CHALLENGEWrite an example of how one

item could be used as an extended metaphor.

Mother, Any Distance- Armitage 1 May 2023

Mini Starter

Discuss in

pairs/groups…

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)

What could these be a

symbol for?

What could they be a metaphor

for?Kite

Anchor

Tape Measure

Critical View on Poetry

‘Not nearly enough people know about poetry let

alone value it.’

‘There is something about poetry which is oppositional and it’s a form of dissent’.

To what extent do you agree with

this statement? or

Dissent: hold or express opinions that are different to those commonly or officially held.

PAIR

Are Armitage’s ideas similar or

different to your own?How?

https://youtu.be/TvFcbedyQ0A?t=2m5s

Context: Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage was born in Huddersfield in 1963.

This poem is taken from Book of Matches, a collection of 30 sonnets which Armitage wrote for his 30th birthday. The sonnets are based on a party game in which the players talk about their lives in the time it takes for a match to burn (around 20 seconds). In the original book, none of the poems have titles, but they all start with an asterisk (*), which represents somebody striking a match.

Meaning

Which of these phrases do you think best describes the movement through the poem:•From dependence to independence?•From present to future?•From being close to being apart?•From security to risk?

Select a quotation from each stanza that depicts this change and explode it into your book.

Explain the connotations of the words used in the

quotation.

Explore the explicit and implicit

meanings.

Analyse the message that the poet is trying

to convey and the effect on the reader.

Developing our language analysisGo beyond the connotations of keywords.

Consider why the writer has chosen that particular word above all others.

For both your Literature & Language examinations you will always need to question and dissect texts.

‘Fingertips’ ‘Pinch’

Why not just fingers?

Why so specific?

Why such a childish verb?

Why such a harsh verb?

Task 1: Look at the examples below and

perform a close and detailed language analysis of each. Use the questions as a prompt.

Task 2: Now select 5 others words from the poem. Write your questions around them and then

analyse and annotate the words.

What is the poem about?

The narrator’s mother comes to the house he’s moving into to help measure things such as walls and doors.

She holds the end of the tape measure while he walks away to measure things. This makes him think about how she’s always looks after him.- but now she has to let him go.

The narrator is looking forward to being independent, but he’s also a bit scared by it. He doesn’t know if he’ll succeed without his mum or not, but there are hints that she’ll always be there for him if he needs her.

Mother, any distance greater than a single spanrequires a second pair of hands.You come to help me measure windows, pelmets, doors,the acres of the walls, the prairies of the floors.

He addresses her directly. The poem is like a personal message to her.

A “single span” is the distance between his outstretched hands – he needs two people to measure anything larger than this. It’s a small distance, which suggests that his mother’s support is still important to him.

“doors” and “floors” rhyme, but “hands” and “span” is only a half rhyme-this shows the dislocation between him and his mother.

Metaphors and hyperbole create images of vast, open spaces – this hints at adventure and exploration, but also suggests that he feels daunted.

You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape, recordinglength, reporting metres, centimetres back to base, then leavingup the stairs, the line still feeding out, unreelingyears between us. Anchor. Kite.

Holding the start of the tape measure could stand for the time when he was born.

Moving away from his mother physically, but also emotionally.

The tape represents their shared history, but enjambment imitates how they’re crossing into a new phase of their relationships.

He’s a kite starting to fly, but his anchor mother still keeps him secure. These two one-word sentences slow the pace of the poem, suggesting that he feels apprehensive and thoughtful.

I space-walk through the empty bedrooms, climbthe ladder to the loft, to breaking point, where somethinghas to give;two floors below your fingertips still pinchthe last one-hundredth of an inch...I reachtowards a hatch that opens on an endless skyto fall or fly.

Space metaphor reflects how he feels that being on his own is an exciting adventure, but it’s also scary. It emphasises that this is a new experience for him.

Their relationship needs to change. He is trying to move away and she’s trying to hold on.

The use of the word “pinch” suggests how desperately she doesn’t want to let him go. However, it also suggests pain- if she doesn’t let him go, she’ll hurt him.

The ellipsis could reflect how the tape is being stretched out, or it could suggest that his mother finally lets go of the tape.

Bird imagery suggests hatching and ‘flying the nest’ – he’s breaking free of his mother’s protection, but doesn’t know if he’ll succeed without her security. The two short lines “has to give” and “to fall or fly” emphasise this message

He feels there’s no limit to the opportunities open to him-they can’t be measured like the walls. His tone is optimistic, in contrast to the uncertainty of the final line

Metaphors

Mother, any distance greater than a single spanrequires a second pair of hands.You come to help me measure windows, pelmets, doors,the acres of the walls, the prairies of the floors.

You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape, recordinglength, reporting metres, centimetres back to base, then leavingup the stairs, the line still feeding out, unreelingyears between us. Anchor. Kite.

I space-walk through the empty bedrooms, climbthe ladder to the loft, to breaking point, where something has to give;two floors below your fingertips still pinchthe last one-hundredth of an inch… I reachtowards a hatch that opens on an endless skyto fall or fly.

Metaphor for what?

How do these metaphors illustrate how the poet feels?

An extended metaphor. Why has

the poet used it? What effect is

created?

What does he mean by this?

Why does the poem end in this way?

Why here? Why two short sentences?Which interpretation has no-one else thought of? (Grade 8/9)

Feelings and attitudesThe narrator is excited about being independent in his new life. He’s also worried by the thought of being on his own.

The tape represents the strong bond between mother and son. He appreciates her help and the security she offers him.

1. What do the words “Anchor. Kite”. tell you about the narrator’s relationship with his mother?

2. Do you think the narrator’s mother lets go of the tape? Why do you think this?

3. What is the effect of the final rhyme?

Key Themes

Family relationships, independence, getting older.

‘Walking Away’ looks at the way that a parent and child’s relationship changes over time. You could also compare the presentation of the mother in this poem with that of the mother in ‘Before You Were Mine’.

S.M.I.L.E

Symbolism

AlliterationAssonance

Simile Extended Metaphor

Personification

Ballad Sonnet

Free verseDramatic monologue

Juxtaposition

Oxymoron

Emotive LanguageRepetition

Rhyming Couplet

Enjambment

Voice Tone

ANALYSING YOUR POEM

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.