Walking away

Cecil Day-Lewis

main theme of this poem

Parental love and letting go. Reflects 1960s views on emotional growth and changing family roles.

context

The poem is believed to be based on a real moment in his life: watching his son leave for school (probably his first day).

comparison to mother any distance

• Both explore parent-child separation and the emotional tension in growing up.

• Use extended metaphors (satellite/tape measure).

• Walking Away is from the parent’s view, Mother from the *child’s.

• Tone: Reflective vs conflicted but affectionate.

comparison to eden rock

• Both are about parents and memory.

• Eden Rock is peaceful and possibly about death or afterlife; Walking Away is about letting go in life.

• Use of natural imagery (river vs satellite/seed).

• Both show love through acceptance and distance.

structure

5 stanzas of 4 lines each (quatrains), with a loose ABACA rhyme scheme.

rhythm

Mostly iambic pentameter – 10 syllables per line, alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.

use of enjambment

Lines often run over into the next without punctuation, mirroring the flow of thought and the emotional momentum of letting go.

• It creates a natural, flowing tone—like reflective thought—mirroring the father's emotions.

"It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day"

Present tense about the past- a memory that still plays on speakers mind

Specific , knows memory well

"A sunny day with leaves just turning"

Pathetic fallacy- symbolising ambivalence of speakers feelings on the day : a good day but also a turning point for the worse.

"Touch lines new ruled"

Implies speaker is outside sons world now and is looking from through outside

New ruled- lines are fresh like new beginnings for father and son

"Like a satellite wrenched from its orbit"

Simile- child is taken aggressively from safety into an open space

Speaker is scared

"Behind a scatter of boys"

The sons new company- what is going to replace the father

Behind implies he's not yet fit in - ore worries for the father

"Half-fledged thing set free into a wilderness"

Like a baby bird leaving its nest with lack of development - similar to mother sny distance

Juxtaposition of positive and negative feelings from father of being set free but into a wilderness

"Who finds no path"

Uncertain, child is reluctant to leave his father too

""Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem"

Imagery of nature again

Simile

Separation is unavoidable but there are positives to new beginnings here too

"Small, the scorching ordeals"

Juxtaposition that despite their apparent triviality and commonality these partings hurt

Ordeals meaning a prolonged hardship despite being small and momentary

"Gnaws at my mind"

Parting still affects him today and physically grinding down his mind

"What god alone could perfectly show"

Could relate to god and his own son Jesus and the sacrifice he had to make letting him be made incarnate only to be crucified for the sins of mankind

Or relate to god and his relationship with mankind- letting us go-free will self determination and all of the terrible things we have done as a result