11.1.1
Summary, Structure & Form
Summary
Summary
Simon Armitage is known for his clearly structured and often dark poetry. In this poem, we see the action of a mother and son measuring spaces in a house becoming a metaphor for their relationship.
Background
Background
- This poem comes from the Armitage’s Book of Matches.
- Armitage was born in Yorkshire.
- He was been influenced by early Modernist poets such as Ted Hughes, W.H. Auden and Philip Larkin.
- Like these poets, he uses everyday, emotional interactions to inspire his poetry.
Summary
Summary
- The action of the poem involves the narrator and his mother measuring space in a house.
- The mother figure holds the ‘zero-end’ of the measuring tape, while her son walks away from her unreeling the tape.
- The poem uses this simplistic plot as a base from which to explore the growth of children, and the changing relationship between mother and son.
Parent-child relationship
Parent-child relationship
- In this poem, we see the action of a mother and son measuring spaces in a house becoming a metaphor for their relationship – the measuring tape symbolises the looming distance time has brought to their relationship.
- Armitage’s poem explores the pain of growing up, and growing away from our parents that Lewis’ poem (Walking Away) deals with. The difference is that Armitage's poem is from the child’s perspective.
- The child describes the delicate balance he has to walk to break away from his parents, without intentionally hurting them.
Structure and Form in Mother, Any Distance
Structure and Form in Mother, Any Distance
Here are some of the key features of structure and form in Mother, Any Distance:
Rhyme scheme
Rhyme scheme
- The poem has a regular structure for the first two stanzas, with a regular AABB rhyme scheme to match.
- But as the poem progresses, the structure disintegrates and the rhyme becomes irregular.
- This reflects the narrator’s state of insecurity, since he is unsure about how his relationship with his mother is going to change – will he ‘fall’ or ‘fly’?
A sonnet?
A sonnet?
- This instability in the son is also shown by the way that Armitage changes the sonnet form – the poem essentially works like a sonnet with two quatrains and a sestet, but he adds an extra short line to the end of the poem, making it longer than normal.
- This final line is the moment of insecurity that Armitage wishes to highlight - so it seems fitting that it sticks out from the rest of the poem.
1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis
5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis
7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
8.1Walking Away Analysis
9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
10.1Follower Analysis
11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963
11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis
12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis
13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
14.1Singh Song! Analysis
15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis
16Grade 9 - Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
Jump to other topics
1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis
5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis
7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
8.1Walking Away Analysis
9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
10.1Follower Analysis
11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963
11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis
12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis
13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
14.1Singh Song! Analysis
15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis
16Grade 9 - Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
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