リトリチャ Ep 8

This is another Literature post to make up for my hiatus :)

*          *          *

Question:
"Home haunts those who write about it."
Compare and contrast the ways in which home is presented in at least 2 poems in light of this statement.

Answer:
The poems "To My Mother" by George Barker and "One Flesh" by Elizabeth Jennings bear some similarities and differences in light of the above statement.

The persona in "To My Mother" seems to miss her or her mother dearly. The persona constantly thinks about her, reminiscing about things she used to do, like: "Under the window where I often found her." The persona also remembers the habits and tendencies of his or her mother, no matter how insignificant they may be to other people. For instance, "Sitting as huge as Asia, seismic with laughter, gin and chicken helpless in her Irish hand."

Home also 'haunts' the persona by making him or her remember details of his or her home. For example, the persona would remember that there was a cellar the mother could 'scuttle' to. Other details include the fact that the persona's home houses a mahogany table which his or her mother would lean on "like a mountain whom only faith could move."

In "One Flesh", Home also 'haunts' the persona by making him or her think about his or her parents, who are revealed in the last stanza when the persona says: "These two who are my father and my mother." The persona also, similarly in "To My Mother", thinks about his or her parents' actions, such as his or her father "with a book, keeping the light on late" and his or her mother "like a girl dreaming of childhood."

Also similar to "To My Mother", Home 'haunts' the persona in "One Flesh" by making him or her recall events of home which include the presence of books, beds and lights which his or her father left switched on until late.

However, there are also differences between the poem where the above statement is concerned. In "To My Mother", the tone of the poem suggests that the persona is thinking of his or her mother and home endearingly. One example would be when the persona first introduces his or her mother: "Most near, most dear, most loved and most far." On the other hand, in "One Flesh", the persona is mostly pained by the memories of home and his or her parents. An instance would be when the persona notices that the "silence between them like a thread to hold" and the recollection that they are "lying apart now, each in a separate bed."

Apart from that, the persona in "To My Mother" remembers his or her mother to be fearful and unbeatable in a certain sense, such as when he or she says: "She is like a procession no one can follow after but be like a dog following a brass band", suggesting that the persona's mother is one of a kind. In "One Flesh", however, the persona only remembers the awkward and tense moments between his or her parents like when he or she notes "how cool they lie. They hardly ever touch" as well as "the book he holds unread" and "her eyes fixed on shadows overhead."

Therefore, it does not necessarily have to be bad memories when the above statement says 'haunt'. This is because something, or someone, can 'haunt' us in different ways and can bring us an equal amount of pain and joy. It just so happens that the persona's home in "To My Mother" brought back sweeter memories than those of the persona in "One Flesh".

Teacher's comment: Good comparison. Compare on structure and language.
Marks: 25/40.

~#~

This was actually an English Literature test. Although, I was absent that day from school when this was done. Thankfully, my teacher let me bring home the question to do at home as long as I did it within one and a half hours.

Don't worry, I timed myself :D

CIAO!!

P/S: Please click on my Nuffnang ads :) Thanks!!