Funeral Blues Q&A

Notice the plea for certain actions to take place in the 1st stanza. a) why would someone want to ‘Stop all the clocks’ (line 1)? b) identify all the references to sound. c) why would the speaker want these sounds to stop?

Answer: a) To stop the annoying ‘ticking’ sound that they make, or it could signify the stopping of time. When one dies, their time is said to be up. b) Drums - footsteps of pall bearers or the marching action of men Prevent the dog from barking - silence c) The speaker promotes silence as he wants everyone to mourn for the death of his loved one.

Why do you think capital letters have been used in ‘He is Dead’ (line 6)

Answer: By using ‘He’, the speaker assumes that the public knows the name of the dead man. Capital letters have been used to show the importance of the message ‘He is Dead’.

Consider the implications of the description ‘He was my North, my South, my East and West’ (line 9).

Answer: The directions could refer to the points on a compass. The narrator implies that his loved one gave him direction in life. Without them, he is lost and lacks direction.

Link the verbs in the final stanza to their objects: ‘put out’ (line 13), ‘pack up’, ‘dismantle’ (line 14), ‘Pour away’ and ‘sweep’ (line 15). In what way are these verbs appropriate?

Answer: ‘put out’ - stars; ‘pack up’ - moon; ‘dismantle’ - sun; ‘Pour away’ - ocean; ‘wood’ - forests. The verbs give an indication to the man’s isolation as he has lost hope and his depression has reached such an extent that he cannot appreciate the wonders of nature.

State the possible meanings for the word ‘Blues’ in the title, and relate this to the poem itself.

Answer: ‘Blues’ refers to a depressed mood or a sad song. This poem is one of depression and extreme grief as the narrator has lost a loved one.

Identify the colour contrast found in the 2nd stanza, and show how this reflects the speaker’s mood.

Answer: White necks of doves contrast with black gloves of policemen. White symbolises peace and purity which links to the narrator’s desire for silence. Black represents sadness and he wants others to mourn the death of the person. He wants the public to acknowledge the death of the narrator’s loved one.