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Poppies - Coggle Diagram
Poppies
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Effects of Conflict
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Even before he goes, the mother feels detached from her son- the "gelled/blackthorns" of his hair stop her running her fingers through it. This emotional distance foreshadows their physical separation
After the son leaves, the mother is anxious and restless. Her fear for his safety is revealed in physical symptoms- she describes her stomach as "busy/ making tuck, darts, pleats".
Identity
The boy's identity as a son is clearly established in the poem- his mother smooths down his collar and mentions that they used to "play at/ being Eskimos" when he was younger.
However, the son has a new identity as a soldier- his "blazer" is a visual reminder of this. The mother moving from his bedroom to the "war memorial" reflects this change- the bedroom is a symbol of family identity, but the war memorial symbolised his new identity as a soldier
The mother still clings to his identity as her son and the poem ends with her trying to hear his "playground voice"- he's still her child and she longs for him to return to her
Loss and Absence
The mother feels like she's lost her son when he leaves to join the army. She acts almost as if he has died- she leans against the "war memorial" and mentions "Armistice Sunday".
The loss she experiences is emphasised by references to textures and the senses. She traces "the inscriptions" on the war memorial and listens for her son's voice "on the wind" - this hints at her desperate desire to find some kind of connection with him, to compensate for their separation
Individual Experiences
Conflicts can involve thousands of people, but everyone involved has their own experiences of it
Focusing on individual experiences allows, the poet to present a place, action or event from a specific, unique point of view
About
A mother describes her son leaving home, seemingly to join the army. The poem is about the mother's emotional reaction to her son leaving- she feels sad, lonely and scared for his safety. She describes helping him smarten his uniform ready to leave. After he leaves, she goes to places that remind her of him, desperately trying to find any trace of him.
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War imagery
Images of war and violence symbolise the son's new identity and danger that he's in. References to "Armistice Sunday" and the "war memorial" make the reader question whether he is still alive
Use of the senses
The mother's separation form her son is emphasised by the way she can't touch or hear him. She touches other things and listens for his voice "on the wind", but this can't replace her son
The poem is concerned with Armistice Sunday, which began as a way of marking the end of WW1 in 1918. It was set up so people could remember the ordinary men who had been killed. When Poppies was written, British soldiers were still dying in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This poem tries to understand the suffering that deaths caused.
Memories can be powerful, particularly memories of negative or difficult experiences