GCSE (9-1): Literature: Poetry: AQA Love and Relationships: Walking Away: Language

literal meaning of the title 'Walking Away'

The title suggests the separation of a relationship

how the title 'Walking Away' plays with reader expectations

It plays with our expectations because we might expect the poem to be about a couple. However, it is about a parent-child relationship

symbolic meaning of the title 'Walking Away'

The title represents the father and the son; the father is emotionally walking away; the son is physically walking away

general characteristics of the poem's language

The language is characterised by imagery of nature, separation and violence; it is about the harsh 'give-and-take' reality of nature; violence refers to the violence of letting go

effects of the language of separation in 'Walking Away'

...like a satellite / Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away'; a simile which suggests the separation between two objects that are tightly bound together

effects of the language of violence in 'Walking Away'

eg, 'wrenched... scorching... gnaws' suggests that the father is not prepared for this moment of separation, but there is nothing he can do to change the course of nature

language of new beginnings

The language is symbolic of new beginnings and the circle of life; the son is beginning a new chapter into adulthood; the father is beginning a new chapter of life without his son and into old age; however, as painful as it is for the father, he understands the importance of letting his son go

simile definition

"a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things with the help of the words "like" or "as", eg, '...like a satellite

effect of the simile, "...like a satellite / Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away"

A simile which suggests the separation between two objects that work together

ambiguity definition

ambiguity exists where more than one interpretation is possible

effect of ambiguity in "...like a satellite / Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away"

We don't know if the father or the son is the satellite and vice versa. However, it appears as though it is the father who is the satellite and the son the orbit; this interpretation is borne out of the poem's exploration of the sacrificial nature of parental love; the child gives the parent purpose and so the parent's life orbits around that of the child's; the opposite interpretation is also feasible

symbolic meaning of the number 18 in 'It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day -'

symbolises the transition into adulthood and therefore independence, when children leave their parents to make their own way through the world

Verse

a line of poetry

foot

a measuring unit in poetry, which is made up of stressed and unstressed syllables; a specific combination of feet creates meter in poetry

Syllable

the pronunciation of a vowel sound within a word

Meter

a stressed and unstressed syllabic pattern in a verse

iamb

a metrical pattern of 1 unstressed syllable followed by 1 stressed syllable (2 feet - da-DUM), eg, 'My FAT / her WORked / with a / HORSE-plough'

pentameter

repetition of a metrical pattern 5 times; in the case of iambic pentameter it makes 10 syllables all together, per line - da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM

iambic pentameter

a classic metrical structure of 1 unstressed syllable followed by 1 stressed syllable (2 feet - da-DUM); this pattern is repeated 5 times making 10 syllables all together per line - da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM

meter in 'Walking Away'

There is a mix of feet throughout this poem though overall it can be scanned as iambic pentameter, that is, iambic beats are the more obvious compared to others

typical function of iambic pentameter

often used to reflect natural speech; typically also used with serious, important topics, to give an elevated tone and give a sense of harmonious, controlled rhythm and is common in ballads and narratives; because the meter here is not firmly established, it reflects the lack of control over his son 'walking away'