Essay
A* Essay on Material (Ros Barber) & Effects (Alan Jenkins)
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Compare the methods both poets use to explore the impact of the past.
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Compare the methods both poets use to explore the impact of thepast.
Both Jenkins and Barber explore how the impact of the past by using the persona’s to
recount the life of their mothers from their point of view. ‘Efects’’ not only refers to
possessions’ as shown by the last line’ but also refers to the infuences that parents have on
their children and the feeeng efects his mother’s life had. Similarly’ ‘Material’ could mean
the durability of the handkerchief but also means the material a mother gives her daughter
to shape her life with.
Jenkins and Barber demonstrate the feeeng impact of a life through the personas mothers.
In both poems’ the personas convey the life of their mothers through their own eyes. Both
poems end with their mothers on their deathbeds. The last line in ‘Efects’ ‘‘ nurse bring the
litle bag of her efects to me’ shows the remnants of what is lef of her. The ‘litle’ implying
that the whole life of his mother has been reduced to just that. `the rhyming couplet of
‘Could not know that’ or turn her face to see’ and ‘‘ nurse bring the litle bag of her efects
to me’ gives closure and fnality to the poem. On the other hand’ in ‘Material’ it is not the
daughter’s voice but the mother’s’ ‘This is your’ material to do with’ daughter’ what you
will’. The pareng voice of her mother encourages her to build a life on what the mother has
given her. Therefore’ in comparison’ the ‘litle bag of efects’ are all that is lef by the
mother in ‘Efects’ whereas in ‘Material’ the mother leaves for her daughter the opportunity
and ‘material’ for her to be able to do whatever she wants to.
Both poets display the difering emoeons evoked when remembering the past. The persona
in ‘Material’ seems to be fonder and more afeceonate about the past than the persona in
‘Efects’. The persona in ‘Efects’ does at emes feel guilty about his treatment of his mother’
‘Not all the weeks I didn’t come’ connotes that he is somewhat shameful for leaving her.
However’ the persona in “Material’ appears more regretul in not appreciaeng the solid role
her mother played in her life compared to herself with her own children. ‘I raised neglected-
looking kids’’ shows the inadequacy she feels compared to her mother. This is represented
by the longevity of handkerchief’s that her mother ‘tucked in the wrist of every cardi’
compared to how she believes ‘the awkwardness in me forbids me to keep essues in my
bag’. ‘lthough’ the persona does not have handkerchief’s she appears to be ashamed to use
essues’ having been brought up with their resilience by her mother. It appears that the
persona in ‘Material’ has a fonder memory because Barber makes the poem very personal’
‘V for Viv’ or “Geroge with his dodgy foot’. The use of colloquial language ‘dodgy’ and
‘nafest’ also make the poem less formal and add a tone of afeceon. On the other hand’
Jenkins adopts a more serious and methodical tone in ‘Efects’.
Both poets explore the impact of the past with the personas coming to terms with the afect
their mother’s had on their lives. Barber uses handkerchief’s in ‘Material’ to represent the
constant role of the persona’s mother in her life’ ‘she’d have one’ always’ up her sleeve. In
relaeon’ the frst line of ‘Efects’ is’ I held her hand’ that was always. The use of ‘always’ in
both poems relays that both the personas have had this constant person in their life’ as
their mothers have always been there for them and they realise that and appreciate them
when they have gone. Over the course of the poem’ Barber shows us how the role of a
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