What is the message of the poem poppies?
War, Parenthood, and Grief. “Poppies” addresses the anxieties and grief that parents face as they send their children to fight in war. It does so through an extended metaphor, comparing going to war to a more mundane kind of departure: a mother sending her child to school.
What is the poem poppies about GCSE?
The poem comes from the collection commissioned by Carol Ann Duffy called “exit wounds”. Poppies grew in battlefields and became a symbol of remembrance in 1921, armistice Sunday also became a way to remember World War Two. Weir uses these symbols to establish from the outset that the poem is an act of remembrance.
Is the poem poppies about war or family?
The poem is written in the first person persona of a grieving mother that has lost her son in conflict. Poppies is set in the modern day but it makes references to conflicts as far back as World War One and reflects on how mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends coped with losing their loved ones.
Why was the poem poppies written?
Poppies was her response to a commission for war poems by the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. This, and nine other poems, appeared in The Guardian newspaper in 2009. Her poem was a response to the losses already suffered during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
How is suffering presented in poppies?
The mother in Poppies seems to live and breathe the pain and suffering, whereas the photographer is once removed from the suffering. Furthermore, both poets use visual representations to emphasise the powerful emotions that are evident in the poems.
What do the poppies represent in the poem In Flanders Fields?
The poppy is a symbol of Remembrance and hope, including hope for a positive future and peaceful world. They are a show of support for the Armed Forces community, those currently serving, ex-serving personnel and their families; and a symbol of Remembrance for all those who have fallen in conflict.
Do poppies symbolize war?
The poppy is the enduring symbol of remembrance of the First World War. It is strongly linked with Armistice Day (11 November), but the poppy's origin as a popular symbol of remembrance lies in the landscapes of the First World War. Poppies were a common sight, especially on the Western Front.
Why is the poppy a symbol of remembrance for kids?
Why do we wear poppies? The reason poppies are used to remember those who have given their lives in battle is because they are the flowers which grew on the battlefields after World War One ended.
Why are the poppies red poem?
Because, my child, men fought and died In the field where poppies grow. But why are the poppies so red, mummy? Why are the poppies so red? Red is the colour of blood, my child, The blood that our soldiers shed.
What do poppies symbolize in literature?
Red poppy flowers represent consolation, remembrance and death. Likewise, the poppy is a common symbol that has been used to represent everything from peace to death and even simply sleep.
Why was Poppies written?
Jane Weir’s ‘Poppies’ is such a poem, written to convey the grief and suffering of a mother at home, who’s son has left to fight a war, and it does a great job of conveying those emotions and telling a story that is seldom told but all too often lived.
What does the narrator mean by "Poppies"?
For much of these stanzas of ‘Poppies’, the narrator is simply speaking to the memory of who we learn is their son (or is probably their son, since they make reference to when “you” were little, as well as the indications of physical affection that might be less common from an older sibling).
What is the meaning of the poem "The Dove Flying Away"?
She tries to remember him as a young child, freely playing in playgrounds and all of the innocence and peace of that time, but is rewarded with only silence. It is not expressly stated that her son is dead, but the theme of the poem, and the noticeable extension of the saddened atmosphere, make it a reasonable suggestion. This is a poem about grief, then, about loss; and about a mother’s love and longing for that time gone by.
What is deep and moving poetry?
Without attempting to boldly declare any kind of rules for writing poetry, deep and moving poetry is generally written through a process of raw emotion. The need to create perfect rhymes and symmetry in verses is all less important than meaning and feeling and the power that is conveyed by using just the right words, the ones that come from the heart. Jane Weir’s ‘Poppies’ is such a poem, written to convey the grief and suffering of a mother at home, who’s son has left to fight a war, and it does a great job of conveying those emotions and telling a story that is seldom told but all too often lived.
Why does the narrator follow the dove?
After an undisclosed amount of time goes by, the narrator notices that there is a dove flying through the town, and, with no explanation, she follows it, even though it is cold outside (as Remembrance Day would put the timing of this poem as early November), and finds her self outside the walls of a local church. This is a moment of character development for the narrator — she follows the bird on a whim, perhaps because doves often symbolize peace, but also because there is nothing else for her to do with her son gone.
What does a dove symbolize?
A ‘dove’ is a symbol of peace and often for new life. The fact that it is a single dove could foreshadow something bad happening to the man as this sense of isolation creates a sense of broken hope.
What is the meaning of the song bird?
The release of ‘a song bird’ is a metaphor that relates to the newfound freedom of the man – note how ‘cage’ (signifying his former domestic life) seems very constrictive and oppressive. Another interpretation of this metaphor is that the mother is releasing her emotions which she has bottled up as though they were caged.
What is the meaning of the image of the streaks of paper red?
The ‘spasms’ provoke an image of unnatural, painful, distressing death or injury, the ‘red’ is a metaphor of the bloodshed of war and ‘paper’ implies a disposability and weakness which Weir relates to the loss of life on the battlefield.
What does the dove lead to?
The dove leads her to a ‘church’ . Naturally, this is a significant symbol as, although churches have religious significance of hope, unity and devotion, they also house the dead – hinting that the ‘dove’ has led her to the grave of her son.
What does the simile "like a treasure chest" mean?
The simile ‘like a treasure chest’ relates to the emotions of both the man and his mother. As he leaves the adventure and glory that ‘treasure’ connotes his naïve perception of newfound freedom and his childlike excitement. For the mother, ‘overflowing’ signifies her inability to control her emotions anymore as he leaves.
What does "melting" mean in a story?
This is an idiom that describes one’s emotions overflowing and becoming overwhelming.
What does the poem "Armistice Sunday" mean?
The poem references ‘Armistice Sunday’ which acts as a symbol for grief and loss, setting a mournful tone.
What is the theme of the poem "The Child"?
In this poem, the child is full of excitement and anticipation, fueled by his patriotism and the possibilities of the good he can do. The mother is anxious, and already preparing herself for grief by going to visit the war memorial to see the names of the boys who never came come, and whose families grieved before her.
What is the parallel between the soldiers of World War I and the young man today?
The poet draws a parallel between the soldiers of World War I and the young man today, which also leads us to conclude that despite each generation of soldiers being told that they are fighting for the regeneration of the world, and that this is the "war to end all wars", war will not end, and each war creates the same loss of life, and feelings of grief and loss for the families of the fallen.
Does the poem "The Son" mention war?
Although the poem never explicitly mentions war, the identity of the son as a soldier is implicitly mentioned from the start. It is three days before the anniversary of Armistice Day, the mother pins a commemorative poppy to her son's lapel, and afterwards she is drawn to the war memorial, feeling some kind of bond with the families she never knew whose sons did not come home.
Why was Poppies written?
Weir moved to Ireland through the 80s and experienced firsthand conflict. Poppies was written to portray a mother’s perspective on conflict. Weir said she was thinking of Wilfred Owen’s mother when writing.
Who wrote the poem "Poppies"?
Poppies is a 21 st century poem by the Anglo-Italian poet Jane Weir. Weir was born in Italy in 1963 and grew up in Italy and Manchester. She moved to Northern Ireland during ‘the Troubles’ in the 1980s and so has experienced conflict in a close and personal way.
Why do poppies represent war?
The title of the poem, ‘Poppies’, is simple. It reflects both the feminine voice of the poem (being named for flowers) and the fact that Armistice Day is specifically referenced in it. Armistice Day began in 1918 to commemorate the end of World War I. An ‘Armistice’ is the agreement to cease fighting. The day is now better known as Remembrance Sunday and is used to commemorate all those lost in conflicts throughout the world. Poppies have been a symbol of the loss of human life in battle since 1921. It became a symbol of the losses of World War I after the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ was published which mentioned the poppies growing around the graves of young soldiers. Weir uses the poppy in the first stanza to represent what going into the army can mean. After the son’s departure, the mother walks to the war memorial, another reminder of remembrance and the dead.
What is the relationship between mother and son in the poem Poppies?
Weir explores the poppy in relation to injury. The relationship between mother and son is plagued by the language of war – shown through words like “blockade” and “reinforcement”. Poppies is a tactile poem: the mother constantly wants to “smooth down his collar” or touch her son.
What does the blackthorns in the poem mean?
Weir has said herself that she was considering women who had lost their sons when writing this poem and her mention of the gelled ‘blackthorns’ of the son’s hair seem to be a reference to Jesus and his crown of thorns, an indication that the son has made the ultimate sacrifice.
Why are poppies important?
Poppies have been a symbol of the loss of human life in battle since 1921. It became a symbol of the losses of World War I after the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ was published which mentioned the poppies growing around the graves of young soldiers.
What is feminine imagery in poppies?
Feminine imagery is used in Poppies as Weir draws on the semantics of textiles to describe her speaker’s feelings
What war is the poem "Poppy Day" about?
The poem, though set in the present day, could refer to any war, from the Great War of 1914-1918, to the Afghan and Iraq wars of the 20th century. It reaches back to the beginning of the Poppy Day tradition. Armistice Day began as a way of marking the end of the First World War, so people could remember the hundreds and thousands of ordinary men who had been killed. Remembrance Sunday commemorates those who fell in all wars since then. Jane Weir conflates the two.
What war is Poppies about?
Poppies. The poem, though set in the present day, could refer to any war, from the Great War of 1914-1918, to the Afghan and Iraq wars of the 20th century. It reaches back to the…. Read More.
What is Jane Weir's poem about?
It is a compassionate poem about the wider implications of war, the suffering it causes to those closest to a fallen soldier. We can apply the experience of the woman speaking in this poem to mothers at any place and any time whose offspring have been killed in conflict.
Why did Carol Ann Duffy write poppies?
When ‘Poppies’ was written British soldiers were still dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a way of expressing the suffering and grief caused by those deaths, the poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy asked a number of writers, including Jane Weir, to compose poems.
Who asked Jane Weir to write a poem?
As a way of expressing the suffering and grief caused by those deaths, the poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy asked a number of writers, including Jane Weir, to compose poems. It is an interesting fact that neither of Weir’s two sons has ever gone to war.
What is the meaning of the poem "Poppies in October"?
Sylvia Plath's "Poppies in October" is a melancholy poem that focuses on beauty in the natural world. The speaker notices vibrant red poppies in October, when the flowers don't typically bloom. Instead of simply welcoming this lovely sight, however, the speaker juxtaposes the flowers against the ugliness of the surrounding world, comparing them with images of pollution, blood, and human indifference. The poem is ambiguous and its symbolism open to interpretation, but one thing that seems clear is that the speaker sees the poppies not as a sign of happiness, but rather as a reminder that the rest of the world is bleak and sad in comparison. "Poppies in October" was included in Plath's second collection of poetry, Ariel. The collection was published posthumously in 1965, two years after the poet took her own life.
What does the speaker see in the poem "Poppies"?
The poem is ambiguous and its symbolism open to interpretation, but one thing that seems clear is that the speaker sees the poppies not as a sign of happiness , but rather as a reminder that the rest of the world is bleak and sad in comparison.
What does the poppies in October mean?
“Poppies in October” is an ambiguous, abstract poem that resists a tidy explanation, given that the “poppies” of the poem—and, in fact, all the poem’s vivid images—may represent different things to different readers. What’s clear is that the speaker sees these poppies (which don’t bloom in October, suggesting that the speaker is either in a sort of fantasy world, remembering seeing a field of flowers in the past, or looking at a display of cut flowers somewhere) and feels that nothing can match the flowers’ brilliance. As bright red flowers, perhaps the simplest interpretation is that the poppies in the poem represent beauty and passion—things that seem out of place in the melancholy, mundane modern world.
Why is Sylvia Plath considered a confessional poet?
Sylvia Plath is often considered a confessional poet, since she integrated autobiographical details into her work. Because she seemed to draw so heavily on her own emotions in her writing, many people read her poems with the understanding that she herself is the speaker.
Why do people put paper poppies on the wall?
All the same, the speaker's fixation on the poppies might also be an allusion to Remembrance Day in England, when people display paper or cloth poppies to commemorate British soldiers who have died in battle. According to this interpretation, this detail is an indicator that the poem is most likely set in England.
What is personification in poetry?
Personification creates the feeling that everything in the poem is alive and that the speaker is particularly attuned to the rhythms of the natural world. The speaker says that "even the sun-clouds" can't compete with the poppies and their deep, striking color.
When did Sylvia Plath write Poppies in October?
An Interview With Sylvia Plath — This recording documents an interview with Sylvia Plath that took place in 1962, around the time she most likely wrote "Poppies in October."
What was the name of the poem that he wrote about the fallen soldiers buried under the poppies?
Struck by the sight of bright red blooms on broken ground, McCrae wrote a poem, “In Flanders Field, ” in which he channeled the voice of the fallen soldiers buried under those hardy poppies. Published in Punch magazine in late 1915, the poem would be used at countless memorial ceremonies, and became one of the most famous works of art to emerge from the Great War. Its fame had spread far and wide by the time McCrae himself died, from pneumonia and meningitis, in January 1918.
What was the significance of the Red Poppy?
From the devastated landscape of the battlefields, the red poppy would grow and, thanks to a famous poem, become a powerful symbol of remembrance.
Why did Madame Guérin make artificial poppies?
Back in France, Guérin organized French women, children and veterans to make and sell artificial poppies as a way to fund the restoration of war-torn France. As Heather Johnson argues on her website devoted to Madame Guérin’s work, the Frenchwoman may have been the single most significant figure in spreading the symbol of the Remembrance poppy through the British Commonwealth countries and other Allied nations.
What is the poppy flower?
Other nations soon followed suit in adopting the poppy as their official symbol of remembrance. Today, nearly a century after World War I ended, millions of people in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand don the red flowers every November 11 (known as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day) to commemorate ...
Why do people wear poppies on Veterans Day?
Instead, they wear the symbolic red flower on Memorial Day—the last Monday in May—to commemorate the sacrifice of so many men and women who have given their lives fighting for their country.
Where are poppies made?
According to McNab, the Poppy Factory (now located in Richmond, England and Edinburgh, Scotland) is still the center of poppy production, churning out as many as 45 million poppies made of various materials each year. In the United States, the tradition has developed a little differently.
When did the Poppy become the national symbol?
national emblem of remembrance when its members convened in Cleveland in September 1920.
