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Essay on 'compare the ways in which poets explore the shift from childhood to adulthood in an easy passage and material'
Edexcel English Literature A-level
DANIELLA SPOTO
Compare the ways in which poets explore the shift from childhood to adulthood in Material
and An Easy Passage.
Both poets explore the transition into adulthood by initially presenting childhood experiences
through an abundance of freedom and love. The stark contrast between the two is illustrative of
not only the shift from childhood to adulthood but simultaneously the shift from living in a close,
tight-knit community to a modern day, impersonal capitalist society. Both poets seek to criticise
the constraints of a consumerist world through the portrayal of a bleak adult life and moreover the
temporary nature of society’s evolution as is evident through the symbolism of the handkerchief in
Material.
In both poems childhood is an image of abundance of love and freedom in order to create a
strong nostalgic tone. Moreover both poems are introduced with strong images of childhood in
order to draw empathy from the reader when compared with the relatable struggles of adult life. In
the poem Material, Barber employs the traditional symbol of a handkerchief to represent the
speakers childhood and life prior to the death of her mother. Subsequently the handkerchief is an
image of reliability and long-lasting care; ‘Tucked in the wrists of every cardi’. The determiner
‘every’ emphasises the abundance of the mother’s care for her children furthermore the
constriction of ‘cardi’ is colloquial and naturally more personal introducing the idea of
personalisation and individuality. The concept of personalisation is reinforced by ‘embroidered V
for Viv’ the act of embroidery is an attentive act, it is an act which takes time and concentration.
Moreover it is personal, each act of embroidery will produce di erent results. Equally the results it
produces are long lasting, reinforcing the nature of society prior to the rise of consumerism and
temporary products which provide temporary satisfaction such as the ‘tissues’ mentioned.
Consequently an image of an abundance of freedom and the individuality granted in childhood is
presented. Finally the verb ‘tucked’ has connotations of security and nurture. The image of
childhood created in Material emulates the idea of belongingness and connectedness. Likewise
Copus presents childhood through the boundless opportunities and freedom granted to children.
An Easy passage opens with an adverb of time ‘Once’; it could be inferred that by starting the
poem with an adverb of time; the approaching transition into adulthood is foreshadowed. In
addition to this it introduces a limit on childhood experiences, Copus means to say that the
boundless freedom and utopia we allow children is limited to childhood, this utopia expires with
the shift into adulthood. The concept of a utopia in which children live in can be drawn from the
connotations of ‘Once’: a fairytale. The enjambment employed throughout the poem imparts a
sense of uidity and movement further emphasising childhood freedom however it could
alternatively represent the inevitability of ageing and the responsibilities that come with it. The
primary image in both poems is that of an idealistic childhood, injecting a nostalgic tone and
preparing the reader for the shift into adulthood.
In both poems the shift to adulthood is made abrupt and clear by the employment of voltas. By
introducing the shift in this way it could be inferred that the poets seek to paint a true picture of
adult life; how the speakers possibly felt unprepared or startled by the sudden shift and thereby
critiquing the pressuring nature of modern society. The volta in An Easy Passage ‘-What can she
know of the way the world admits us less and less the more we grow?’ is cleverly placed in the
middle of the poem, jolting the reader out of a long description.In contrast to its abrupt nature the
rhyme ‘know/.. grow’ creates a more appealing sound, the phonology admittedly creates a
balance reminding the reader that this is a natural shift in the face of societal pressures.
Nevertheless the deliberate placement of the volta pushes the reader to question to what extent
has this transition not been in uenced by a variety of social pressures such as the media. The
volta indicates that the speaker fears not being accepted into society- it is therefore clear she
questions her identity and these pressures likely accelerated the shift from childhood into
adulthood. In the same way, it is important to note the structural placement of the volta in
Material ‘Nostalgia only makes me old’. Material is a tightly structured poem, this is reminiscent of
the speakers memories and enforces the sense of purpose in the poem in turn giving the reader a
forward momentum. The volta is the rst line of the only six-line stanza in the poem, every other
stanza is composed of eight lines as a result it is visually apparent on the page. The shift in mood
creates a resentful tone as reinforced by the harsh end stopped line. The broken structure of the
fl fl fi ff
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