SUMMARY:
Father is recalling his young sons first ever football game,
feeling how the child is growing up to fast and is separating
Walking away by
away from the family in a painful manner. Towards the end of
the poem the father becomes accepting towards the
QUOTES:
Cecil Day Lewis
separation ´and love is proved in the letting go’
‘It is eighteen years ago… I watched you play your first CONTEXT:
game of football’ Cecil’s mother died when he was young so he was
Opening line- immediately sets in past, sets view predominantly bought up by his dad. This could explain why
point in past and another person he is so affected by the separation between him and his son.
Subject of focus is his son (suggesting theme of Expecting to have a similar father-son relationship, but in
childhood is occurring) reality, other things got in the way. His son (who this poem is
Past tense showing it’s poem about reflection thought to be about) went to boarding school aged 7. So,
Cecil would have little time with him
‘Then like a satellite/ wrenched from its orbit, go
drifting away’
THEMES:
Smilie showing separation
Enjambment used to show separation between Parental love Separation
the two, sudden and painful Change Childhood
Semantic field of space ‘satellite’ & ‘orbit’ Loss Natural world
showing distance between them
‘wretched’ violent verb showing the cruel nature THEME: SEPERATION:
of the separation The repetition of ‘away’ (‘drifting away’/’walking away’/
Child is the satellite and orbit is family life, the ‘eddying away’) emphasises the separation between father &
voice is no longer centre of child’s life son. Aswell as use of simile ‘Then like a satellite/ wrenched
from its orbit, go drifting away’. The violent verb ‘wrenched’
‘I have had worse partings, but none that so/ Gnaws implies painful twisting/pulling, showing us that the
at my mind still.’ separation is distressing.
Caesura Other techniques used to show theme consist of: irregular
May not have been the worst parting, but he can rhythm, rhyme broken by enjambment.
never let it go (‘still’) ‘gnaws’ is animalistic making
it seem painful.
Enjambment emphasises the continuous struggle STRUCTURE & LANGUAGE:
Abaca rhyme scheme consistent throughout poem,
‘How selfhood begins with a walking away, / And love reflecting stable nature of parental love
is proved in the letting go’ Word ‘away’ repeated in each stanza, emphasising theme
‘and’ brings himself to a resolution, children must of separation
become independent and a parent must let them Direct address used to place reader in position of son
go to do so, showing their love and/or make it more personal, speaking directly to son
Symbolizes the process of children growing up, ignoring the audience
seeking their own adult identity, and the way they Poem written in first person
must leave behind parental guidance Vivid adjectives & adverbs (‘gnaws’ and ‘wrenched’) make
‘Walking away’ is repeated showing how they’ve pain seem more real
grown apart Four quatrains
COMMPARISON:
Mother any distance:
Similarities Differences
Concept of allowing child to become Poems summarise their feelings in final few lines Biblical imagery used only in WA
independent explored Direct address used to show intimate connection WA addresses to Sean, speaker in
Caesura used to split past and present
MAD is ambiguous
Before you were mine: both poems use a mixture of direct address and indirect referral to son/parent. Highlighting
changing and turbulent relationship
WA: ‘I watched you’ MAD: ‘Till I see you’
Father is recalling his young sons first ever football game,
feeling how the child is growing up to fast and is separating
Walking away by
away from the family in a painful manner. Towards the end of
the poem the father becomes accepting towards the
QUOTES:
Cecil Day Lewis
separation ´and love is proved in the letting go’
‘It is eighteen years ago… I watched you play your first CONTEXT:
game of football’ Cecil’s mother died when he was young so he was
Opening line- immediately sets in past, sets view predominantly bought up by his dad. This could explain why
point in past and another person he is so affected by the separation between him and his son.
Subject of focus is his son (suggesting theme of Expecting to have a similar father-son relationship, but in
childhood is occurring) reality, other things got in the way. His son (who this poem is
Past tense showing it’s poem about reflection thought to be about) went to boarding school aged 7. So,
Cecil would have little time with him
‘Then like a satellite/ wrenched from its orbit, go
drifting away’
THEMES:
Smilie showing separation
Enjambment used to show separation between Parental love Separation
the two, sudden and painful Change Childhood
Semantic field of space ‘satellite’ & ‘orbit’ Loss Natural world
showing distance between them
‘wretched’ violent verb showing the cruel nature THEME: SEPERATION:
of the separation The repetition of ‘away’ (‘drifting away’/’walking away’/
Child is the satellite and orbit is family life, the ‘eddying away’) emphasises the separation between father &
voice is no longer centre of child’s life son. Aswell as use of simile ‘Then like a satellite/ wrenched
from its orbit, go drifting away’. The violent verb ‘wrenched’
‘I have had worse partings, but none that so/ Gnaws implies painful twisting/pulling, showing us that the
at my mind still.’ separation is distressing.
Caesura Other techniques used to show theme consist of: irregular
May not have been the worst parting, but he can rhythm, rhyme broken by enjambment.
never let it go (‘still’) ‘gnaws’ is animalistic making
it seem painful.
Enjambment emphasises the continuous struggle STRUCTURE & LANGUAGE:
Abaca rhyme scheme consistent throughout poem,
‘How selfhood begins with a walking away, / And love reflecting stable nature of parental love
is proved in the letting go’ Word ‘away’ repeated in each stanza, emphasising theme
‘and’ brings himself to a resolution, children must of separation
become independent and a parent must let them Direct address used to place reader in position of son
go to do so, showing their love and/or make it more personal, speaking directly to son
Symbolizes the process of children growing up, ignoring the audience
seeking their own adult identity, and the way they Poem written in first person
must leave behind parental guidance Vivid adjectives & adverbs (‘gnaws’ and ‘wrenched’) make
‘Walking away’ is repeated showing how they’ve pain seem more real
grown apart Four quatrains
COMMPARISON:
Mother any distance:
Similarities Differences
Concept of allowing child to become Poems summarise their feelings in final few lines Biblical imagery used only in WA
independent explored Direct address used to show intimate connection WA addresses to Sean, speaker in
Caesura used to split past and present
MAD is ambiguous
Before you were mine: both poems use a mixture of direct address and indirect referral to son/parent. Highlighting
changing and turbulent relationship
WA: ‘I watched you’ MAD: ‘Till I see you’
