11.1.3
Key Quotes & Comparisons
Key Quotes in Mother, Any Distance
Key Quotes in Mother, Any Distance
Here are some examples of key quotes in Mother, Any Distance:
‘You at the zero-end...'
‘You at the zero-end...'
- ‘You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape’.
- The fixed position of the mother at the 'zero-end' shows the contrast between the security of childhood and the narrator's feelings of instability as he approaches adulthood.
‘Line still feeding out...'
‘Line still feeding out...'
- ‘The line still feeding out, unreeling years between us. Anchor. Kite’
- The reference to the measuring tape 'unreeling years' suggests it symbolises the passage of time as the son grows up.
Key Comparisons: Mother, Any Distance
Key Comparisons: Mother, Any Distance
Here are some suggestions for poems you could compare Mother, Any Distance to. Remember, there are endless options!
Follower
Follower
- Contrast the changing positions of the parents:
- Armitage seems to be still holding onto his mother as support in Mother, Any Distance.
- The complete opposite is seen in Follower.
Walking Away
Walking Away
- Similar themes of growing up and letting go.
- But Walking Away is from the perspective of the parent. It is useful to consider how the different perspective changes the tone.
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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