IGCSE English Lit Poem - Piano

What is 'piano' about

This poem is about a man remembering his childhood after hearing a woman singing to him. This music makes him think about a child (himself) playing with his mother's feet underneath a piano and then he goes on further to grieve about his childhood and his happy memories

what themes are found within 'piano'

remembrance, loss, childhood, music, comfort, youth

what is the structure and form within 'piano'

-three regular four lined stanzas (3 quatrains)

-simple rhyme scheme of AABB

-this rigid and simple structure could emulate the simplicity of childhood

-this structure mimics a song, and this relates to the theme of music and how this triggers memories

-he uses a trochaic structure which is often found within nursery rhymes, this alludes to him remembering childhood

what is the effect on the reader

the poem has a sombre tone so should make the reader feel sad and nostalgic while also being immersed in the speakers vivid imagery and descriptions of his childhood

analyse - 'Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me: Taking me back down the vista of years'

-foregrounding adverb sets warm and nostalgic feel to the poem

-the embedded clause 'in the dusk' adds information to create a beautiful image

-the simplistic sentence creates a child like tone

-'vista of years' is a metaphor for memories which suggests many memories come to mind

analyse - 'a child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings and pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings

-describing the child under the piano shows how small they were

-oxymoron and onomatopoeia found within 'boom' and 'tingling' shows how vivid the memory is for the sounds are loud

-sibilance of 'smiles as she sings' creates a rhythmic feel, emulating her voice

analyse - 'In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong'

-'in spite of myself' foregrounds the idea that the memories hurt to remember and he cannot give into his emotions

-the alliteration of 'betrays me back' is harsh sounding, with the emotive word betray showing the pain of these memories

-the heart is personified to have the human capacity of crying showing extent of upset

-to belong suggests the speaker is in a state of isolation, but felt loved when he was a child

-the commas in each line create a pause, almost as if the speaker needs to recover before remembering

analyse - 'To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside and hymns in the cozy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide'

-this vivid imagery paints an image of comfort and safety

-the relevance of music within his descriptions show its importance, with the piano being a central image within his childhood

-the cold atmosphere outside juxtaposes the warm, nostalgic image felt inside the home

-auditory imagery enhances the image 'tinkling'

analyse - 'So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamor with the great black piano appassionato'

-'So now' suggests that the song no longer brings happiness for it is 'in vain'

-describing the piano as great shows its magnitude within his memories. It is so important.

analyse - 'the glamour of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast down in the flood of remembrance, i weep like a child for the past'

-his happiness of childhood now does not compare to his life now

-the metaphor 'flood' shows the sheer power of this memory and how it can have devastating effects

-the simile of weeping like a child shows the speaker retreating back to his childhood, in a weak state

-the word weep is emotive and strong, showing the extent of his grief