15.1.2

Themes

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Technical Language in Climbing My Grandfather

The poet uses technical language to convey the image of a child climbing up their grandfather.

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Extended metaphor

  • The poem uses the language of rock climbing – ‘do it free’, ‘rope’, ‘net’, ‘traverse’, ‘glassy ridge’, ‘screed’, ‘summit’ and ‘altitude' to show the scale of the task of climbing his grandfather.
  • Rock climbing acts as an extended metaphor throughout the poem to show how simple life was for the child.
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Comical image

  • The very technical language used in the poem is contrasted to the slightly comical image of a child climbing his grandfather.
  • The poet uses complex, adult language to convey a sense of innocence and naivety.

Child's Perspective in Climbing My Grandfather

Although the poem is written when the narrator is an adult, the poet uses various techniques to show that the memory comes from his childhood.

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Epic proportions

  • He presents his grandfather in epic (very large) proportions – the way he would have seen him as a child.
  • His grandfather’s scars become a ‘glassy ridge’; his head is a ‘summit’ and his mouth is a ‘river’.
  • This reflects the fact that the poet is looking back on a memory that is limited to the perspective of a child.
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Tenderness

  • There is also sense of tenderness beneath the serious technical language of rock climbing.
  • Underneath the mountain image of his grandfather is ‘his good heart’ and the simile ‘like warm ice'.
  • This gives a sense of the deep love that the boy has for his grandfather.

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)

7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)

8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)

9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)

10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963

12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)

13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)

14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)

15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse

16Grade 9 - Comparisons

16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons

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