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Child - Coggle Diagram
Child
Quotes
‘your clear eye is the one absolutely beautiful thing,’
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Theme
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motherhood
first three verses-
- outlines the adventures of motherhood and the adoration she has for her child.
- She states that ‘your clear eye is the one absolutely beautiful thing,’ which shows how awed she is by her child.
- She describes the hopes that she has for his upbringing- she wants it to be whimsical, fun and playful, full of ‘colour and ducks. The zoo of the new.’
last stanza-
- speaker doesn't feel like she can offer those things to her son. - - Instead of filling the ‘pool’ of the child’s eye with images that are ‘grand and classical,’ she feels she is darkening his world.
- She feels she offers only ‘a troublous wringing of hands’ which feeds the child with anxiety and despair.
- Likewise, she characterises her world as a ‘dark ceiling without a star.’
- While she wants the best for her child, in her mind she is without direction, hope or vitality. The speaker sees herself as an obstacle rather than a vehicle for her son’s happiness.
Imagery
playful, vibrant
first three stanza-
- wonderful brightness to describe her hopes for her child. She paints an almost idealised state of childhood.
- It is filled with ‘colour and ducks.’
- It is exotic in its novelty ‘the zoo of the new’.
- It is nurturing and beautiful in which all things are ‘grand and classical.’
natural
the idea that the child is characterised by elemental perfection. To her, her son is as flawless as the bloom of springtime. She evokes to him a ‘little stalk without wrinkle.’
dark, bleak, despairing
final stanza-
- hopeless, suffocating image of a person who cannot see past their present despair.
- ‘wringing of hands’ palpable anxiety that feels familiar to the reader.
- The ‘ceiling without a star,’ reveals a mind that lacks hope and direction. She has no guiding light away from her doubt and turmoil.
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