On Her Blindness - Adam Thorpe
Stanza/ Quotation Theme Analysis Device
Line
1/1 ‘My mother’ Formal language.
1/1 ‘blind,’ The pause at the end of the first
line is distancing. Moment of
bluntness.
1/2 ‘One shouldn’t The third person has a formal and
say it’ distancing effect. Short sentence
perhaps shows loneliness.
2/1 ‘catastrophic’ Hyperbolic.
3/1-2 ‘bear it like a Cornelia, mother of the Bacchae,
Roman’ had 12 children, nine of whom died
in infancy and two of whom were
murdered. She continued to
respect their names without
breaking down - the idea of
Stoicism is reflected here.
4/1 ‘,once,’ The two commas are isolating - it
could show emotional distance
between the mother and child.
4/2 ‘Paris restaurant’ Rich and continental
4/2 ‘still not Line break shows the mother still
5/1 finding/the food’ trying to find the food. The
emptiness exemplifies what the
mother can see - that is, nothing.
5/2 ‘(try it/ in a pitch- Like a dark (bleak) game. Brackets
6/1 black room)’ make it an intimate address to the
reader
6/2 ‘Adam’ The poem is probably
autobiographical, but the name
‘Adam’ suggests that it could be an
universal experience as it links back
to the Genesis story. The sentence
is haunting as it directly quotes the
mother.
7/1-2 ‘bump myself off’ Euphemism. Britishness.
7/2 ‘I don’t recall’ Blanking out after a traumatic
event.
8/1 ‘usual sop’ Pacifying but not enough, like
placing a plaster on a gunshot
wound.
8/2 ‘inadequate:’ The colon stops the word, making
it feel more ‘inadequate’.
8/2 ‘the locked-in The full stop blocks the son and
Stanza/ Quotation Theme Analysis Device
Line
1/1 ‘My mother’ Formal language.
1/1 ‘blind,’ The pause at the end of the first
line is distancing. Moment of
bluntness.
1/2 ‘One shouldn’t The third person has a formal and
say it’ distancing effect. Short sentence
perhaps shows loneliness.
2/1 ‘catastrophic’ Hyperbolic.
3/1-2 ‘bear it like a Cornelia, mother of the Bacchae,
Roman’ had 12 children, nine of whom died
in infancy and two of whom were
murdered. She continued to
respect their names without
breaking down - the idea of
Stoicism is reflected here.
4/1 ‘,once,’ The two commas are isolating - it
could show emotional distance
between the mother and child.
4/2 ‘Paris restaurant’ Rich and continental
4/2 ‘still not Line break shows the mother still
5/1 finding/the food’ trying to find the food. The
emptiness exemplifies what the
mother can see - that is, nothing.
5/2 ‘(try it/ in a pitch- Like a dark (bleak) game. Brackets
6/1 black room)’ make it an intimate address to the
reader
6/2 ‘Adam’ The poem is probably
autobiographical, but the name
‘Adam’ suggests that it could be an
universal experience as it links back
to the Genesis story. The sentence
is haunting as it directly quotes the
mother.
7/1-2 ‘bump myself off’ Euphemism. Britishness.
7/2 ‘I don’t recall’ Blanking out after a traumatic
event.
8/1 ‘usual sop’ Pacifying but not enough, like
placing a plaster on a gunshot
wound.
8/2 ‘inadequate:’ The colon stops the word, making
it feel more ‘inadequate’.
8/2 ‘the locked-in The full stop blocks the son and
