Summary
Walking Away by Cecil Lewis Poem summary, IEB 2024
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- 12th Grade
Poem summary of Walking away
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Suggests a parting, saying goodbyeWalking Away by Cecil Day Lewis
The poets eldest
For Sean son The memory of the first sign of
independence is very clear The exact time
1. It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day —
He remembers the weather conditions, sunny shows the start of a new season (autumn) or
day. symbolic for changes in their lives.
2. A sunny day with leaves just turning,
Shows the beginning of the new football/ sport season.
3. The touch-lines new-ruled — since I watched you play
Simile: The poet
compares the new
4. Your first game of football, then, like a satellite unusual behaviour to a
To twist or pull something with great force,
he feels an pain and unwilling separation Shows hesitancy satellite that has always
travelled in a fixed
5. Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away pattern forcefully.
Title notes:
The poem indicates that this parting had been very difficult.
The title is ambiguous as the son is literally walking away from his father to start a new phase
in his life, but at the same time the father is walking away, releasing his son into the world to
become independent.
Stanza 1 notes:
The speaker is a parent thinking back eight years
It was the beginning of a new school year during early autumn, in the northern hemisphere the
school year starts in September when it is autumn (fall) there.
In Literature, autumn often reflects change, maturity, sadness or preparing for an end.
The poet uses a simile (“like a satellite Wrenched from its orbit”) as literal device to describe
the son’s departure to school.
The image suggests the power of separation and it is almost as if the boy is ripped away from
his father with force.
His son was once within his father’s “orbit”, but now he is “drifting away”
The two dashes implicates an after thought , comment, additional information or describing the
day many years ago.
Metaphor: the boys are
scattered like seeds
The father describes the
parting.
6. Behind a scatter of boys. I can see
7. You walking away from me towards the school
means not having wings mature enough to fly. Here the
A feeling of great pity or young boy is compared to a young bird which cannot fly
sadness.
8. With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free
properly yet
The son is stil uncertain and immature aboutalife
person's manner of
walking.
9. Into a wilderness, the gait of His
oneson resembles someone walking along a path
he thinks is there but he is struggling to see it.
10. Who finds no path where the path should be.
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