Topic:
Material by Ros Barber
Key Points/Arguments
Themes Literary/Dramatic Devices Whole poem techniques
About death ‘my mother’ – possessive ‘material’ – extended metaphor, mother is a fixed
of her mother ‘hanky queen’ – matriarchal, importance of mother and light hearted material. Loss of everything her mother was and
2002 ‘paper tissues’ – transient and insubstantial, contrasts sentiment of long lasting hankerchief what she embodied. Implies mother is part of her
‘and mopping corners of your grief’ – disdainful of present life without her, stoic
Guilt – she identity. Material is blank and can be used as
‘always, up her sleeve’ – dependable, idiom
values short ‘every cardi’ – colloquial many things.
cuts her ‘a mum’s embarrassment of lace’ – distance between generations
mother’s ‘v for viv’ – part of her identity Iambic tetrameter, creates re-atmosphere of this
generation ‘spittled and scrubbed against my face’ – sibilance contrats harsh verbs era, repeated in only four lots per line, making it
didn’t have ‘she bought her own; I never did ’ – caesura causes antithesis and dissociation, compares herself
sound more jolly. Encounters nursery times of
‘with headscarves, girdles, knitting wool and trouser presses;… you’d never find today in malls’ – stereotyped archaic view of
women, asyndetic listing flows memories, and compares present and past mother hood childhood
Motherhood ‘shuttered the doors of family stores’ internal rhyming ‘when those who used to buy them died.’ – caesura places emphasis,
Childhood contrast of solemn bottom line links mothers death to societal change 9 stanzas in no pattern of rhyme, straight forward
Past/nostalgia ‘lay opposite the dancing school / where’ – enjambment, flowing memories meaning
Death ‘would whip a hanky from their sleeve’ – brings it back to mother
Identity ‘killed in TV’s lassitude. And it was me that turned it on’ – children lazy, she blames herself in the metaphor. The difference is
she is a working woman ‘to buy some time to write this poem’ Lexical field of nostalgia
‘there’s a hanky up my sleeve. I raised neglected looking kids,’ – directly juxtaposes opening stanza, more women career driven,
Symbol of antithesis
her mother ‘I miss material handkerchiefs / their soft and hidden history’ – ambiguity, mother or material. Aspirate hi, and sibilant ‘s’ create Nostalgia stanza summarises her parenting
evokes tender whisper, conjures up the soft handkerchief Mother uses paper for handkerchiefs while
relationship ‘hidden history’ – alliteration slows pace for ending daughter uses it for writing
with her ‘but it isn’t mine.’ – ambiguity, perhaps parenting style
‘who died not leaving handkerchiefs / but tissues and uncertainty:’ – mother took stability with her, perhaps feels uncertainty in
mother and Despite light hearted tone – tension of loss and
herself, felt better when mother helped her, last part of identity because she was her mother’s child
old Britain ‘do with, daughter, what you will.’ – acceptance, empowers her nostalgia
Past is tied to mother, larger loss than the passing
Material by Ros Barber
Key Points/Arguments
Themes Literary/Dramatic Devices Whole poem techniques
About death ‘my mother’ – possessive ‘material’ – extended metaphor, mother is a fixed
of her mother ‘hanky queen’ – matriarchal, importance of mother and light hearted material. Loss of everything her mother was and
2002 ‘paper tissues’ – transient and insubstantial, contrasts sentiment of long lasting hankerchief what she embodied. Implies mother is part of her
‘and mopping corners of your grief’ – disdainful of present life without her, stoic
Guilt – she identity. Material is blank and can be used as
‘always, up her sleeve’ – dependable, idiom
values short ‘every cardi’ – colloquial many things.
cuts her ‘a mum’s embarrassment of lace’ – distance between generations
mother’s ‘v for viv’ – part of her identity Iambic tetrameter, creates re-atmosphere of this
generation ‘spittled and scrubbed against my face’ – sibilance contrats harsh verbs era, repeated in only four lots per line, making it
didn’t have ‘she bought her own; I never did ’ – caesura causes antithesis and dissociation, compares herself
sound more jolly. Encounters nursery times of
‘with headscarves, girdles, knitting wool and trouser presses;… you’d never find today in malls’ – stereotyped archaic view of
women, asyndetic listing flows memories, and compares present and past mother hood childhood
Motherhood ‘shuttered the doors of family stores’ internal rhyming ‘when those who used to buy them died.’ – caesura places emphasis,
Childhood contrast of solemn bottom line links mothers death to societal change 9 stanzas in no pattern of rhyme, straight forward
Past/nostalgia ‘lay opposite the dancing school / where’ – enjambment, flowing memories meaning
Death ‘would whip a hanky from their sleeve’ – brings it back to mother
Identity ‘killed in TV’s lassitude. And it was me that turned it on’ – children lazy, she blames herself in the metaphor. The difference is
she is a working woman ‘to buy some time to write this poem’ Lexical field of nostalgia
‘there’s a hanky up my sleeve. I raised neglected looking kids,’ – directly juxtaposes opening stanza, more women career driven,
Symbol of antithesis
her mother ‘I miss material handkerchiefs / their soft and hidden history’ – ambiguity, mother or material. Aspirate hi, and sibilant ‘s’ create Nostalgia stanza summarises her parenting
evokes tender whisper, conjures up the soft handkerchief Mother uses paper for handkerchiefs while
relationship ‘hidden history’ – alliteration slows pace for ending daughter uses it for writing
with her ‘but it isn’t mine.’ – ambiguity, perhaps parenting style
‘who died not leaving handkerchiefs / but tissues and uncertainty:’ – mother took stability with her, perhaps feels uncertainty in
mother and Despite light hearted tone – tension of loss and
herself, felt better when mother helped her, last part of identity because she was her mother’s child
old Britain ‘do with, daughter, what you will.’ – acceptance, empowers her nostalgia
Past is tied to mother, larger loss than the passing
