Summary, Structure & Form
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Love & Relationships, topic 15.1.1
Summary of Climbing My Grandfather
Andrew Waterhouse's poem focuses on the memory of climbing his grandfather's knee and the safety of childhood.
Background
- Waterhouse was a teacher at an agricultural college. He was also an environmentalist and musician.
- His interest in the environment is shown in the powerful natural imagery in the poem.
- Waterhouse also suffered from depression and committed suicide in 2001 - in light of this, it may be interesting to consider the sense of safety in the memory of childhood in the poem.
Summary
- The narrator looks back on memories of climbing up his grandfather as a child.
- He uses imagery and language relating to real-life rock climbing to convey a sense of childlike reverence for his grandfather.
Structure and Form in Climbing My Grandfather
Here are some of the key features of the structure and form in Climbing My Grandfather:
Structure
- The poem is in free verse in a single stanza – the poem is practical in its structure, reflecting the serious tone and intensity of the child’s attempt to climb.
- Each line of the poem takes the reader higher and higher, so they reach the summit of the poem with the little boy climbing his grandfather.
- The poet uses enjambment between lines 5-6 to make the reader change direction of their eyes as the child changes direction.
Present tense
- Although the poem is in the present tense, this is tempered by the fact that this poem has been written by the poet as an adult.
- The tense shows that he is attempting to recreate a childhood memory and make it as vivid as possible.
Test yourself on Summary, Structure & Form
Which of these professions did Andrew Waterhouse do?
What sort of imagery does the narrator use to describe climbing up his grandfather's knee?
What does the poem Climbing My Grandfather focus on?
Which lines feature enjambment in Climbing My Grandfather?
At what age is the poet writing the poem Climbing My Grandfather?