Summary
Summary the light gatherer poem analysis
- Module
- Feminine Gospels
- Institution
- AQA
the light gatherer poem analysis and annotations
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The light gatherer A newborn child has its hands
folded. The idea of “cupped” also
suggests an offering, perhaps with
religious overtones, to the parent,
like communion wine.
A candle symbolises new life and
warmth and happiness, which the When you were small, your cupped palms
baby brought into the speaker’s each held a candlesworth under your skin,
life. It may also represent purity enough to begin, This establishes the theme of new-
and innocence. That the ness, hope and potential — the
candlelight was “under” the “candlesworth” of light being only a
baby’s skin suggests that the light start.
was generated within her. The
measure of light, “candlesworth”,
sounds small and frail, but the The poem opens by focusing on the childhood of Duffy’s daughter, the ‘small’ girl
implication is that it will grow as having tiny ‘palms’ that only ‘held a candlesworth’. The fact that the light is ‘under
the child grows. your skin’ suggests that the daughter is producing this light herself, Duffy using this
as a metaphor for bringing happiness to the world. The caesura within the first line
in the form of a comma places emphasis on ‘small’, Duffy focusing on her daughter’s
growth, both in size and amount of light gathered, throughout the poem. The rhyme
of ‘skin’ and ‘begin’ could demonstrate that the daughter’s light starts from within,
the ‘candles worth’ is only the beginning of this journey.
The use of personal pronoun within the first line if the first stanza, present within
‘you’ and ‘your’ instantly suggest that Duffy will be addressing her daughter directly,
writing this poem in order to let her daughter know how much she means to her.
The idea of light growing within
the child suggests inner purity.
and as you grew The “clear raindrops”
light gathered in you, two clear raindrops acknowledge that a baby will
in your eyes, cry, but these tears are positive
and reflect what exists within.
Duffy uses internal rhyme within this stanza, linking ‘grew’ and ‘you’ through this technique. In doing this, the
poet establishes a connection between these ideas, Duffy showing how as her daughter grows, she begins to
gather more ‘light’.
Pearls also symbolise purity and
innocence. Additionally, pearls
suggest that the child is valuable The adjective “shy” is
warm pearls, shy,
to the speaker. unexpected. It can
in the lobes of your ears, even always
the light of a smile after your tears. mean recessed or,
Pearls are mentioned in the bible, literally, apprehensive,
notably the parable in Matthew and timid, as if the
13-46 child is too young to
“wear” them with
Who, when he had found one confidence.
pearl of great price, went and
sold all that he had, and bought Even when the child
it. appears to have been
crying, the speaker
sees the ‘light’ and joy
she brings. A baby’s
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Duffy uses multi-sensory descriptions of the light to further the intricacy of the image, ‘warm pearls’ of light
being comforting images. Light finds its way through the daughter’s emotions, ‘light of a smile’ linking the
happy image of ‘smile’ with the suggested warmth of ‘light’. The daughter is presented as happy, this
happiness in turn inspiring joy in Duffy.
In John 13-12 Jesus washes the feet of the
disciples. This continues the religious theme;
the baby has spiritual significance beyond its
Another form of light is the “stage earthly existence.
set”, suggesting that the baby,
even when not present in the Your kissed feet glowed in my one hand,
room, leaves a glow like a or I'd enter a room to see the corner you played in
spotlight. lit like a stage set,
Duffy’s daughter exudes light from every part of her body, even her ‘feet glowed’. The quantity of the
semantics of light within the poem further the idea of happiness. Even the space in which she played, ‘lit like a
stage set’, the child bringing light wherever she goes – a representation of bringing joy and happiness.
The baptismal reference is apt, as the
next stanza uses the simile of a river to
describe the child’s first words.
The comparison is complex — there is a
metaphor in that the language
“glittered” and a simile “like a river” and It is interesting that the spotlight picks
another metaphor “clever with fish”. If out the “crown of your bowed head”—
we pull the three ideas together, the spot where baptismal water is
— the fish may represent words as they the crown of your bowed head spotlit poured.
are learned by the child. The process of When language came, it glittered like a river,
learning to speak is often regarded as
silver, clever with fish,
miraculous by parents.
— fish are often silver and words are
precious. Note the expression ‘silver-
tongued’.
— the flow of a river suggests the speed In the fifth stanza of the poem, Duffy presents her daughter reaching a new
with which language comes to small milestone of life: speech. ‘When language came, it glittered like a river’ depicting
children, buiding up vocabulary at light encompassing even the words she uses. The luxurious and beautiful image of
extraordinary pace. ‘silver, clever with fish’ depicting the harmonious sound of the daughter’s words.
—The “glittering” is another form of
light, that of water, but also the sparkle
of a newly developing little intellect.
—It is often said that babies are clever
and learn rapidly, and this is what is
conveyed here. Each word is, in effect,
like a little flsh.
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