Walking away by Lewis

“Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem” (3)

-Natural simile contrasts with the satellite simile in stanza 1

- “loosened” is less painful and forced than “Wrenched”.

-This shows how the father is coming to terms with what happened and understands that it’s natural

“a half-fledged thing set free/ Into the wilderness” (3)

-Metaphor used to show the fathers concern that his son isn’t ready

-We think of young birds as being ‘half-fledged’ when they are not quite ready to leave the parent bird’s nest.

-Applying this image to the child reminds the reader that nature also separates parents from their children when the latter reach maturity.

Poems to compare to (3)

- Climbing My Grandfather: also features a close, significant family relationship

- Mother any distance: to consider how children growing up affects their parents

- Eden Rock: write about memory

“love is proved in the letting go” (2)

-The final line of the poem is conclusive and shows how the speaker reaches a place of acceptance.

-He knows that ‘letting go’ and trusting his child is evidence of his love.

Structure (3)

- In the first two stanzas the narrator talks about the memory.

-In the final two stanzas, he reflects on how the memory still pains him.

-The final two lines of the poem form a sort of conclusion-he understands that whilst it was a painful event, it was a necessary part of his son's development.

Natural imagery (2)

- Natural imagery is used to show the father's growing understanding that his son walking away from him is natural, but also that he remains concerned about him.

- He compares his son to a "half-fledged" bird out in the "wilderness" - he's worried because he sees his son as vulnerable.

Language about pain

-Verbs such as "Wrenched", "scorching" and "Gnaws" show how the process is traumatic for the father as well as difficult for the son.