MAD and WA

• P1- WA: the father appears very protective of his son as he appears fearful of loosing him; describes son as "wretched from its orbit, go drifting away" --> wretched = violent/ harsh verb- as though the son is being cast into a new and hostile world

  Contextually: this is important as Cecil Day-Lewis' mother died of cancer: this had a profound impact on him, so poem could be a reflection of this seperation anxiety; he wants to protect his son from a similar painful experience. --> "I've had worse partings"

  Sudden change in tone (quote) --> calm (calm start to journey, close relationship)
• P1- WA: the sudden change in tone could highlight the father's strong/ conflicting concerns.

  "like a satellite" --> reinstates their close relationship as they appear to revolve around each other

  "into a wilderness" --> unknown setting, son must make his own way alone

  "like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem" --> son is pulling away as apart of growing, gradual and gentle departure (from stablity offered by "stem" ; the use of metaphorical language could be because the relationship is too strong for simple words

  
  

  Parent's responsiblity to let child go
• P1- MAD: seems there's a sense of excitement/ elation --> the hyperbole "endless sky" reflects these exciting opportunities offered by independence.

  Similarly in WA --> passage of time and once dependence on parents- developing to independence.

  "You come to help me measure windows, pelmets, doors" --> domestic imagery = comfort/ safety; dependence+ he "requires a second pair of hands" --> but at the end he is ready to "fall or fly"

  Describes him and mother "reporting metres, centimeters back to base" --> units of measurement are growing"

  -fluctuating change from big to small
• P1- MAD: however there still seems to be some reluctance to let go "Anchor. Kite" --> mother is associated as being an anchor, offering security and comfort, but independence as a kite which acts as a symbol of freedom.

  "Anchor"; not being independent is holding him down/ restricting him- knows he must let go

  Contextually: Armitage left home to work in Oxford University; this poem could be a reflection of his personal positive experiences of developing independence (in the world of work)
• P2- WA: Uses first person narrative to convey the father's perspective; "I never quite grasp to convey" --> father is fearful of the "wilderness"

  Sounds resentful at the process of change and growth; it's inevitable a child must gain independence but at the end of the poem he understand he must accept this change as "love is proved in the letting go"

  The narrator uses animal imagery to depict how he sees his son, a "half-fledged thing" growing up to enter a what could be predatory world, into an abyss of this unknown "wilderness".
• P1- MAD:

  Howver similar to in Walking Away, the narrator describes his mother's "fingertips still pinch(ing)... the last one-hundredth of an inch" which may show that through the mother's tenuous nature to hold onto him though a "pinch" mirrors the pain associated with letting go for both the mother and son
• P2- WA: Despite the first person narrative, his fear appears reciprocated by his son as he's described as a "hesitant figure".

  
  

  P2- MAD: uses first person narrative from son's perspective to express more optimistic feelings; but still a small degree of uncertainty present. "I space-walk though the empty bedrooms" --> further distance from his mother; idea is further enforced though the the possible symbolic meaning of "space" as space is a vast void and mysterious

  However, the son is alone in this decision to "space-walk" --> shows his independence; change
• P2- MAD: poem ends on him going to "fall or fly" that sense of uncertainty is further explored as he is unsure of what the future will offer, and no longer has the same support from his mother --> highlights struggled that come with growing up

  Further explored through "Anchor. Kite" --> leaving the stable foundation his mother offers. However if the mother embodies the anchor, and he the kite, this may be symbolic that he will always have this stable foundation to rely on and retreat to

  "To fall or fly" --> may be a matter of perception, dependent on feelings about independence
• P3- Structure:

  WA- immediate establishment of: "it is eighteen years ago, almost to this day" --> profound remembers, of high importance as after all this time has passed the father still so vividly remembers

  MAD- "Mother, Any Distance" --> immediate establishment of theme of distance; direct and formal address may mark a close relationship (with grows further apart as the poem progresses

  Poet uses a loose sonnet form- which shows his love, but may also relate to an unstable relationship
• MAD- despite gaining independence, all of the image depicted in the poem are tethered in some way: the tape measure is held, the astronaut on the space ship by a cord, the kite held by his mother, the anchor holding him in place --> moreover Armitage may be uses this images to represent the link between the mother and son, almost like an umbilical cord in the womb.
• Conclusion:

  Although both poems follow a passage of time which results in the children gaining dependence. In Walking Away, the father is reluctant to let go but comes to understand "love is proved in the letting go". Similarly at the end of the poem, the narrator is ready to "fall or fly":