9.1.2
Themes
Ordinary and Extraordinary
Ordinary and Extraordinary
Eden Rock contrasts ordinary events and settings, with ideas and implications of extraordinary ones.
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition
- The poem juxtaposes the language of the ordinary – ‘old H.P. Sauce bottle’, ‘his terrier Jack’, ‘the tin cups painted blue’ - with extraordinary descriptions of light – ‘the sky whitens as if lit by three suns’.
- This gives the poem a sense of the surreal, as the narrator remembers all of these mundane (dull), ordinary moments in this surreal and unnatural setting.
Setting
Setting
- Causley was brought up in Cornwall, but the poem is set in an imaginary location called Eden Rock.
- This has implications of a biblical Eden, a perfected paradise.
- In this setting, the ordinary childhood memory of a picnic is given an extraordinary feel.
Memory in Eden Rock
Memory in Eden Rock
Causley presents the poem as if it is a reflection on a childhood memory. It is never clear how much is real and how much is imagined.
His parents
His parents
- There is a clear sense that the narrator is remembering his parents as they were, and items from his past – but there is also a sense that they are in a setting that he has never been in before.
- His father is wearing ‘the same suit’, and his mother is using ‘the same three plates.’
- These objects are familiar, yet there is a sense that the memory is artificial - an amalgamation (mix) of past memories.
Unease
Unease
- Causley says that his parents are ‘waiting for [him]’, but we know he is not with them and the setting of Eden Rock is an imaginary one.
- Therefore, the reader is left feeling uneasy as to how much is real - there is never any sure footing in this 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
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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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