Opening lines - once again

An IGCSE paper will ask students to comment on the opening lines. Look at some opening sentences here:

“A cradle won’t hold my baby.”

—Daniel Woodrell, “Uncle”

The opening sentences say a lot here. 

Is the "cradle" too small?

Is the "baby" too big?

Is it that the "baby" is very naughty or cranky or boisterous?

These opening lines say little and leave much unsaid for the reader. Thev have set a path for the story to unfold. 

Opening lines of a story

It is with a clear purpose that an author starts a story. To get to the end. However, the author has a broad framework in time. This is the end towards which s/he will work.

Let's look at the opening lines of "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”


What can we identify in here:

It has humor - that men who have wealth need a wife.
It has sarcasm - to say that this is a universally acknowledged truth.
It uses a clause in between - "that a single man in possession of a good fortune" to lay emphasis on wealthy men.


One opening line allows us to look at deeper meaning. 

The People Before

Some people have a commercial association with a place while others are rooted, grounded to land they grow up around. For some land is a matter of sale, purchase and profit. For others it is a concern of memories, feelings and relationships.

This was the primary difference in attitude of the father and the Maori’s towards land in the short story the People Before.

For the father the place had a commercial value. They had “bought it for a song” shows the value of the land only from money point of view. For him it was important that the land was cheap.

For the Maoris on the other hand, the land had a lot of value. They come back to the place for an old man to die for he had been born on that land.

"Rosa" in The Prison

"Rosa was too plain" for Tommy.

A simple study of verbs associated Rosa reveals use of "trusted nobody", "screamed", "wouldn't let up screaming".

An easy way to understand how a character has been designed is to look at words associated with the character. 

Rosa, for example, was a violent person herself. So the words associated with her reveal!

More about characters in the next post. The father in "The People Before".

Why is "The Prison" a prison!

The way a prison has a jailer, a cell and punishment, so does Tommy's life in "The Prison" by  Bernard Malamud.

Tommy's life was a"screaming bore". This sentence itself says a lot about the character and his life.
Can you imagine your life which is boring. A life where you have to get up and do the same thing everyday! A life where there is no change - the change that you attempt is not allowed.Tommy - hated his wife, the place he worked, the work he did, the hours he worked. His life had to be a bore!
Why does the author use the word "screaming. Simple because it was so obvious that he was completely fed up of his life!


 It is only "except for an hour off each afternoon when he went upstairs to sleep". That was the relief that he got. This too is reminiscent of a prison where the prisoner is allowed a break for a short while and within the premises!


More coming....................

Names of characters!

The names of characters are also chosen with a purpose. The name “Ward” in Billennium also has a reason. The writer wants to focus on the small space that a “ward” represents. It is a division within a given space. And that is what the story is about. Spaces – smaller spaces within that.

What is loss of innocence?

Maturity does not happen one fine day. It comes in doses. And doses of hardships, bitter experiences. Small incidents project how tough or cruel life is, people are. We do not grow up in one go. Experiences, rejection, failures, challenges, tests, relationships, each such incident of life which is tough and new helps us grow. Learning is a default function in all this.

In literary language this growing up, gaining maturity is called “loss of innocence”. Not that writers make life easier and state so explicitly in their stories. But a harsh incident, confronting bitter truths indirectly shows development in character. This development in character is “loss of innocence” in most cases. Especially, in cases of children experiencing such incidents.

In “Of White hairs and cricket” for example, the narrator does not want to pluck out white hair from his father’s head. He detests the Sunday morning ritual. However, when he sees his friend’s father near death on the makeshift hospital bed, he faces the bitter truth of aging followed by possible death. In the end he is more than willing to do what he had started out not doing. He does not want his father to grow old. He does state it to his father but deep inside he wants life to go at the pace it was earlier. This is the process that shows growth in character and the child grows up. He loses his innocence.

Ravi of “Games at twilight” wants to be the winner. He hides in a shed, loses trace of time. By the time he comes out to declare himself the winner he realizes that his cousins have moved on to playing other games. While he was crafting his dreams of being the winner, his disappearance had not been missed. On the contrary his playmates were making merry. Two things happen here. He realizes that he had not been missed. He also realizes that his victory was lost. He has to confront these two truths. He grows up. Ravi, thus, loses his innocence. Though the writer does not state it in so many words.

The job of understanding the writer’s purpose is of the reader. The loss is not stated it is implied. We, the readers, have to recognize and define loss of innocence.

3 Steps to understand the deeper meaning of a poem

3 Steps to understand the deeper meaning of a poem

1.     1.  Read the poem 3 times

Reading the poem aloud helps understand the music and rhythm of the poem. Does it read fast or slow? Does it have a staccato or domino effect? Poets write with music and rhythm in mind. Understanding this helps look at the effect of the poem on the reader.

2.       2. Use the dictionary

Finding meaning of words you have come across for the first time helps. Amanda Chong uses the word “kiris” for example in her poem called “Lion Heart”. “Kiris” is an asymmetrical dagger. It was a dagger used in Singapore. The poet uses this word here because it is a part of its history. Hence, the word represents the history of the country. This makes the poem patriotic. The use of other words in the poem along with the word “keris” helps understand deeper meaning.

3. 3.       Look for patterns

Is the word “You” used more than once? Where is it used? Does the word “then” come in the first line of the third stanza? If it does, it could probably mean a change of some sort in the poem. What is the word “you” used for? Is it for the reader? Is it for the poet’s mother? Does it represent a country? One word can have many interpretations.

Look for patters and give a meaning to the pattern.

Poets will always have a meaning to read and another to understand. The steps above take one step toward understanding deeper meaning.

Stabat Mater

Stabat Mater

My mother called my father ‘Mr Hunt’
For the first few years of married life.
I learned this from a book she had inscribed:
‘To dear Mr Hunt, from his loving wife.’

She was embarrassed when I asked her why
But later on explained how hard it had been
To call him any other name at first, when he –
Her father’s elder – made her seem so small.

Now in a different way, still like a girl,
She calls my father every other sort of name;
And guiding him as he roams old age
Sometimes turns to me as if it were a game…

That once I stand up straight, I too must learn
To walk away and know there’s no return.

-          Sam Hunt

The poem begins with Sam stumbling onto the formality in the relationship that had exited between his parent’s earlier. The words “I learned” show that he did not remember from his childhood nor did anyone tell him but that he discovered. Also, that this decorum of formality was followed during the initial years of their marriage only. The word “inscribed” shows an indelible mark that has been left behind. That she did not address him by his first name is more apparent than her calling him “Mr. Hunt”.

Is the poet meaning to say something when he rhymes “wife” with “life” is the question that comes to reader’s mind while reading.

For the mother it is embarrassing to explain to the child that the sheer age difference between them stopped her from calling him by “any other name”.  Here too, what comes across is not that the husband made her feel small but that she felt humbled in his presence and that his stature was so high that she felt “small”. The poet focuses on the age difference by using dashes twice once before and after “her father’s elder”. The author’s indirect use of enjambment in the line “hard it had been” conjures the image of a tough taskmaster that they husband may have been in the past only to contrast to merely the inability of addressing him otherwise. The contrast of thought between “hard” and “simple” comes through to the reader.

The “girl” in the mother remains. Earlier she was a girl because she was much younger. She is a girl even now for she endears him with ever “sort of name”. The first line carries a separated oxymoron in “different” and “like” to show the similarity and contrast in the mother. A focused read of the poem reveals the authors deliberate use of “name” and “game” to rhyme, again like puns have been intended to be separated.  The game of names comes alive in this rhyme scheme. The reader is subtly guided to the change of game. The father needs “guidance” and is now dependent on the mother. The image gradually dawns on the reader.

The first read of the last lines may seem to lead to death but perhaps it is about no return to being young only growing up and becoming old.

The poem is about knowing that there is “no return” to youth and the endearments life carries with itself. The unsaid comes through more than the said. “Once I stand up straight”, for example, seems to be not so much about being independent as about the transition from dependent to independent and not being able to go back.

Sam’s theme remains the family, yet finality of death does not seem to be the end of life, no return to youth does. Clearly, he was intrigued and perhaps proud of the age difference between his parents.

“Stabat Mater” refers to mother Mary, however here is sorrowful not for her son but the father of the son. 

Solving the unseen

The aove question has been taken from a CIE question paper

Solving the unseen poem

I first read the question carefully and marked key words. In the question above, for example, I underlined “fascination”, “imagine”, “change”, “develop” and “overall impact”.

Then I read the poem once to know what the poem is.

I read the poem the second time keeping the word “imagine” in my mind. As I was reading it the second time I noticed the words “but into my head” – this showed me that from this point onwards the poetess had started imagining.

So then I carefully looked at where were the “real” and “imaginary” parts. The words “the truth” clearly” focus on reality. Therefore, in the first paragraph itself the first point gets answered, at least to a certain extent.

As I continued reading I keep the second bullet point in mind which is “change” and “develop”. Here I reminded myself that the poet may be talking about changes directly and indirectly. I had to look for the metaphor of the poem to show what the poem was talking about indirectly.

While reading I see “destroyed” and “grow” which are a hint towards the second bullet point.

Hmm.. I was wondering what can be destroyed and yet grow. Our own personalities? The poet had already mentioned “different”. The point now develops in my head.

People who are “different” are “destroyed” be their own kind. While directly the poet is talking about a species of bird which is kind of different from its own kind of species indirectly it is referring to people who are different or “rare” – they may have special qualities. These “rare” people are not allowed to be or survive by human kind. These could be about race or specially-abled people.

The bird “speeds out of the distance” shows that these people grow to higher heights. They achieve. The use of the words “gathers weight” takes this theory forward and shows that the person has acquired skills or qualities to equip itself to do better. The word “darkens” is not negative but positive to show its impact and that it has emboldened.

Now the poem starts showing deeper meaning to me.

It is about people who are different. They have their own qualities and are different from the regular run of the mill people. They have at first “white absence” – they are part of us, part of the crowd. Not visible “in the snow” they are part of it. It could include prejudice, discrimination and racism. It could also be about the poet herself who is restricted by family or society.

In my essay I would explore words such as “lustre”, “gold” which reflect royalty and grandeur. I would look at sight and sound evoking words.

This was to guide students to a start. The rest will depend on how you interpret and the direction you take in finding deeper meaning.

Some thoughts on Ming's Little Prey

Ming’s Biggest Prey

A cat can be the laziest and deadliest smooth operator. Ming, the protagonist for me, is self-assured and confident. He loves his luxury and enjoys it completely. “Ming was resting comfortably”, “Ming half dozed”, “liked best lying in the sun”, “the heat of the sun sink into his fur” are examples of the languid and unhurried life that Ming leads. The author’s use of the words “aeroplanes”, “siesta”, “fish”, “perfume” shows the luxury that he lived in. Clearly Elaine loved and pampered him a lot. She picked him “gently”, “wiped” his face shows how she took care of him.

Right at the start the author establishes the hatred that Ming and Teddy have for each other. Teddy picks him up by the “neck” and “stuck” him out. This brings out aggression in the relationship. Ming’s intense hatred for Teddy is shown with words such as “Especially this man called Teddy”, the authors use of inversion in a sentence emphasis the feeling for Teddy.

Ming’s can sense animosity emanating from Teddy. He did not like the way Teddy “looked at him” in Elaine’s absence. Teddy also “muttered a threat” to Ming. Ming’s animal instincts are visible to the reader in more than one way. And yet a cool cat that Ming was took it “calmly”. This shows that he kept his cards close to himself. Ming is aware of threat coming his way when the hair on his neck “prickled” and his ear “twitch involuntarily”.

Ming and Teddy play a game with each other. How to outsmart one another. Teddy tries to make the most of the opportunity to throw Ming out of the scene. Ming being cool and self-assured weighs his pros and cons and makes a move like a seasoned chess player. The author uses many words to highlight Ming’s confidence. “Ming relaxed completely”, “Ming began to feel better”, Ming sensed” makes it evident that Ming understand human ways and responds accordingly.

At many instances they come face-to-face yet Teddy is unable to remove Ming from Elaine’s life.  Right at the start Teddy “stuck” him out. His frustration at not being able to get rid of Ming comes through when instead of grabbing Ming by the towel he merely “threw the towel in to the sink”. Time and again he mutters a “threat” to Ming. Sounds and images appear while reading the text. The speed with which things happen come through with short sentences that Patricia uses like “Ming understood.”

The author prepares the reader about change in tone with “Then the phone rang”. The reader knows there is major action now to happen. Very smartly Patricia makes Elaine exit the scene on the pretext of a phone “call”. Saved by the bell!

Teddy’s struggle and his disadvantageous position has been set with “tried”, “was drunk”, “moving slowly” and “clumsily”. On the other hand Ming’s advantageous and ease are established with “merely”, “plain to Ming”, “nothing easier than to elude him”. The author further adds to Ming’s advantage, to the awareness of the reader “Ming knew” “ the man hadn’t seen him”. Ming “recovers” and “recollects himself” prepares the readers that he is going to take a treacherous step.

The intensity of the relationship is brought out by showing “hatred ran in his veins”, “hatred burned his eyes”. That the hatred was all consuming for Ming is clear. Yet the contrast of his being super cool and in control of the situation is visible with “listened to the man climb up. Clearly Ming is prepared for the fight he is preparing and knows is going to be victorious of.

Ming’s superiority is highlighted when the author says he “glided” and “arrived” almost as if he were a royal person.

The author’s craft of moving from the time “The man was not moving” to “the man’s blood” add to Ming’s appeasement of having qualified the victory. The reader notices that Teddy has become “the man” and is not a person anymore, it is almost as Ming has been personified and Teddy un-personified.

Only Ming and the reader who know about the real killer.

The Lost Woman, Patricia Beer

The “lost woman” is not lost. Her daughter is.

Patricia starts the poem on a very personal note talking about “my” mother. It startles the reader to know that the mother “went with no more warning”, the reader is scared to know that the death of the mother was sudden. Enjambment used to highlight the contrast and tension at death of a person with a “bright voice”.

The reader imagines a usual happy day for the girl returning from school when reading “school” and “brook goes under a lane”. The next line highlights brevity of life with “shocking white” as if messenger of death has come to take the mother away in the “ambulance”.

The poetess uses enjambment again to bring out break in the relationship in the beginning of the second stanza. The reader is shocked with the daughter that the mother did not come back from the hospital and the daughter did not even attend the funeral. The words “a romance began” take the reader into the world of fantasy, the imagination of the daughter into another realm. It clearly charts out a sojourn into the extraordinary. The author uses the word “ivy” to show that her mother was clingy, dependent, insecure person. “Turn” has been used by Patricia to show a change, a transition, from reality to fantasy. “into a tree” shows the mother’s transition into a solid, confident and dependent person. Patricia has created a muse here words like “began” and “turned into”. The muse clearly exists till date “still” and is illusory hence is a “rainbow”. The words “I approach” show that the poet is now seeking the strength of the mother. It is the daughter now who is dependent, for she is the one that “clutch”es.

                                                                                                                                

The words “I made” show that the poetess has created an imaginative life for the mother. “Frustrated no more”… in her imagination the daughter has created an exciting life for the mother, she is a hero for she runs a “canteen”. She romanticizes the mother’s existence here, makes her a hero. She mother does not have a “frustrated” marriage any more. In her attempt to remove the “dull” part the daughter in her own way gives the mother “wit”, a “summer school”. The mother’s life “over the years” was rewritten by the daughter with “made.

Every artist has a muse, an inspiration to spark the creative piece of work. In this case for Patricia it is her mother. She has “acquired” a woman to “haunt the home”. The muse is something to yearn for and “desired”. It seems like she is hiding a “corpse” a person or secret so that no one gets to “know”. The poet wants to keep a secret, something that will not “grow”, no one will get to know about it.

The poetess feels that her muse, her “mother” is “nearly always benign” leaving a hint that there are times she is not so benevolent, kind. The author creates an image of a person who does not scare you in the “dead” of the night yet dawns on you during the “soft” light. The mother does not “chide”. The poet is talking about a perfect muse here. A person who has been long forgotten yet remains soft and comes to almost protect you being “soft”. The dead mother is being idolized since she does not scare but is “soft”. Perhaps the daughter wanted a soft and a not a hard mother in her growing up years that is why the muse is “rabbit-light”

Patricia prepares the reader for a transition with “But”. Her “lost woman” is unlike the perfect use who does not scare people. Her “lost woman” is someone who “snaps”. The last stanza brings out the angst of the mother against the daughter. The daughter for whom she “sacrificed” for the mother wanted the daughter to go beyond the mother and “rise”. The reader can imagine that the daughter took the opportunity to “rise”. The vision created is that of a soul which has emanated from a body and become a “ghost”.

The mother thus accused the daughter of being “lost” of being a “ghost”.

Love 3 George Herbert

George Herbert explores the relationship between himself and “love” which is God in the poem “Love 3”. “Love” which has been personified as God greets the poet and bids him “welcome”. The poet uses the word “yet” which suggests that despite the being made to feel welcome, the poet himself from deep within his “soul” takes a step back. The phrase “Guilty of dust and sin”  implies that the poet, being human is mortal and has been evil in being so. These lines show that his mere being human makes him feel “guilty” owing to the deeds he commits and his mortal nature.

The use of the word “But” is not about however. The word “But” has been used to bring about a contrast. God being “quick-eyed” can clearly see that the man “grows slack”. God may be quick to respond and can feel the poet being hesitant.

Throughout the poem the poet feels inferior in his avatar of being human. Hence he does not feel that he deserves to be in the presence of “Love” which is god. The poem has a biblical reference in the lines  “I the unkind, ungrateful?” which could imply not being gratitude to god for what he has provided. The poet feels that he has disfigured, dismembered his “eyes” with the use of the words “marred”. The reader gets a feeling that the poet has looked at things he should not have, again being biblical in nature as if looking a tempting objects. The words “let my shame” hints again at the poet feeling inferior of having done deeds he should be ashamed of. The words “guilty of dust and sin” could further imply that the nature of man is such that he is tempted by food and riches of life  and giving in to temptation is sinful. In his being a human the poet thinks he is undeserving of even looking at  “thee” which is god. The poet considers himself so little, mere that he condemns his own self to be worthy of only “hell”.

God, on the other hand, is very understanding and filled with “love”. God is warm and kind throughout the poem. The words “bade me welcome” could mean that God was generous and benevolent. The term “quick-eyed” implies that God can perceive everything around him and even though the poet does not say anything God can feel that deep within the poet has withdrawn. God’s hospitality and assuring nature comes through with “sweetly questioning”. God made human, imperfect and that he does not expect them to be perfect is implied with “Who made the eyes but I?”

There is a reference to Jesus and his acceptance of his being crucified to take the “blame” for imperfections of humans in the line “who bore the blame?” God invites him to take the communion in the last line when God says “sit down” and “taste my meat”.

The imagery is that of a host and guest around dinner table having a conversation. The host is “welcoming” and asks the guest to have “meat”. The reader gets a feeling that he is watching two people have a conversation over dinner. The picture of the “guest” being hesitant and undeserving of a meal with a superior being comes through in the poem.

The tone keeps changing in the poem. It moves from being mild and gentle to feeling “guilty”. The poet’s tone of self-hatred comes through in “let my shame” to being firm and assertive “you shall be he”. The poet’s tone is submissive in the words “So I did sit and eat”. God’s tone is dignified and respectful when he “bade me welcome”. From being fearful the poet’s tone becomes accepting of god’s forgiveness. 

Heart and Mind 

Edith Sitwell

That the heart and the mind can not be one has been brought out in “Heart and Mind” by Edith Sitwell.

She brings the Lion and Lioness to life and blood of a human being and makes them converse. “Raging fire” brings out animal power and passion – focuses on the primitive and raw nature of creatures in the jungle.

The first two lines are about acceptance of death as the Lion and  Lioness will then be “dust” bereft of “heat” which is passion of the youth.

The lion asks lioness to “remember” their union in “blood and bone”  and makes the colors of red and white come alive against “amber” and “dust”. The use of the colors contrasts feelings and emotions of life in “red” and death  in “dust”.  The lion wants the lioness to “remember” that their union will remain till after death and is immortal. The color of “amber” against “dust” contrast beauty against death.

The strength, vitality and energy of youth comes to the fore in the “rippling of bright muscles”. Since the lion is talking about their death they will “mate no more” which is to say that their union will not be possible till such time that the “fire” which is heart and the “moon” which is the “mind” are “one”. The poet also refers to objectivity of the “mind” which is “cold” and the subjectivity of the “heart” which is “fire” becoming one in death that is “dust”. Despite their strength and power all will become “dust” and what will remain is in memories only thus the author uses the word “remember”.

Death personified in “Skeleton” transcends “Time”. The “heat” of the “Sun” is “mourning” – this refers to power of passion which is an overwhelming emotion and can kill – thus the use of the word. “Time” is ultimate, nobody can defeat it.

The poet refers to the “Samson” and “Hercules”, known for their strength and heroism. Yet, “flames of heart” were responsible for their downfall and “consumed” them. “The mind is a but a foolish wind” portrays the image of person who has fallen in love and the “mind” too gives in and becomes “foolish”. That heart and love can take over and destroy intellect become clear here. The is powerful yet destroys the strongest of men, makes their mind weak and feeble.

The “sun” representative of the heart and emotion says to the “moon” representative of cold logic that only when “time is done” will the passion and emotion of the “heart” and the “mind” be unified. The phrase “a lonely white crone” creates the image of an old cranky thin woman. The “king” conjures the image of power and passion which is now “in a dark wood” – that is hell after death. The words “golden armor” suggests a royal protective shield  which now is in a coffin “dark wood”. Words like “wood’ can be interpreted by the reader at many levels, one death and that too beyond death in hell.

Their love is “hopeless” as the union of the heart and mind is impossible, which is the theme of the poem.

Coming Home

Coming Home

Owen Sheers

“Coming Home” is not a warm welcome but a cold start to a regular relationship. Owen Sheers writes about a man who left home a “child” and has returned a “man”. His mother let go of a “child” and wants this baby to comeback. At the arrival of a “man” her “hug” is “awkward”. The discomfort of the mom and the son is equally felt. The son can empathize with his mom wanting the child back. Owen tricks the reader from “open arms” almost waiting to hug the son yet there is a twist to realize that son is all grown up now and is a “man”. The words “this body of a man” create the image of a son who is a stranger in front of the mother. “Open arms” being reserved for a “child” and not “this” person uses enjambment beautifully to show that the return of this adult instead of a child is not what the mother expected.

The first stanza continues creating the image of a mother who is “flipping” and “patting” to show that her regular routine life continues. It brings alive the image of a woman for whom her make up is the “flour” that “makes her over”. It brings to the reader’s mind the drudgery of routine life of a woman and that her place remains in the kitchen. She has “wrinkles” and thus is old herself. The word “dusting” once again leads the reader on yet only to the “cheeks” being covered by them. Clearly, the mother has not lead a comfortable life either. The word "pat" has perhaps been used to "pat" the dough directly and the man indirectly. 

The father’s life is no bed of roses. Various words and phrases in the second stanza dedicated to the “Dad” show that. The words “still”, “reappear” and “again” focus on the acts he has no other choice, but to pursue again and again. Alliteration in the words “Winter”, “works” and “with wet wool” bring out the hardships that he continues to face come hail or snow.  His relentless pursuit is depicted in the words “he works on a hole” and nature takes him to task as the hole “reappears every Winter”. That is hair is “wild” creates the image of a man who is used to rough life of a farm and hence his pockets too are “filled with fillings of hay”. The alliterative use of the “f” sound in these words emphasize on the routine and mundane in the father’s life.

While the mother and father are engaged in action, the grandfather is “all seated”. His retired image is painted by the use of these words. The mother in the kitchen, the father in the wild and the grandfather in the seat. The transition of relationships is very clear. That the grandfather is growing old and at an increasing pace every year is brought out in the last stanza. That is life is short is brought home by the use of only four lines here against seven lines in the previous two stanzas. The grandfather’s old age and its shakes are brought out clearly in “unsteady” and “shiver”.

The common thread in the three stanzas is the theme of aging and life of routine. The mother made of by “flour” look, the father breath being “snagged” and the grandfather’s shiver’s becoming faster each year are silent witness to that process.

The tone of the poem is harsh. It makes the reader face the reality of life when a man returns home after many years. Things remain the same, the perspective of the one who comes “home” changes and becomes more mature.

“Coming home” is to many harsh discomforting realities of debilitating life.

Rohini Rode

August 11, 2015

Passion by Kathleen Raine

Contrasts

The first thing that strikes the reader is the use of contrasts in the poem.
Words like “speak” and “mute” emphasize on someone to speak who remains mute. “Flower” and “tiger” are elements of nature that have been brought up to show the contrast that nature has to offer. The poem being about universal energies mentions “mortal” and “immortal” another contrasts that exists. Raine waits for the “war” to end and what appears is “love” offering the “tranquility” that she longed for in the beginning. The images of “death” and “eternity” offer a paradox to the reader. At first “mortal death” focuses on the weakness for love that makes her almost die yet “love” and “eternity” prevail in the end. "Love" eludes the poetess. 

Transition

The poem begins with the anguish at the hands of lover who is “wounding” her. She feels abandoned by all – the “cloud”, “ship”, her own “speech” – is bereft of her lover and feels ignored. Nature in the form of “Sky” reinforces her belief in herself telling her she has what she “desires”.  She only has to feel confident, believe in herself and live without “fear”. The reality of her own strength then dawns on her. The reader feels her liberation in the war ending leading her feeling “love” and “eternity”

Theme

The poem is about love not returned, not reciprocated, which remains unrequited. Kathleen is at a loss for her soul “lacked”. Her anguished and turbulent thoughts come alive with her body growing “weak” – with her feeling that she lacked “tranquility”. The poet has created the image of a woman who feels rejected, abandoned by her lover. Yet, she regains strength and feels the change in her environs. She see nature “turn” around. There is hope again for “every cell” us new born. From “death” she moves to a state where “love” is the winner.

Poetic Devices – Enjambment

Enjambment breaks thought patterns and carries a contrasting idea to the next line in this poem. The reader feels “each tree” will lead to strength, yet this line leads to what her soul “lacked”. Raine’s “human speech” leaves the reader asking for her to say something, however it “forsakes” her. The penultimate stanza brings about a transition to the positive when every new cell “born burned” with fire. Raine creates a thought in one line and takes it to another level in the next one.

Sky has been personified – is it her friend? First it “wounds” her then it “speaks” to her. Elements of nature come alive when the “sky” talks to her and tell her to “believe” in herself. Telling her that she is complete in herself, she has what she “desires”. With the sky she discovers the energy of the universe and realizes that every was “new born”. She experienced “passion” in these energies and elements of nature.

The poem transits from a presence of “lack” to “love”. It takes the reader to journey where there is complete “light” and “love and eternity”. The universe energizes here.