Technique/idea Key Quotes and analysis
Key themes: What does Adolescence The speaker mentions that the girl is
this poem explore? Adulthood ‘thirteen if she’s a day’. ‘For now’
Growing up highlights the transience of youth
and emphasises the girl only
knowing the now.
The girl catches the eye of a ‘flush
faced secretary’ who could
metaphorically represent the older
version of her.
The girl seems halfway between
childhood and adulthood throughout
the poem, she’s ‘halfway in love’
with her friend and still leans into the
‘warm flank of the house’, which is a
metaphor for the safety and security
of her parents.
Language: Any patterns Symbol of the house The journey of the girl sneaking
of language? Poetic Lexical field of light imagery back into her house symbolises her
techniques? Eg: similes, Symbolism of the sand transition from childhood to
metaphors, verbs, etc. Metaphor adulthood. Her being ‘halfway there
and getting ready to ‘lean in’ with
the ‘length of her body’ suggests
that she’s on the cusp of adulthood
and getting ready to make a major
transition.
Both girls seem ‘lit from within’, a
metaphor for the brightness of
youth, one of them has ‘gold’
earrings, the gravel is ‘blond’, the
‘electroplating factory’ gives an
image of light, but in the robotic,
impure sense. The silver anklet not
only gives an image of light but also
represents femininity. The girl’s
‘shimmering-oyster- painted
toenails’ which ‘catch the sunlight’
could allude to the phrase ‘the world
is your oyster’.
The ‘grains of asphalt’ which the girl
stands on is basically sand which
represents the passing of time.
The ‘flash of armaments’ gives an
uncharacteristic tone of violence,
never seen before in the poem, but
could symbolise the pains and
difficulties of growing up, entering
teenagehood and entering the adult
world.
Key themes: What does Adolescence The speaker mentions that the girl is
this poem explore? Adulthood ‘thirteen if she’s a day’. ‘For now’
Growing up highlights the transience of youth
and emphasises the girl only
knowing the now.
The girl catches the eye of a ‘flush
faced secretary’ who could
metaphorically represent the older
version of her.
The girl seems halfway between
childhood and adulthood throughout
the poem, she’s ‘halfway in love’
with her friend and still leans into the
‘warm flank of the house’, which is a
metaphor for the safety and security
of her parents.
Language: Any patterns Symbol of the house The journey of the girl sneaking
of language? Poetic Lexical field of light imagery back into her house symbolises her
techniques? Eg: similes, Symbolism of the sand transition from childhood to
metaphors, verbs, etc. Metaphor adulthood. Her being ‘halfway there
and getting ready to ‘lean in’ with
the ‘length of her body’ suggests
that she’s on the cusp of adulthood
and getting ready to make a major
transition.
Both girls seem ‘lit from within’, a
metaphor for the brightness of
youth, one of them has ‘gold’
earrings, the gravel is ‘blond’, the
‘electroplating factory’ gives an
image of light, but in the robotic,
impure sense. The silver anklet not
only gives an image of light but also
represents femininity. The girl’s
‘shimmering-oyster- painted
toenails’ which ‘catch the sunlight’
could allude to the phrase ‘the world
is your oyster’.
The ‘grains of asphalt’ which the girl
stands on is basically sand which
represents the passing of time.
The ‘flash of armaments’ gives an
uncharacteristic tone of violence,
never seen before in the poem, but
could symbolise the pains and
difficulties of growing up, entering
teenagehood and entering the adult
world.
