Climbing my Grandfather

• Summary - Climbing my Grandfather:

  poem represents an extended metaphor of climbing a mountain

  the speaker imagines his grandfather as a mountain which he climbs
• Concepts:

  • relationships take time to build, family bonds create safety
  • having someone to admire drives us to be better people
  • we have to take risk in order to reach and surpass our heroes/idols
  • elders are reliable, leading to strong young-old relationships
  • we are likely to idolise parental figures in our life
• I decide to do it free, without a rope or a net

  • declarative
  • lack of safety
  • confident? knows it well?
• First, the old brogues, dusty and cracked

  • metaphor - reliability
  • stable image
  • old shoes (brogues) not thrown out
  • you know what to expect - consistency
• the skin of his finger is smooth and thick like warm ice

  • simile
  • "warm ice" - oxymoron. two contrasting words next to each other
• At his still firm shoulder, I rest for a while in the shade

  • safety
  • grandfather is reliable and strong
• I cross the screed cheek, to stare into his brown eyes, watch a pupil slowly open and close

  • sibilance - gentle sound - gentle exploration of grandfather's eyes
  • children are fascinated by faces: the grandchild is in awe of grandfather and his features
• feeling his heat, knowing the slow pulse of his good heart

  • strong love felt towards grandfather