For example, ‘On My First Daughter,’ was written by Ben Johnson in the 17th century. In this essay I am going to compare how two poets explore these relationships in the post 1914 poems, ‘you’re,’ and, ’Catrin.’ Both have the same themes of a mother and child relationship except that, ‘You’re,’ explores the mothers feelings prior to birth whilst, ‘Catrin,’ explores the reality of this relationship and the growing up of the child.

        Even though the poems may be similar in theme; relationships, love, growth and change, they are different in many ways. ‘You’re,’ has a sense of anticipation and, ‘Catrin,’ has a sense of reality. In, ‘You’re,’ the sense of anticipation is used throughout the poem. For example the poet describes the baby as, ‘looked for like mail.’ This is a simile which supports the senses of anticipation in that when you are waiting for mail you are anticipating what is coming, good or bad. Another example of anticipation is, ‘like a well-done sum.’ Amongst the many other similes in this poem this one reflects the mother’s anticipation, contentment and satisfaction of having a baby, just like it is when you are contented and satisfied having got a sum correct. Similarly, ‘Cartin,’ uses figurative language such as the extended metaphor, ‘red rope of love,’ which tie mother and daughter together. ‘Catrin,’ also has a sense of anticipation like, ‘You’re,’ in that the mother in this poem anticipates the child growing up and doesn’t want her to get hurt when she asks to, ‘skate in the dark for one more hour.’ The enjambment in this indicates the long struggle and the long anticipation that she has for her child, in other words the poet thinks skating is dangerous, and of course when it is in the dark there is even more of a chance of an accident happening, she is going into the unknown. In a similar way, the enjambment demonstrates that there is no stopping the child growing up into adulthood.

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In both poems there is a sense of happiness and mystery, for instance in, ‘You’re,’ you can tell straight away that there a sense of happiness because of how it is related to, ‘clownlike,’ which establishes the mood. In addition the mystery is, ‘moon-skulled,’ which means that the baby is an alien creature, it is something the mother does not understand yet. On the other hand, in, ‘Catrin,’ the mothers pride is undermined by the struggle of confrontation. Her, ‘straight, strong, long, brown hair,’ indicates that her mother is proud of her strong character. Yet, on the other hand, ...

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