GillianClarke mentions 9/11 in the Q&A about this poem on her website, and there is something dreadful about the idea of mobiles still ringing after their owners are dead.
There is a useful analysis of the poem here.
When answering a question about this poem, I wouldn't spend too much time on 9/11, but if you make a reference to Clarke's own comment on her site, and share your own thoughts on the way mobile phones are used, you will be working towards an A/A* grade because you are showing that you are making connections, and setting the poem in a social context.
If I were going to compare this to one of the pre 1914 poems, I might compare it to On My First Sonne as it deals with mortality, and with love of family. Any other ideas? Which Seamus Heaney poem could you use as contrast to this?
1 comment:
(sorry it's late)
i agree that "wolves howl into silent telephones" does create a very moving scene in someones mind of loved family members or friends desperately trying to get in touch with their missing person hoping that they are alright. I think that Clarke uses that imagery to prompt the reader into thinking how they might react in that situation, especially as there is a stanza of what happens when you call a mobile phone and no one answers. That helps put you into that role as it is from your point of view.
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