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Winter Swans and Letters from
Yorkshire
How do Winter Swans and Letters from Yorkshire present a difficulty in a
relationship?
Both poems present difficulties in a relationship through distance,
however in Letters from Yorkshire it is a physical distance and a distance
in professions while in Winter Swans, it is an emotional distance
“he saw the first lapwings return and came indoors to write to me”
lapwings are often associated with spring which is associated with
new beginnings and new life, which shows the positive nature of
their relationship
however lapwings are also known for having a slow, irregular
flapping mimetic of their unconventional, tough relationship.
this sentence uses enjambment, but in a way, it almost slices the
connection, separating ‘he’ from ‘me’ once again showing us their
physical distance
however, the enjambment is somewhat hopeful as it suggests
that they can overcome the distance through the power of
written word
the lapwings seem to mirror the man as they ‘return’ when he ‘came
indoors’ which suggests that although their relationship may not
necessarily be perfect, it is consistent as lapwings never fail to
come every spring.
the contrast between the outdoor and indoor imagery also mimics
their physical distance
the connotations of freedom suggest that this solely addresses the
man in that he has more freedom compared to the speaker
Winter Swans and Letters from Yorkshire 1
, the allusion to springtime also references the cyclicity of nature -
perhaps the speaker is comparing this with the repeated monotony
of her own work
“heartful of headlines, feeding words onto a blank screen”
'headlines' connote that the speaker is more in tune with everyday
news and happenings which is a stark contrast to the other person's
love for nature
the alliteration of 'h' creates a somewhat self-mocking tone as the
speaker perhaps feels ashamed of being so dull and monotonous
active verb 'feeding' suggests that the speaker's work is tiring and
effortful, similar to the other person's manual labour, although the
speaker believes that he finds this manual labour more enjoyable
however, ‘feeding’ links to ‘planting’, suggesting that both
professions equally sustain people.
'blank screen' indicates the tedious and boring aspects of the
speaker's life, in comparison to the livelier 'knuckles singing' of the
other person - his work is more romantic and fulfilling which the
speaker is somewhat resentful of
context: by using words such as 'screen' and 'tap' and 'messages',
perhaps Dooley is mourning a lost way of writing to friends i.e.
envelopes which have been replaced by quicker but less romantic
and exciting modes of exchange
Dooley often wrote about the importance of communication in
our lives.
"we skirted the lake, silent and apart"
he is comparing them to swans, who are almost a showpiece for us
to see
the elegant image created by ‘skirted’ suggests that although their
relationship may have the appearance of beauty, at the moment
they are having a rough patch
the contrast of ‘apart’ and ‘we’ once again shows their togetherness
but their simultaneous emotional distance
Winter Swans and Letters from Yorkshire 2
Winter Swans and Letters from
Yorkshire
How do Winter Swans and Letters from Yorkshire present a difficulty in a
relationship?
Both poems present difficulties in a relationship through distance,
however in Letters from Yorkshire it is a physical distance and a distance
in professions while in Winter Swans, it is an emotional distance
“he saw the first lapwings return and came indoors to write to me”
lapwings are often associated with spring which is associated with
new beginnings and new life, which shows the positive nature of
their relationship
however lapwings are also known for having a slow, irregular
flapping mimetic of their unconventional, tough relationship.
this sentence uses enjambment, but in a way, it almost slices the
connection, separating ‘he’ from ‘me’ once again showing us their
physical distance
however, the enjambment is somewhat hopeful as it suggests
that they can overcome the distance through the power of
written word
the lapwings seem to mirror the man as they ‘return’ when he ‘came
indoors’ which suggests that although their relationship may not
necessarily be perfect, it is consistent as lapwings never fail to
come every spring.
the contrast between the outdoor and indoor imagery also mimics
their physical distance
the connotations of freedom suggest that this solely addresses the
man in that he has more freedom compared to the speaker
Winter Swans and Letters from Yorkshire 1
, the allusion to springtime also references the cyclicity of nature -
perhaps the speaker is comparing this with the repeated monotony
of her own work
“heartful of headlines, feeding words onto a blank screen”
'headlines' connote that the speaker is more in tune with everyday
news and happenings which is a stark contrast to the other person's
love for nature
the alliteration of 'h' creates a somewhat self-mocking tone as the
speaker perhaps feels ashamed of being so dull and monotonous
active verb 'feeding' suggests that the speaker's work is tiring and
effortful, similar to the other person's manual labour, although the
speaker believes that he finds this manual labour more enjoyable
however, ‘feeding’ links to ‘planting’, suggesting that both
professions equally sustain people.
'blank screen' indicates the tedious and boring aspects of the
speaker's life, in comparison to the livelier 'knuckles singing' of the
other person - his work is more romantic and fulfilling which the
speaker is somewhat resentful of
context: by using words such as 'screen' and 'tap' and 'messages',
perhaps Dooley is mourning a lost way of writing to friends i.e.
envelopes which have been replaced by quicker but less romantic
and exciting modes of exchange
Dooley often wrote about the importance of communication in
our lives.
"we skirted the lake, silent and apart"
he is comparing them to swans, who are almost a showpiece for us
to see
the elegant image created by ‘skirted’ suggests that although their
relationship may have the appearance of beauty, at the moment
they are having a rough patch
the contrast of ‘apart’ and ‘we’ once again shows their togetherness
but their simultaneous emotional distance
Winter Swans and Letters from Yorkshire 2
