Technique/idea Key Quotes and analysis
Key themes: What does Family and inheritance The poem explores the idea of
this poem explore? Identity and new beginnings family and inheritance with both the
Marriage and relationships marriage of her parents and her own
marriage.
The speaker’s parents ‘may have
been repelled to separate lands,
suggesting that they have begun a
new life away from each other. In
contrast, the speaker wants ‘bodies
of the future’ with her partner.
The speaker ‘shape[s] a chapel
where a steeple stands’ with her
hands, the image representing the
union of her parents' love.
Language: Any patterns Syntactic parallels The speaker uses syntactic parallels
of language? Poetic Metaphors of ‘my father’s in my fingers, but my
techniques? Eg: similes, Imagery mother’s in my palms’ to symbolise
metaphors, verbs, etc. Allusion the closeness of her parents
Another metaphor through her being.
The metaphor of being ‘repelled to
separate lands’ highlights the
separation of the speaker’s parents.
The image of a ‘river’ represents the
passing of time between the parents
marriage and the present. In
addition, the imagery of a ‘chapel’
suggests that despite the parents’
assumed divorce, the speaker still
feels that the marriage is binding.
The allusion to the speaker
reenacting the ‘wedding with my
hands’ reflects the celtic tradition of
the binding of hands for marriage.
The metaphor of ‘bodies of the
future’ highlights the speaker’s wish
to have children with her lover.
Ideas: What is the poem The speaker observes that The speaker begins the poem with
about? What are the main she has the same fingers as ‘My father’s in my fingers, but my
ideas here? What does her father and palms as her mother’s in my palms’. This is a
the poet want you to feel? mother which makes her metaphor to symbolise how the
happy. speaker is the product of her
Is there a message here?
The speaker’s parents are parent’s union.
split up, but the speaker is The speaker takes comfort in the
happy that she is a physical fact that ‘my body is their marriage
reminder of her parents register’, despite there being
union. ‘nothing left of their togetherness’.
The speaker asks her The speaker shifts the focus of the
partner to have a child with poem to her own marriage ‘So take
Key themes: What does Family and inheritance The poem explores the idea of
this poem explore? Identity and new beginnings family and inheritance with both the
Marriage and relationships marriage of her parents and her own
marriage.
The speaker’s parents ‘may have
been repelled to separate lands,
suggesting that they have begun a
new life away from each other. In
contrast, the speaker wants ‘bodies
of the future’ with her partner.
The speaker ‘shape[s] a chapel
where a steeple stands’ with her
hands, the image representing the
union of her parents' love.
Language: Any patterns Syntactic parallels The speaker uses syntactic parallels
of language? Poetic Metaphors of ‘my father’s in my fingers, but my
techniques? Eg: similes, Imagery mother’s in my palms’ to symbolise
metaphors, verbs, etc. Allusion the closeness of her parents
Another metaphor through her being.
The metaphor of being ‘repelled to
separate lands’ highlights the
separation of the speaker’s parents.
The image of a ‘river’ represents the
passing of time between the parents
marriage and the present. In
addition, the imagery of a ‘chapel’
suggests that despite the parents’
assumed divorce, the speaker still
feels that the marriage is binding.
The allusion to the speaker
reenacting the ‘wedding with my
hands’ reflects the celtic tradition of
the binding of hands for marriage.
The metaphor of ‘bodies of the
future’ highlights the speaker’s wish
to have children with her lover.
Ideas: What is the poem The speaker observes that The speaker begins the poem with
about? What are the main she has the same fingers as ‘My father’s in my fingers, but my
ideas here? What does her father and palms as her mother’s in my palms’. This is a
the poet want you to feel? mother which makes her metaphor to symbolise how the
happy. speaker is the product of her
Is there a message here?
The speaker’s parents are parent’s union.
split up, but the speaker is The speaker takes comfort in the
happy that she is a physical fact that ‘my body is their marriage
reminder of her parents register’, despite there being
union. ‘nothing left of their togetherness’.
The speaker asks her The speaker shifts the focus of the
partner to have a child with poem to her own marriage ‘So take
