Climbing my Grandfather

• climbing my grandfather

  A poem by Andrew Waterhouse that uses an extended metaphor of mountaineering to reflect a child's process of getting to know their grandfather
• Poem

  • semi-autobiographical
  • From the perspective of a child recounting childhood memories
  • Uses an extended metaphor of mountaineering
• The poem is in one, single unbroken stanza which continues the theme of mountaineering and climbing into the structure of the text
• Enjambment


  Used to reflect a natural pace of conversation or exploration, or to portray the change of direction taken whilst climbing
• Language

  • Employs a semantic field of mountaineering
  • Uses oxymoronic language to demonstrate the complex nature of memory and nature, and perhaps the grandson-grandfather bond
• "I decide to do it free without a rope or net"
• "Pushing into the weave, trying to get a grip"
• "Glassy ridge of a scar, place my feet gently in the old stitches"
• "Then pull myself up … to a smiling mouth to drink amongst teeth"
• "Feeling his heat, knowing the pulse of his good heart"
• Who was Andrew Waterhouse?

  He was a keen environmental campaigner.
• What did Andrew Waterhouse study before becoming a lecturer?

  He studied environmental science.
• Where did Andrew Waterhouse lecture?

  At Kirkley Hall College in Northumberland.
• What did Andrew Waterhouse do in 1998?

  He bought a 10-acre area of land and began planting a wood.
• How is Waterhouse's interest in the natural world reflected in his work?

  It is reflected in his poem and a series of walking guidebooks.
• What theme does the poem 'Climbing my Grandfather' explore?

  It explores the relationships between parent and child.
• What is the significance of the poem 'Climbing my Grandfather' in relation to Waterhouse's life?

  • It reflects his interest in family relationships.
  • It is part of a nostalgic series on the theme of family.
• What type of literature did Andrew Waterhouse write besides poetry?

  He wrote a series of walking guidebooks.
• How does Waterhouse's background influence his poetry?

  His background as an environmental campaigner and educator informs his themes.
• Waterhouse took his own life in 2001, aged 42
• Where did Andrew Waterhouse live?

  Northumberland
• What theme is prevalent in Andrew Waterhouse's poetry?

  A world full of solid objects
• What prize did Andrew Waterhouse win in 2000?

  Forward Prize for Best First Collection
• How is "Climbing My Grandfather" described in terms of complexity?

  It is fairly simple to understand
• What does the speaker imagine climbing in the poem?

  His grandfather as a mountain
• What does the extended metaphor in the poem represent?

  The relationship between the speaker and grandfather
• What does the speaker's journey along the grandfather's body symbolize?

  The exploration of their relationship
• What does the description of the grandfather's nails suggest?

  He is a hardworking manual laborer
• What does the unbroken stanza reflect about the grandfather?

  His solidity and stability
• What does the lexical field of climbing suggest about the speaker?

  He is an adult reflecting on his grandfather
• What does the final line of the poem emphasize?

  The significance of the grandfather's good heart
• What does the use of monosyllabic words at the end of the poem suggest?

  It slows down the reading pace
• What literary devices are prominent in "Climbing My Grandfather"?

  • Extended metaphor of climbing
  • Simile comparing skin to warm ice
  • Monosyllabic language at the end
• What are the main themes in Andrew Waterhouse's poetry?

  • Solid objects and hard edges
  • Relationships and love
  • Personal struggles and experiences
• How does the structure of "Climbing My Grandfather" reflect the speaker's relationship with his grandfather?

  • One long stanza suggests continuity
  • Reflects stability and solidity of grandfather
  • Continuous action of the climb mirrors their bond
• What does the metaphor of climbing suggest about the speaker's view of his grandfather?

  • Respect and admiration for his grandfather
  • Acknowledgment of the grandfather's hard life
  • Exploration of personal growth through reflection