Comparison of Titles “The Field-Mouse”
“Cold Knap Lake” and “Catrin”
The poet Gillian Clark majority of the time uses innocuous sounding titles to engage the readers more for example; in “The Field Mouse”, “Cold Knap Lake” and “Catrin” they all have similarities because they present the poems as being harmless, safe and not guilty through the poet’s typical uses of innocuous sounding titles. However, instead of the poems following the sound of their titles as being out of harm's way, the poet’s explore aggressive and disturbing subjects which will create the sense that this particular poem is like an inscription on a tombstone.
Firstly, in the poem “The Field-Mouse” the title will deliberately mislead a reader who is new or unfamiliar with Gillian Clarke’s use of boring not the most appealing title technique. On the other hand, those who have already interpreted Gillian Clarke’s poems wouldn’t be given the wrong impression or wouldn’t be unaware about Gillian’s uses of safe-sounding titles which is contrasted from the poem for example, in “The Field Mouse” the first line “Summer, and the long grass is a snare drum” appears peaceful but is a form of a play on word because the word “Snare”, contains a double meaning because “snare” also means “trap” this also happens in the poem “Cold Knap Lake” and “Catrin”. In addition, in the poem “Cold Knap Lake” personally gave me the wrong impression because individuals who live in the city connect most of their ideas to features within the city therefore I connected “Cold Knap Lake”, with harmony, quite and peacefulness as would happen in a “Lake” in an urban. On the contrary, as I read on my personal perception altered slowing, the beginning of the poem in particular had mostly affected my insight for example “We once watched a crowd pull a drowned child from the lake Blue lipped and dressed in water’s long green silk” Firstly “Drowned Child” and “Blue-lipped” sounds like death at this very beginning as a result it will alter readers personal perception, Secondly “Long green silk” contrasts with her “Poor house” therefore as you can see the first sentence also contributes with the dissimilarity of the title which will have full effect on the reader. Furthermore, Gillian Clark also uses an innocuous sounding title for “Catrin” because it’s a simple innocent, childlike sounding name which one wouldn’t really associate with danger or trouble however the first sentence “The people and cars taking turn at the traffic lights” shows the peace and normality of her life before the birth, this difference’s with the conflict which follows, that will then change the readers judgment that the title “Catrin” is a innocent, pure and trouble-free title.
