8.1.3

Key Quotes & Comparisons

Test yourself

Key Quotes in Walking Away

Here are some examples of key quotes from Walking Away by Cecil Day Lewis.

Illustrative background for <b>‘Like a winged seed...’Illustrative background for <b>‘Like a winged seed...’ ?? "content

‘Like a winged seed...’

  • ‘That hesitant figure, eddying away/Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem’.
    • This is a powerful simile that embodies the sense of loss Lewis feels but also the inevitability of the process of growing up.
    • The natural imagery also shows the naturalness of the process
Illustrative background for <b>‘With a walking away...’Illustrative background for <b>‘With a walking away...’ ?? "content

‘With a walking away...’

  • ‘How selfhood begins with a walking away/And Love is proved in the letting go’
    • The word 'away' is repeated throughout the poem to show the process of separation
    • The final line of the poem shows that the narrator has realised that the 'letting go' of his son is a part of his parental love.

Key Comparisons: Walking Away

Here are some suggestions for poems you could compare Walking Away to. Remember, there are endless options!

Illustrative background for _Mother, Any Distance_Illustrative background for _Mother, Any Distance_ ?? "content

Mother, Any Distance

  • Also explores parent–child relationships.
  • Mother, Any Distance is from the perspective of a son, whose mother is helping him set up his new house, while Walking Away is from the perspective of a father.
Illustrative background for _Follower_Illustrative background for _Follower_ ?? "content

Follower

  • Changing parent-child relationship.
    • Follower is from the perspective of a child, while Walking Away is from the perspective of a father.
  • Similar uses of time and memory.

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

Go student ad image

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

  • Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

  • Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

  • 30+ school subjects covered

Book a free trial lesson