Jane Weir ‘Poppies’

1. The title and the first three lines introduce the theme of remembrance, possibly foreshadowing the death of the son in the poem. Jane Weir ‘Poppies’ Three days before Armistice Sundayand poppies had already been placedon individual war graves. Before you left,I pinned one onto your lapel, crimped petals,spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockadeof yellow bias binding around your blazer.Sellotape bandaged around my hand,I rounded up as many white cat hairsas I could, smoothed down your shirt'supturned collar, steeled the softeningof my face. I wanted to graze my noseacross the tip of your nose, play atbeing Eskimos like we did whenyou were little. I resisted the impulseto run my fingers through the gelledblackthorns of your hair. All my wordsflattened, rolled, turned into felt, slowly melting. I was brave, as I walkedwith you, to the front door, threwit open, the world overflowinglike a treasure chest. A split secondand you were away, intoxicated.After you'd gone I went into your bedroom,released a song bird from its cage.Later a single dove flew from the pear tree,and this is where it has led me,skirting the church yard walls, my stomach busymaking tucks, darts, pleats, hat-less, withouta winter coat or reinforcements of scarf, gloves.On reaching the top of the hill I tracedthe inscriptions on the war memorial,leaned against it like a wishbone.The dove pulled freely against the sky,an ornamental stitch. I listened, hoping to hearyour playground voice catching on the wind.

2. The poem is a series of memories, written in the first person. Although it is never stated explicitly, the language gives a strong sense that the speaker is a mother who has lost her son. Three days before Armistice Sundayand poppies had already been placedon individual war graves. Before you left,I pinned one onto your lapel, crimped petals,spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockadeof yellow bias binding around your blazer. There are frequent caesura in the poem, suggesting the speaker is trying to maintain composure. However, the emotions appear to creep through as the speaker loses control of her language. For example, the adjective and noun ‘paper red’ are inverted.

3. There is a semantic field of injury is created which seeps into the speaker’s memories: ‘spasms’, ‘bandaged’ and ‘graze’. These words seem out of context and suggest she is preoccupied with the suffering her son might have experienced. Sellotapebandaged around my hand,I rounded up as many white cat hairsas I could, smoothed down your shirt'supturned collar, steeled the softeningof my face. The verb ‘steeled’ suggests the speaker is trying to remain strong. The caesura implies that she is trying to stay in control of her emotions.

4. The reference to the sense of touch emphasises how the mother longs for the closeness she had with her son when he was a child. The verb ‘play’ contrasts the allusions to battle which run throughout the poem. I wanted to graze my noseacross the tip of your nose, play atbeing Eskimos like we did whenyou were little.

5. I resisted the impulseto run my fingers through the gelledblackthorns of your hair. All my wordsflattened, rolled, turned into felt, slowly melting. I was brave, This suggests it was difficult for the mother to let her son go. It subverts the idea that those who go to war are the brave ones. This metaphor shows how her composure falls apart.

6. This simile suggests that the son thinks the world seems full of exciting opportunities. The enjambment reinforces the ‘overflowing’ opportunities. This excitement is emphasised by the word ‘intoxicated’. The son’s excitement contrasts the mother’s sadness. as I walkedwith you, to the front door, threwit open, the world overflowinglike a treasure chest. A split secondand you were away, intoxicated.

7. This metaphor symbolises the mother letting her son go; he was free to make his own choices. After you'd gone I went into your bedroom,released a song bird from its cage.Later a single dove flew from the pear tree,and this is where it has led me,skirting the church yard walls,

8. Weir uses a semantic field of sewing to represent her stomach churning with fear and anxiety. my stomach busymaking tucks, darts, pleats, hat-less, withouta winter coat or reinforcements of scarf, gloves. This suggests she is exposed and makes her seem vulnerable. The choice of ‘reinforcements’ evokes images of a battle.

9. On reaching the top of the hill I tracedthe inscriptions on the war memorial,leaned against it like a wishbone. This simile represents her fragility. Ironically, wishbones are usually associated with luck. However, it seems as if the mother’s wish to have her son’s life spared has not been granted.

10. Doves symbolise love and peace. Weir extends the sewing metaphor; the dove is an ‘ornamental stitch’, representing her love for her son. The dove pulled freely against the sky,an ornamental stitch. I listened, hoping to hearyour playground voice catching on the wind. This implies she’s hoping to hear the spirit of her dead son. She wants to turn back time to when her son was a child.

11. Compare how poets use language to present strong feelings in ‘Poppies’ and one other poem from ‘Power and conflict’.

12. Which poem would you choose to compare to ‘Poppies’? • KEY THEMES: • Effects of conflict • Loss • Memory • Fear • Which poem would make a good comparison? ‘War Photographer’ ‘Exposure’ ‘Remains’