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Delve into the tale of a golden oak box, a symbol of love, handcrafted with care and filled with memories. This poem reflects on the slow, deliberate actions that shape relationships and life itself, captured in black ink within its pages.
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My Box– Gillian Clarke My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree.
My Box– Gillian Clarke Structure My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 1. How is the poem structured or composed?
My Box– Gillian Clarke Structure My box is made of golden oak, 9my lover’s gift to me. 6He fitted hinges and a lock 9of brass and a bright key. 6He made it out of winter nights, 9sanded and oiled and planed, 6engraved inside the heavy lid 9in brass, a golden tree. 6 In my box are twelve black books 7where I have written down 6how we have sanded, oiled and planed, 8planted a garden, built a wall, 8seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites, 8found the wild heartsease, drilled a well, 8harvested apples and words and days 9and planted a golden tree. 7 On an open shelf I keep my box. 8Its key is in the lock. 6I leave it there for you to read, 8or them when we are dead, 6how everything is slowly made, 8how slowly things made me, 6a tree, a lover, words, a box, 8books and a golden tree. 6 • Mini Task 1. How os the poem structured or composed? • 3 Stanzas with 8 lines in each stanza. • Line length is reasonably even and in Stanza 1, very regular at alternating 9 & 6 syllables. Stanza 2 is mostly 8 syllables and Stanza 3 a pattern of 8 & 6 syllables. • Rhythm – Stanza 1 has a very definite rhythm whhic has been describes as like a simple nursery rhyme. The rhythm though breaks down in Stanza 2, but does return in Stanza 3. • Rhyme – There is no formal rhyme scheme but there are several examples of rhyme & chime in the poem. Ex “me, key, tree” in Stanza 1; ‘wall’ & ‘well’ chime in Stanza 2, ‘read’ & ‘dead’ in Stanza 3. • Alliteration – several examples scattered throughout the poem
My Box– Gillian Clarke Structure My box is made of golden oak, 9my lover’s gift tome. 6He fitted hinges and a lock9of brass and a bright key. 6He made it out of winter nights, 9sanded and oiled and planed, 6engraved inside the heavy lid 9in brass, a golden tree. 6 Inmy box are twelve black books 7where I have written down 6how we have sanded, oiled and planed, 8planted a garden, built a wall, 8seen jays and goldcrests,rare red kites, 8found the wild heartsease, drilled awell, 8harvested apples and words and days 9and planted a golden tree. 7 On an open shelf I keep my box. 8Its key is in the lock. 6I leave it there for you to read, 8or them when we are dead, 6how everything is slowly made, 8how slowly things made me, 6a tree, a lover, words, a box, 8books and a golden tree. 6 • Mini Task 1. How os the poem structured or composed? • Repetition –Because of the frequent use of repetition it is a key feature of the poem. • Metaphor – The box & the Golden Tree – symbolize the love between the poet and her husband. The importance of ‘golden tree’ emphasized as it concludes each stanza.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Story of the Poem My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 2. What is the ’story of the poem’?
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Story of the Poem My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 2. What is the ’story of the poem’? “An oak box my husband made for my birthday. I keep my journals in it. I’ve kept a diary since I was 14. In the box are my journals. In the journals is my life.” Gillian Clarke.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 3. What is the poet doing in Stanza 1?
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 3. What is the poet doing in Stanza 1? She is describing a box her husband, ‘her lover’, made for he as a birthday gift.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 4. What is important about describing her husband as ’her lover’?
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 4. What is important about describing her husband as ’her lover’? It places an emphasis on the ‘love’ this couple shared and because of this the box become a symbol or metaphor for their love in the poem.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 5. What is the irony in Line 4? (Note: You need to look at the last stanza to answer this.)
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 5. What is the irony in Line 4? The box remains unlocked and on an open shelf (not locked away), ready to be opened and the journals read once the poet and her husband are dead.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 6. Explain the metaphor on Line 5.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 6. Explain the metaphor on Line 5. The poet's husband made the box on winter nights, not ‘out of’ winter nights.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 7. What is significant about the ’engraved tree’?
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 1 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 7. What is significant about the ’engraved tree’? The phrase is used to finish each stanza and consequently is has a similar importance to ‘my box’. The engraved tree is a symbol of the husband's love for his wife. The fact the engraving is put inside the lid makes it a very private declaration of love.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 2 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 8. What is the poet describing in Stanza 2? Vocab: Jay Goldcrest Red Kite
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 2 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 8. What is the poet describing in Stanza 2? The contents of her box. The contents of the journals she keeps in the box. Vocab: Jay Goldcrest Red Kite
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 2 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 9. What do the poet’s journals contain? Vocab: Jay Goldcrest Red Kite
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 2 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 9. What do the poet’s journals contain? The story of her life with her husband, how they improved their house & farm and the birds and plants she saw in the garden. Vocab: Heartsease
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 2 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 10. Explain the metaphor on Line 15. Vocab: Harvest - the process or period of gathering in crops.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 2 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 10. Explain the metaphor on Line 15. The poet says she ‘harvested’ words which is a metaphor for her own writing as a poet. This means that as well as keeping the details of her daily life, the journals will also contain drafts and early ideas for her poems and other writings. Vocab: Harvest - the process or period of gathering in crops.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 2 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 11. Explain the metaphor on Line 16.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 2 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 11. Explain the metaphor on Line 16. The ‘golden tree’ is a symbol for the love between the poet and her husband, so the journals also chart the love that has grown between them over the years they have spent together. The love was ‘planted’ when they first got married and has grown, as a tree might grow, getting bigger and stronger each year.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 11. Explain what the poet is telling us in the last stanza.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 11. Explain what the poet is telling us in the last stanza. The box and the journals within are there, ready for everyone to read once the poet and her husband are dead. This may be because they contain private thoughts and details she doesn’t want revealing while she is alive. The stanza then goes on to say that the journals also record the details of how she ‘slowly’ emerged as a person and as a writer.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 13. What is the effect of the repetition of ‘slowly’ on Line 21 & 22?
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 13. What is the effect of the repetition of ‘slowly’ on Line 21 & 22? In this repetition the poet conveys the sense of a lifetime’s work. The making of her as a poet has taken a lifetime, and in that time she has been formed and changed by the things she has written and the things she has done.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 14. What is the poet doing in Line 23 & 24?
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,books and a golden tree. Mini Task 14. What is the poet doing in Line 23 & 24? Listing the things that have helped to form her life, her husband, the farm they worked, her life as a writer and the books that are the backdrop to her life…and the box contains them all.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,booksand a golden tree. Mini Task 15. Why finish the poem with the repetition of ‘golden tree?
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3 My box is made of golden oak,my lover’s gift to me.He fitted hinges and a lockof brass and a bright key.He made it out of winter nights,sanded and oiled and planed,engraved inside the heavy lidin brass, a golden tree. In my box are twelve black bookswhere I have written downhow we have sanded, oiled and planed,planted a garden, built a wall,seen jays and goldcrests, rare red kites,found the wild heartsease, drilled a well,harvested apples and words and daysand planted a golden tree. On an open shelf I keep my box.Its key is in the lock.I leave it there for you to read,or them when we are dead,how everything is slowly made,how slowly things made me,a tree, a lover, words, a box,booksand a golden tree. Mini Task 15. Why finish the poem with the repetition of ‘golden tree? Apart from the obvious continuation the pattern established in the first two stanzas, placing the ‘golden tree’, with its symbolic significance, emphasises the centrality of ‘love’ to this poem. But this is not just the love of a man for a woman, but the ‘golden tree’ also represents a woman, a poet who has loved her life.
My Box– Gillian Clarke The Poem In Detail – Stanza 3