Context - Material

• The poem 'Material' was written by Ros Barber
• Ros Barber is an English poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer - 'Material' was published in her second poetry collection, also titled 'Material', in 2008
• Ros Barber balances steady formal elements, octave stanzas, a ballad rhyme scheme, and a bouncy, often iambic meter, with very casual, colloquial language - The result is a poem that feels pulled between the present and the past, reflecting the speaker's own sense of nostalgia for the sweeter, more predictable world of her childhood and her appreciation for her mother's love
• 'Material' was written in the early 21st century, at a time when the dehumanizing effects of global capitalism, consumerism, and mass production were becoming painfully clear
• Barber herself was born in 1964, at a time when England was still in a post-World War II economic boom - This was a period marked by massive economic growth across the globe and a rapid increase in the mass production of products
• With the rise in employment and reliable income, people were buying more than they ever had, which further drove demand for cheap, accessible items
• By the end of the 20th century, the world had changed dramatically - Many small, "family stores" went out of business, replaced by enormous shopping centres (like the "malls" Barber references in this poem)
• Instead of going to three different people to buy produce, meat, and seafood, people often shopped for all their goods in one place: the supermarket
• At the same time, durable yet labour-intensive items like "hankies" were tossed in favour of convenient yet wasteful "paper tissues"
• The poem suggests that the convenience of modern life has come at a steep cost, as people have become less connected to each other and to their communities