uses a semantic field of music. This is indicated with the words “piano” and
“appassionato”. Perhaps it was to add greater impact on the reader. For example,
instead of loud, he uses “appassionato”. For me as a reader I feel a greater impact of
“appassionato” than loud due to the fact that it is related to music and it is more
descriptive. The word “appassionato” adds to the fact that to the persona music doesn’t
matter any more and that he’d rather be with his mother. The singer is trying “in vain”
so, no matter how hard she tries, or how much passion she puts in it, it is nothing
compared to the bliss of the persona’s memories.
In the literary sense, Lawrence uses a range of techniques as well. As an observer, I would
say his strongest point is probably his usage of sound related devices, particularly
sibilance. Firstly there is the woman singing to him “Softly, in the dusk”. The “s” sounds
similar to that of a whisper. By using sibilance, Lawrence has managed to set up an
atmosphere for the poem. A soft, if not alluring, atmosphere. However, his use of
sibilance is not just limited to generating a gentle effect. He uses sibilance in the phrase
“In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song”. Although it still generates an “s” sound, it adds a sinister implication and harshness to the line. Lawrence also uses some
onomatopoeia. The phrase “tinkling strings” adds to the distance of his “vista of
memories” as “tinkling” is a rather faint sound. It shows that the persona has experienced
rather a lot in life and that Lawrence is writing it from the point of view of a middle-aged
man. Finally. I would like to go into the symbolism of the poem. Virtually everyone can
relate to it, as everybody has something in their childhood that they remember. Like the
persona, they see the “glamour” of the past and wish to be in it again. Also, when the
persona’s “manhood is cast”, it shows that in his subconscious his childhood and adulthood
are one, as he weeps “like a child for the past”. In this there is a duality and a contrast.
Another poet who remembers his mother, though not from such a distance in the past, is
George Barker in his poem ‘To My Mother’. His mother is still alive but he appears to be
away from her and possibly in danger fighting in a war, as in the second stanza of the
poem he says she is too strong to hide away from the bombing around her home. He sends
all his love to tell her that she is strong enough to survive if he should die “she will move
from mourning into morning.” He uses a lot of similes and metaphors to describe her as
almost larger than life in all sorts of ways as well as her bravery. She is “as huge as Asia”
so that, when she laughs, it is like an earthquake, she is “seismic with laughter”. Yet she
is tender towards weaker creatures. His continuing love and pride in his mother means he
does not regret the loss of his childhood like Lawrence.
The next poem is ‘Poem at 39’. This poem differs structurally from ‘Piano’. Firstly it is
written in free verse where as ‘Piano’ is written in 3 stanzas with quatrains. The freeverse structure adds a sense of remembrance as it emulates ‘train of thought’. You tend
to recall the memories that have most impact on you. This is further instilled by the use
of caesura and enjambment. These two things provide ‘staccato’ and ‘legato’ to the
phrasing of the poem. In this poem enjambment is used to emulate the memories coming
back slowly or it could be a reflection of sadness. For example in the first stanza the
spacing between the groups of words causes them to sound something like a stutter when
recited. Memories don’t usually just hit you, you usually slowly take them in. Walker
leaves that for us to interpret ourselves. Even though this poem is written in free verse,
there is still a clear divide between the two sections of the poem. That is shown in the
repetition of the phrase “How I miss my father”. The first time it seems like she is sighing,
a sign of reflection and regret. This regret can also be tied in with the phrase “though
many of my truths must have grieved him before the end.” She now knows that what she
told him might have hurt him. The second time with the exclamation mark, instead of a
sigh, it seems more like a wail. At this point she really remembers and misses her father
and remembers the fun things about him. Finally there is the stanza that wraps the poem
up. It tells us that she has become the woman that her father wanted her to be.
A quality of language that I admire about Walker’s work is the simplicity. It doesn’t seem
to be exaggerated or artificial in any sense. She doesn’t seem to try to use fancy words so
it seems that it is all written from the heart. I believe that there is nothing simpler than
“escape the life he knew” or “cooking, writing, chopping wood”. It seems that she is
actually speaking to you not reciting something. This is one major difference from ‘Piano’.
Who would say, “Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong” in an actual
conversation?
In the usage of literary devices, Walker has quite a large amount of symbolism. The first
one is “tossing this and that into the pot; seasoning none of my life the same way twice”
like her father used to. In this phrase “seasoning” would be a symbol of the things that
she does in life. She always does new things and is not a dull or boring person. The
biggest symbols in this poem are the actions of “cooking, writing, chopping wood, staring
into the fire”. I see this as a symbol of independence, the ability to survive without relying on a man and having spirit. “chopping wood” shows she can do what a man can do,
thinning the line dividing the roles of male and female Furthermore, Walker was a racial
activist; she met Martin Luther King and states that he was the reason why she chose to
become an activist. You could say that she is a modern woman, being able to be
independent and fight for her beliefs. She’s right. Any father “would have grown to
admire” the woman she had become especially hers who had been a freed slave.
Seamus Heaney is another poet who compares what he has become with his father (and
grandfather) in ‘Digging’. Like Walker’s persona describes the actions of her father,
Heaney’s persona describes his father digging potatoes 20 years before “The coarse boot
nestled on the lug, the shaft/ Against the inside knee was levered firmly” and also his
grandfather cutting turf. Heaney uses a metaphor to compare his persona’s work with
theirs saying he is “digging with his pen”. Walker’s father is dead but Heaney’s is still
alive but this also can bring sadness. In ‘Follower’ the persona again remembers his
father, this time when, as a child, he stumbled behind him ploughing. Now they are both
older the roles are reversed and the father is too old to work and the persona seems
impatient with him “But today it is my father who keeps stumbling/ Behind me, and will
not go away.”
The final poem is ‘Remember’. It is structured in the form of a sonnet. There are 14 lines
in the poem, with an octave (8 lines) followed by a sestet (6 lines). It is important to split
the sonnet into these two parts, as there are huge differences in it. At first, the persona
seeks to be remembered as she says, “Remember me when I’m gone away”, but, in the
sestet, she thinks rather differently. The word 'Yet' is the turning point. The line before
the turning point is “Only remember me; you understand/ It will be late to counsel then or
pray.” And then, “Yet if you should forget me for while/ And afterwards remember, do
not grieve” “Yet” changes everything. From that point, the persona wishes to be
forgotten if the memory of her causes pain to others. She says, “Better by far you should
forget and smile/ Than that you should remember and be sad.” In this, the persona in this
poem is a conflicted persona, torn between her will and the happiness of others. Another
structural technique that is used quite effectively is enjambment, for example, in between
the two lines above. It increases the sense of sacrificing your happiness of others because
it is like when you have to say something and you don’t really want to say it, you tend to
say it as fast as possible just to get it over with. I believe Rossetti might have used that
human tendency in her poem.
Also there is Rossetti’s usage of repetition. She constantly repeats the word “remember”
instilling that idea into your head. “Remember” that! Finally there is the semantic field
of death. This is shown in words such as “gone away”, “silent land” and “grieving”.
Rossetti was a devout Anglican (she rejected 2 lovers due to religious differences) and
constantly at death’s door. As an Anglican she believed in the immortality of the soul and
that death is not the end. Perhaps that is why she euphemised death as “gone away”.
“Silent land” would be something along the lines of Purgatory. She saw herself as a sinner
who did not deserve heaven or the grace of God so she believed that she would go to
Purgatory when she died. Furthermore her conflicted persona creates a situation many
readers can relate to, though in a less extreme way - whether to put other people’s
happiness before your own. Rossetti’s religion has forced her to regard the happiness of
other people above her own.
Remembrance is truly something that is formidable. With it you can become happy but yet
be pained by it. These poems show it all. ‘Piano’ shows its power to overwhelm a fullygrown man and drive him to the point of tears. ‘To My Mother’ and ‘Digging’ show the
admiration it can arouse. ‘Poem at 39’, ‘Digging’ and ‘Follower’ all show how memories
remain in the deeds of others. Last but not least ‘Remember’ shows that remembrance can bring pain to others. Personally I believe in the power of remembrance. Through
remembering the past and reflecting upon it, I see what I can do to improve myself and be
a better person. I can draw upon my memories for happy times when I feel sad. Yet I
have my regrets as well. Those memories hurt, keep me awake at night and cause fits of
depression. It is a normal part of life. Live with it, do not seek to dwell in the past and
create more memories worth remembering.
