POEM Walking away Eden Rock Before you were Climbing my
COMPARISONS mine grandfather
Letters from 🩵
Yorkshire
(assume it’s
about father)
Before you were 💜
mine
Mother, any 🧡
distance
Follower 🖤
Questions:
- Family relationships
- Distance in relationships
- Parent-child relationships
- Growing up
Intro:
- AO1 only
- Set up nuances in intro
- Don’t describe what happens in poems
- Don’t list topic sentences, rather give overview of argument
- Both poems present x as y though however in
Paragraphs:
- Can do structure: intro- point 1 with poem A vs poem B, point 2 with poem A vs poem
B. P1- point 1 poem A. P2- point 1 poem A (+comparison to A). P3- point 2
poem A. P4- point 2 poem A (+comparison to A)
- Can do 3Ps with comparisons in each with different points
- 2-3 quotes for each point and at least one method for each
- Can use the endings of the poems as a paragraph
Conclusion:
- Ultimately, fundamentally or essentially - what does the distance change / cause /
create in each case?
- To what extent is distance of some form in a relationship inevitable?
- Problematic?
- What surpasses it/enables the relationship to overcome it?
,🧡
In both Mother Any Distance and Walking Away, the poets explore the moment when the
bond between parent and child must loosen and ultimately transform (as the child grows up),
yet they approach this transition from opposite perspectives. Armitage suggests the mother’s
support remains a necessary anchor even as the speaker (a child) steps into adulthood, but
must ultimately overcome separation from the parent to gain true independence. Day-Lewis
too portrays the moment of separation as a painful but essential rupture that reveals the
parent’s powerlessness in the face of time’s forward pull. Despite periods of separations,
both poets suggest that love endures precisely because it adapts.
P1: Both speakers present the act of separation between the parents and their children as a
painful yet inevitable process for both the child and parent, who are somewhat reluctant to
allow distance to grow between them and their children.
- 4 quotes
● child gaining independence disrupts and destabilises relationship, causing pain for the
parent
○ ‘Like a satellite / wrenched from its orbit’ -> negative perception of this event shows
parents attitude not just child’s, violent verb choice also implies child is clinging onto parent
in image, simile suggest that in the child’s early years the parent is the centre of their world
and plays a significant role in their life - it hurts parents that they are no longer relied on just
as much as it is destabilising for child to have less of this vital and relied on support -
disruption is painful - loss of ‘Orbit’ which is repetitive, familiar, predictable for parent,
physical break in line mirrors perceived rupture in relationship, image of dependency and
hopelessness in child’s capability, does not come from doubt but rather worry
● Children moving away from parents is a natural, necessary event
○ ‘A sunny day with leaves just turning’ -> ‘sunny’ word choice creates a positive,
bittersweet, optimistic atmosphere, whilst the parent is in pain, they are reminiscent and
nostalgic of earlier years. Natural imagery: Autumn coming shows natural change and
growth. Seasons changing are inevitable.
Also presented as natural in MAD with last image in final moment of separation linking child
to a young bird
● Desperation to hold onto child/fear of child moving away
○ ‘Your fingertips still pinch the last one-hundredth of an inch’ -> hyperbolic language,
show extent of fear of separation, forceful motion of pinch in contrast to the tiny surface
creates greater tension, bond is about to break.
P2: Both poets emphasise the dangers of failure that accompany a child’s growing
autonomy despite parental guidance, though suggest that to gain true independence, the
child must relinquish the potentially limiting parental support.
- 3 quotes (+1 from P1)
, ● Overwhelming possibility of failure for the child but hopeful prospect of success through
independence
○ ‘Fall or fly’ -> Alliteration links success and failure though they justapose. Terrifying
possibilities of failure. Enjambement, isolated line shows importance and weight of
Responsibility, disadvantages of gaining independence
○ ‘Half-fledged thing set free’ -> metaphor and word half creates idea that child is not
ready, vulnerable, frightened of failure which seems impossible without help of parent,
though free implies liberation from constraints which paints a more positive light on future
● Parents support as limiting though it comes from love
○ ‘Anchor.’ -> word choice - Stable, unmoving, tethered but also limiting and restrictive -
parent wishes to protect and support child
○ child as ‘satellite’ in ‘orbit’ child has no autonomy, parent as the sole centre, point of
guidance and control - verb
P3: Both poets use an increasingly confident shift in tones towards the growing distance (in
the relationship) throughout the poem to suggest that love can overcome even seemingly
huge challenges.
- 2 quotes (+3 from P1 and P2)
● Shift shows how true love can overcome any seemingly huge challenge
○ For child’s mindset: Contrast between speaker (child) not willing to go ‘any distance
greater than a single span’ away from the mother at the start and the child being open to
the possibilities of ‘an endless sky’ at the end -> scalar imagery, contrast to
○ For parents mindset: Verb ‘letting go’ is gentler and autonomous than ‘wrenched’ which
is out of parents control, showing changing attitudes towards this separation, pain is
decreasing, poet has more faith in strength of love, contrast
● relationship must go through periods of struggle in order to grow
○ ‘Love is proved in the letting go’ poet presents act of parent letting child risk danger
when they remove their attachment as necessary to allow them to flourish and for their bond
to strengthen - very different attitude to start of poem
💜
COMPARISONS mine grandfather
Letters from 🩵
Yorkshire
(assume it’s
about father)
Before you were 💜
mine
Mother, any 🧡
distance
Follower 🖤
Questions:
- Family relationships
- Distance in relationships
- Parent-child relationships
- Growing up
Intro:
- AO1 only
- Set up nuances in intro
- Don’t describe what happens in poems
- Don’t list topic sentences, rather give overview of argument
- Both poems present x as y though however in
Paragraphs:
- Can do structure: intro- point 1 with poem A vs poem B, point 2 with poem A vs poem
B. P1- point 1 poem A. P2- point 1 poem A (+comparison to A). P3- point 2
poem A. P4- point 2 poem A (+comparison to A)
- Can do 3Ps with comparisons in each with different points
- 2-3 quotes for each point and at least one method for each
- Can use the endings of the poems as a paragraph
Conclusion:
- Ultimately, fundamentally or essentially - what does the distance change / cause /
create in each case?
- To what extent is distance of some form in a relationship inevitable?
- Problematic?
- What surpasses it/enables the relationship to overcome it?
,🧡
In both Mother Any Distance and Walking Away, the poets explore the moment when the
bond between parent and child must loosen and ultimately transform (as the child grows up),
yet they approach this transition from opposite perspectives. Armitage suggests the mother’s
support remains a necessary anchor even as the speaker (a child) steps into adulthood, but
must ultimately overcome separation from the parent to gain true independence. Day-Lewis
too portrays the moment of separation as a painful but essential rupture that reveals the
parent’s powerlessness in the face of time’s forward pull. Despite periods of separations,
both poets suggest that love endures precisely because it adapts.
P1: Both speakers present the act of separation between the parents and their children as a
painful yet inevitable process for both the child and parent, who are somewhat reluctant to
allow distance to grow between them and their children.
- 4 quotes
● child gaining independence disrupts and destabilises relationship, causing pain for the
parent
○ ‘Like a satellite / wrenched from its orbit’ -> negative perception of this event shows
parents attitude not just child’s, violent verb choice also implies child is clinging onto parent
in image, simile suggest that in the child’s early years the parent is the centre of their world
and plays a significant role in their life - it hurts parents that they are no longer relied on just
as much as it is destabilising for child to have less of this vital and relied on support -
disruption is painful - loss of ‘Orbit’ which is repetitive, familiar, predictable for parent,
physical break in line mirrors perceived rupture in relationship, image of dependency and
hopelessness in child’s capability, does not come from doubt but rather worry
● Children moving away from parents is a natural, necessary event
○ ‘A sunny day with leaves just turning’ -> ‘sunny’ word choice creates a positive,
bittersweet, optimistic atmosphere, whilst the parent is in pain, they are reminiscent and
nostalgic of earlier years. Natural imagery: Autumn coming shows natural change and
growth. Seasons changing are inevitable.
Also presented as natural in MAD with last image in final moment of separation linking child
to a young bird
● Desperation to hold onto child/fear of child moving away
○ ‘Your fingertips still pinch the last one-hundredth of an inch’ -> hyperbolic language,
show extent of fear of separation, forceful motion of pinch in contrast to the tiny surface
creates greater tension, bond is about to break.
P2: Both poets emphasise the dangers of failure that accompany a child’s growing
autonomy despite parental guidance, though suggest that to gain true independence, the
child must relinquish the potentially limiting parental support.
- 3 quotes (+1 from P1)
, ● Overwhelming possibility of failure for the child but hopeful prospect of success through
independence
○ ‘Fall or fly’ -> Alliteration links success and failure though they justapose. Terrifying
possibilities of failure. Enjambement, isolated line shows importance and weight of
Responsibility, disadvantages of gaining independence
○ ‘Half-fledged thing set free’ -> metaphor and word half creates idea that child is not
ready, vulnerable, frightened of failure which seems impossible without help of parent,
though free implies liberation from constraints which paints a more positive light on future
● Parents support as limiting though it comes from love
○ ‘Anchor.’ -> word choice - Stable, unmoving, tethered but also limiting and restrictive -
parent wishes to protect and support child
○ child as ‘satellite’ in ‘orbit’ child has no autonomy, parent as the sole centre, point of
guidance and control - verb
P3: Both poets use an increasingly confident shift in tones towards the growing distance (in
the relationship) throughout the poem to suggest that love can overcome even seemingly
huge challenges.
- 2 quotes (+3 from P1 and P2)
● Shift shows how true love can overcome any seemingly huge challenge
○ For child’s mindset: Contrast between speaker (child) not willing to go ‘any distance
greater than a single span’ away from the mother at the start and the child being open to
the possibilities of ‘an endless sky’ at the end -> scalar imagery, contrast to
○ For parents mindset: Verb ‘letting go’ is gentler and autonomous than ‘wrenched’ which
is out of parents control, showing changing attitudes towards this separation, pain is
decreasing, poet has more faith in strength of love, contrast
● relationship must go through periods of struggle in order to grow
○ ‘Love is proved in the letting go’ poet presents act of parent letting child risk danger
when they remove their attachment as necessary to allow them to flourish and for their bond
to strengthen - very different attitude to start of poem
💜
