Praise Song For My Mother

by Grace Nicholls

Learning Objective:

Am I able to explain how language, structure and form contribute to the writer Grace

Nicholls’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings?

Grace Nicholls is Guyanese (located in S. America but identified as West Indian) and only moved to the UK when she was in her mid-20s.

Her poetry reflects her Caribbean traditions through sensory language.

Her heritage is an important part of her poetry.

Guyana was a former British colony until

1966.

The entire poem resembles a staircaseFirst 3 stanzas have 3 lines each – balanced - reflecting on her stable relationship with mum

4th stanza begins in the same way but is extended, focusing on the final line.

The last line shows the daughter detaching from her mother and launching into adulthood – moving toward ‘wide futures’.

Answer in your book: What do you think the ‘staircase shape’ of the poem is a metaphor

for?

Structure

Written in the past tense shows us she is reflecting, looking back on

the influence of her mother (deceased… or have they grown apart)

First 3 stanzas end with a line that shows her mother’s qualities

Uses metaphors and natural imagery Influence of her Caribbean upbringing (sunrise,

warmth) `moon, water and sun` are constant, natural

rhythms of the earth = stability of her mother.

Uses active verbs She remembers her mother as always doing

things

Language & Imagery

Stability Uncertainty about her relationship with her mum Nourishment (physical & spiritual) Celebratory (it is a praise song, after all!) Natural rhythms of the earth – basic elements like

water, sun, moon.

Line by line analysis next!

Themes

You wereIs her mother deceased or has her mother`s influence decreased?

water to meElemental; necessary in literature: represents fluidity; rebirth; survival; a journey

deep and bold and fathoming Not necessarily a compliment… did her mother have a strong personality?

Many meanings: brave or even over-bearing? Intellectual depth (clever)A serious personality Long-lasting & strongly felt (lasting impact)Depth (being in the `deep end`)

A fathom is a unit of measure for water – 6ft deep. Mum was tall?Or….To fathom (verb) is to make sense of something mysterious after much thought.

Was her mother hard to read?

Enigmatic?

You were repetition; pattern – reflects stability

Moon goddess Yemoja from West African Yaruba religion; represents the reign over all as a mother Nicholls is referring to her mother as the matriarch.

moon’s eye to me always there at nightWatching from above

pull and grained and mantlingGravitational pull Grew from her mother like a seedling… Earth’s mantle shelters of the moon or is she ‘going against the grain’ the inner core of world.Moon/ocean pull – of her mother? Referring to mum’s natural rhythms again! protection or being over-bearing?

You weresunrise to meAlways there at the start of every day

rise and warm and streamingMum was there to … temperate personality flowing, gushing- Wake her up did she grow to like mum? (of tears?)- to motivate her to move Constant outpouringupwards/better herself of orders possibly.- To get a rise out of someone

Answer in your book: Nicholls has deliberately chosen ambiguous language to describe her relationship with her mother. So far, do you think this poem is more praising or more criticising? Why?

You were simple repetition of this at each stanza mimics a song (link to title)

the fishes red gill to me fish out of

water; cultural displacementRed fish is essential part of Caribbean diet

Also: the gills are essential to breathing – in water (link back to natural imagery)

The very breath of Nicholls’ life is linked to her mother

the flame tree’s spread to me

Caribbean/West African tree; its shape provides a ‘spread’ of cover.

Nicholls felt both protected and sheltered/stifled by her mum’s love…

Or does she mean ‘family tree’ HAS spread to me? Has she taken on her mum’s traits?

Should be a possessive apostrophe; does she feel she does not belong to her mother?

the crab’s leg/the fried plantain smellTraditional C. food – Nicholls can smell her mother’s cooking; perhaps now she has already left to UK – smell is sense most strongly tied to memory.

D I S T A N C E between last line

Nicholls moves from Guyana to UK, leaves her mother behind.

This kind of pause is called a caesura (say-zhura)

Nicholls is thinking of the best way to sum of her complicated relationship with

her mum.

replenishing replenishing

Mother’s love is endless – links back to the sun rising every morning to replenish the earth… too much?

Go to your wide futures, you said does her mum think her dreams are too

big? Unachievable?

Is this the last thing her mum said to her before Nicholls left for the UK?

- Bitter, dismissive, passive-aggressive.

Answer in your book: Thinking about the title ‘Praise Song for My Mother”, explain how this poem could be considered an anti-praise or backhanded praise song?

Think about ambiguity…

Homework for “Harmonium”

Write 3 P-E-E paragraphs showing how Armitage uses metaphor,

personification and symbols/imagery in his poem to describe his relationship

between him and his father?On Learning Gateway

For next Friday – you have a whole week!