Introducing 

Prezi AI.

Your new presentation assistant.

Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.

Loading…
Transcript

Material - Ros Barber

Name

Department

Institution

Introduction

Transitions between childhood & adulthood

Motif of handkerchief - symbolising narrator's nostalgia for a less consumer-driven world

'Material' written in response to mother's death

Content

Title

Ambiguous title - open to many interpretations as to what the poem might be about

Direct link to end of poem - "this is your material / to do with, daughter, what you will"

Material = one word, yet 4 syllables - lengthen title in speech without taking up presence on the page - seen as symbolic by a reader

Title

Detail 1

Detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 2

Structure

Verse/stanza structure

Use of end-stopped lines

Visual form

Structure

Verse structure / enjambment

Verse

9 regular verses consisting of 8 lines, except 6th stanza which has 9 lines

Verse 5-6 = enjambment between stanzas "local crab / lay opposite the dancing school"

^^ disrupts flow of poem & presents tonal shift: feeling of nostalgic sadness becomes clear due to societal changes in attitude

End-stop lines

Each stanza (except 5) ends with a full-stop.

^ could represent traditional structure of society

break (stanza 5) represents transition

1st lines of final 3 stanzas are end-stopped lines creating a lengthened pause = tone of consideration/reflection]

End stop line

Visual form

Uses italic phrasing to show names/speech said by others - adding further emphasis to them

Final two lines: "this is your material / to do with, daughter, what you will."

- acts as visual reference for reader to successfully remember the message of the poem

- ref. to"daughter" = sentimental, personal ending

Visual form

Themes

Label 2

Themes

Label 1

Label 4

Label 3

Childhood

+ child experiences

Narrator looks at how situations have changed/developed over time

Everything that has been lost in that time

"mopping the corners of your grief"

"where dried-up hankies fell in love / and mated, raising little squares" - child-like consideration of reproduction

"hankies that closed department stores, / with headscarves, girdles, knitting wool / and trouser pressers" clothing items of old women - associates hankies with old people

Childhood

Identity

Core principals of mother & narrator are presented to reader through use of their actions & opinions:

"a mum's embarrassment of lace"

"the naffest Christmas present you'd get"

"What awkwardness in me forbids / me to keep tissues in my bag / when handy packs are only 50p?"

Concept of societal identity alluded to: different objects/customs can be important even though value is low:

"it was me that turned it on / to buy some time"

"who'd slip an extra sausage in"

"the fishmonger whose marble slab of haddock smoked the colour of yolks" - slab = a lot = expensive

Identity

Past/Present

Clear transition of time:

- tonal change between stanza 5 & 6 = subtle change - not many people notice but the change itself is drastic

"she'd have one, always, up her sleeve" contrasts with "There's never a hanky up my sleeve"

^^ use of commas in 1st quotation = longer-lasting. Showing how quickly the present becomes past

"I miss material handkerchiefs, / their soft and hidden history." - sudden change to missing emphasises speed of transition

"But it isn't mine, I'll let it go." - moving on, future

Past/Present

Techniques

- Handkerchief symbolism

- sentimental tone

- descriptive imagery

Techniques

Handkerchief symbolism

- symbolism allows reader to associate their own experiences with the poem

- "hanky" = colloquial language - sense of maternal comfort

Comparison between "handkerchief" and "tissues":

H = "cloth" - reusable, stable

T = disposable - modern-day consumerism damaging the planet

Handkerchief

Sentimental tone

Established through contraction of words: cardigan = "cardi" = natural speech & rhythm, sounds more story-like & more personal

Connotations of personalisation, family life & sentiment,

Useful, long-term possessions seem significant in comparison to more materialistic world (today)

Heavy use of personal pronouns = personal connections & ideas.

"My mother" "your" "she" "I"

Tone

Imagery

VERY descriptive imagery

Enables reader to visually see the poem

Creates visual link between the reader & narrator - as if the reader is experiencing each image first-hand

Helps reader empathise with narrator

- contributes to Barbara's aim to show how consumerable the world has become

Imagery

Important lines

1 - "Nostalgia only makes me old"

2 - "their soft and hidden history"

3 - "tissues and uncertainty"

Important Lines

"Nostalgia only makes me old."

Short line contrasts long, almost rambling sentecnes of pervious stanza - "And somehow... to .... "smudge the rouge from little dears."

- abrupt: suggests narrator hasnt noticed the immensity of societal change until now

- narrator feels old in relation to changes in social attitudes since childhood

1

"their soft and hidden history"

"hidden history" - alliteration = emphasis to show importnce of iannimate ojects as they are passed through families throughout generations

2

3

Learn more about creating dynamic, engaging presentations with Prezi