WINTER SWANS

• What does the title mean?

  • "Winter Swans" - creates a striking image
  • "Winter" by itself can be seen as bitter cold, dark nights, and too much wind but by putting "Swans" with it creates an image of...
  • white, soft snow and glittering ice, almost like in a movie with a pair of swans gliding over water - beautiful, unreal and enchanting
  • "Swans" are also symbolism - showing loyalty + lasting relationships (mate for life) but also symbolising the couple + the two words also show that they create something magical
• THEMES in WINTER SWANS

  • nature
  • natural world is used as a metaphoric means of expression - significant range of human emotions can be expressed (ambiguous)
  • reflecting conflict and resolution in the relationship
  • reuniting, reassurance and stability
• "IOWFPBRA"

  "Icebergs of white feathers paused before returning again"

  • representing that something is hidden and possibly dangerous but can overcome it
  • symbolic to the relationship - they may have a lot to say but only show what is on the surface
  • "white" and "dark" contrasts
  • juxtaposition highlighting that they can always return to each other after setting their differences apart
  • strong relationship
  • compared to "boats righting in rough weather" - evokes the wintry landscape but also suggests the fragility and transient beauty of the swans, echoing the delicate nature of the relationship
• "TCHGTA"

  "The clouds had given their all"

  • personification + pathetic fallacy + metaphorical expression suggesting the emotional weight of the relationship
  • almost like they're being tested
  • external forces which are negatively affecting the couple's relationship + emphasises awful weather
• "TIU"

  "Tipping in unison"

  • embodying together
  • reconciled
  • harmony and unity - 'tipping' is graceful and gentle
  • highlights the couple's ability to find harmony and balance - resonates with nature
• "INOH,TH,S,STDBU"

  "I noticed our hands, that had, somehow, swum the distance between us"

  • "swum" suggest an act of reaching out to each other - requires effort and maybe struggle
  • having to overcome obstacles or emotional barriers
  • "somehow" conveys a sense of wonder or surprise
  • the speaker is struck by the unexpected nature of this gesture - unconscious
  • decided to make a life-long connection