Key Quotes & Comparisons
English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Love & Relationships, topic 15.1.3
Key Quotes in Climbing My Grandfather
Here are some examples of key quotes from Andrew Waterhouse's poem Climbing My Grandfather:
‘To his thick hair...'
- ‘To his thick hair (soft and white / at this altitude), reaching for the summit’.
- The narrator shows us that the memory comes from the perspective of a child (his grandfather's head is a 'summit').
- He uses the extended metaphor of rock climbing.
‘I decide to do it free...’
- ‘I decide to do it free, without a rope or net.’
- This shows the technical language of rock climbing that appears throughout the poem.
- The comical image of the child climbing his grandfather contrasts with the technicality of the rock climbing language.
Key Comparisons: Climbing My Grandfather
Here are some suggestions for poems you could compare Climbing My Grandfather to. Remember, there are endless options!
Mother, Any Distance
- Compare:
- Familial relationships.
- Adults reflecting on childhood experiences.
Follower
- Compare:
- Looking back to the past.
- Considering a past family relationship.
Test yourself on Key Quotes & Comparisons
What does the 'summit' refer to in the line ‘to his thick hair (soft and white / at this altitude), reaching for the summit’?
What kind of relationships are primarily explored in Climbing My Grandfather and Mother, Any Distance?