In this essay, I will analyse and compare the effect of memory in Poppies and in My Last Duchess. Poppies was written by Jane Weir as a response to Carol Ann Duffy’s call for war poetry to be written about British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was chosen to be a part of the collec...
Compare how poets present the effects of memory on people in Poppies
and in one other poem from Power and Conflict.
In this essay, I will analyse and compare the effect of memory in
Poppies and in My Last Duchess. Poppies was written by Jane Weir as a
response to Carol Ann Duffy’s call for war poetry to be written about
British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was chosen to be
a part of the collection of 21st century war poems commissioned in
2009. It portrays the theme of memory as well as the themes of loss,
fear and freedom. It was well received by the public. My Last Duchess
was written by Robert Browning to show malevolence and control of the
Duke of Ferrara. It was published in 1842. It portrays the theme of
memory as well as pride, jealousy and power. It was not received well
by the public.
I will analyse how I believe Poppies from Power and Conflict portrays
the effects of memory on people as individuals. Remembering is a
psychological process that is special to humans, due to our
interactions with one another. This is shown in the quotation “I
wanted to graze my nose across the tip of your nose, play at being
Eskimos like we did when you were little.” This presentation of the
mother and son’s connection helps to present her loss as personal. The
reference to when “you were little” suggests that she feels affection
for him. This makes the mother’s sadness more powerful as she
remembers him.
Poppies also portrays memories as something that causes nervousness
and anxiety. Anxiety and nervousness causes physical feelings such as
sweaty palms and your stomach having a strange sensation, like it is
“busy making tucks, darts, pleats”. This quote tells us about the
mother’s nervousness after her son left which is shown by the listing.
“Tucks, darts, pleats”: this is all sewing imagery which portrays the
domestic role of the mother. The adjective “busy” connotes she is
preoccupied with her anxiety rather than new daily life without her
son. It could also suggest that she is tirelessly creating clothing as
a way of coping. This shows she is struggling and emphasises that her
grief is worse because her son is the one who has gone to war and has
potentially passed away. This portrays her as truly trapped in her web
of her emotions due to the memory of her son.
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