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Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Power & Conflict, topic 17.1.10

Key Quotations From Poppies (1)

Here are the key quotations to remember for your exams:

“All my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt”

“All my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt”

  • This indicates that the mother’s grief and fear has left her speechless.
  • It is an example of the use of metaphor and rule of three
“On reaching the top of the hill I traced / the inscriptions on the war memorial, / leaned against it like a wishbone”

“On reaching the top of the hill I traced / the inscriptions on the war memorial, / leaned against it like a wishbone”

  • Climbing to the top of the hill could be a metaphor for her struggle to deal with the grief of sending her son to war.
  • It is an example of the use of metaphor
"I listened, hoping to hear / your playground voice catching on the wind."

"I listened, hoping to hear / your playground voice catching on the wind."

  • The caesura (breaks in the line) in the last stanza could indicate her faltering voice as she is on the verge of tears.
“to the front door, threw / it open”

“to the front door, threw / it open”

  • You could argue that this is symbolic of the mother accepting her son’s choice.
“Released a song bird from its cage”

“Released a song bird from its cage”

  • This could reflect her acknowledging and trying to come to terms with her son’s desire for freedom and independence.
  • Freeing a song bird symbol
“Later a single dove flew from the pear tree”

“Later a single dove flew from the pear tree”

  • This could reflect her acknowledging and trying to come to terms with her son’s desire for freedom and independence.

Key Quotations From Poppies (2)

Here are more quotations you should know for your exams

“the world overflowing / like a treasure chest”

“the world overflowing / like a treasure chest”

  • This simile indicates that the mother recognises her son’s excitement and is understanding about the opportunities that await him.
  • Treasure chest simile
“I traced / the inscriptions on the war memorial"

“I traced / the inscriptions on the war memorial"

  • Also - “run my fingers through the gelled / blackthorns of your hair”.
  • Tactile (relating to touch) images emphasise the mother's desire for closeness.
“Sellotape bandaged around my hand,”

“Sellotape bandaged around my hand,”

  • Sellotape bandaged around my hand, / I rounded up as many white cat hairs / as I could, smoothed down your shirt's / upturned collar”.
  • Images of innocence in Poppies emphasise the intense love of the mother for her son.
“I wanted to graze my nose”

“I wanted to graze my nose”

  • “I wanted to graze my nose / across the tip of your nose, play at / being Eskimos like we did when you were little”.
  • Images of innocence remind the reader of the innocence that is corrupted by war.
"I resisted the impulse"

"I resisted the impulse"

  • "I resisted the impulse / to run my fingers through the gelled / blackthorns of your hair."
  • The tender image of the mother touching her son is juxtaposed to descriptions of uniform or sharp objects, which remind the reader of the son’s unsafe and uncertain future.
“spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade”

“spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade”

  • “spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade / of yellow bias binding around your blazer.”
  • The colour imagery of “red” and military image of a “blockade” potentially foreshadows the danger that awaits the son.

Key Comparisons: Poppies

Here are some suggestions for texts you could compare in your exam. Of course, the list of possibilities is endless!

Powerful and/or negative feelings

Powerful and/or negative feelings

  • You may want to compare the theme of powerful and/or negative feelings in Poppies to the following texts:
  • Remains.
  • War Photographer.
  • The Emigree.
  • Checking Out Me History.
  • London.
  • My Last Duchess.
Effects and reality of conflict

Effects and reality of conflict

  • You may want to compare the theme of the effects and reality of conflict in Poppies to the following texts:
  • Remains.
  • Charge of the Light Brigade.
  • Exposure.
  • Bayonet Charge.
  • War Photographer.
Conflicted emotions

Conflicted emotions

  • You may want to compare the theme of conflicted emotions in Poppies to the following texts:
  • Bayonet Charge.
  • Exposure.
Powerful memories

Powerful memories

  • You may want to compare the theme of powerful memories in Poppies to the following texts:
  • Remains.
  • War Photographer.
  • The Emigree.

Test yourself on Poppies - Jane Weir (Born 1963)

  • What techniques are being used in this quote showing the mother's grief?
    “All my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt”

  • “On reaching the top of the hill I traced / the inscriptions on the war memorial, / leaned against it like a wishbone”.
    What might the mother climbing to the top of the hill symbolise in this quote?

  • Which of these quotes are symbolic of the mother letting her son go in Poppies?

  • Which of these is not an image emphasising innocence?

  • Which two words are being juxtaposed in this quote to contrast the mother's affection with the son's future?
    "I resisted the impulse / to run my fingers through the gelled / blackthorns of your hair"

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