Mother, Any Distance

Who wrote Mother, Any Distance?

Simon Armitage

Context of Mother, Any Distance (3)

• This poem was from the ‘Book of Matches’, as Armitage intended for each poem to be read in the time it takes for a match to burn.

• A burning match represents a ticking clock of growing up and independence, while the danger of lighting a match represents the dangers of the real world.

• Armitage uses poems to take on voices of characters / personas.

Complete and analyse the quote: Mother, any…

Mother, any distance greater than a single span requires a second pair of hands.

Mother is direct address, and is formal, showing the child’s respect for her. The child is saying he will always need his mother’s help, meaning they will always have a close relationship, regardless of the distance.

Complete and analyse the quote: the acres…

the acres of the walls, the prairies of the floors

Imagery and hyperbole used here. The rooms appear big to him, indicating the child’s new responsibilities.

Complete and analyse the quote: You at…

You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape,

Extended metaphor of tape measure, distance. Mother isn’t moving on, it’s the child moving on in life. He will always be supported by his mother.

Complete and analyse the quote: recording length…

recording length, reporting metres, centimetres back to base,

base is a metaphor for his family home, where the child came from. the child is growing apart, but he acknowledges his origins and family’s monumental part of his life.

Complete and analyse the quote: unreeling…

unreeling years between us.

a metaphor of time is used here. this shows the amount of time mother and child have spent together, their relationship is too complex and strong to break.

Complete and analyse the quote: Anchor…

Anchor. Kite.

juxtaposition is used here. Anchor represents the mother, keeping the child close, keeping their relationship strong. Kite represents the son, moving on through life, optimistic, may want to leave

Complete and analyse the quote: I space…

I space-walk through the empty bedrooms

a metaphor of space. comparing empty rooms to complete emptiness like space. the emptiness may be due to the absence of his mother.

Complete and analyse the quote: your fingertips..

your fingertips still pinch the last one-hundredth of an inch…

there is tension, as the mother is trying her very best to keep the connection strong, but she is losing her grip, because the child is moving on.

Complete and analyse the quote: I reach…

I reach towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky to fall or fly.

This line represents the tough decision the child must make - either remain close with his mother and not move on in life, or discard their relationship and focus on moving on in life.

Structure of Mother, Any Distance (5)

• 15 lines - a form of a sonnet. Irregular line length, showing weakening relationship

• 3 stanzas - 2 quatrains, and a septet

• irregular rhyme pattern - also shows weakening relationship. however, there are more obvious rhymes / assonance in the last stanza, because the tone changes from more pessimistic to more optimistic (volta - change in tone)

• Enjambment is used throughout the poem - makes the poem smooth, lines are connected and flowing like a tape measure.

• Caesura evident in some places - full stops act as harsh, emotional barriers. In ‘Anchor. Kite.’ full stops stress the contrast.