Analyzing Eden Rock by Charles Causley

Eden Rock by Charles Causley LO to analyse and discuss the poem

Progress indicators Good progress Outstanding progress Level 4 13 16 marks Level 4 13 16 marks Clear understanding of the poem Clear understanding of the poem Level 5 17 20 marks Thoughtful, perceptive ideas about the poem using accurate subject terminology

The poet Charles Causley (1917 2003) was born in Launceston, Cornwall. An only child, Causley was only 7 when his father died. He may be talking about his own parents in Eden Rock , which was published in 1998.

Firstly.. Close your eyes: Imagine a perfect summer s day and you re on a picnic with your family or your friends Jot down what you can see, hear, smell, feel, taste. Then read the poem try to work out the meaning Can you pick out any poetic techniques using your subject terminology?

Eden Rock They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock: My father, twenty-five, in the same suit Of Genuine Irish Tweed, his terrier Jack Still two years old and trembling at his feet. My mother, twenty-three, in a sprigged dress Drawn at the waist, ribbon in her straw hat, Has spread the stiff white cloth over the grass. Her hair, the colour of wheat, takes on the light. Eden the perfect garden in the Bible where Adam and Eve were said to have lived Tweed a woollen fabric, often with a checked pattern Sprigged patterned with small bunches of flowers Thermos a brand of flask She pours tea from a Thermos, the milk straight From an old H.P. sauce-bottle, a screw Of paper for a cork; slowly sets out The same three plates, the tin cups painted blue. The sky whitens as if lit by three suns. My mother shades her eyes and looks my way Over the drifted stream. My father spins A stone along the water. Leisurely, They beckon to me from the other bank. I hear them call, 'See where the stream-path is! Crossing is not as hard as you might think. I had not thought that it would be like this.

Whats it about? The narrator imagines that his parents are both young again his mother is 23 and his father is 25. They re both on the bank of a stream and his mother is preparing a picnic - its an idyllic scene. The narrator is on the opposite side of the bank to his parents and they encourage him to cross the river to join them. The setting may be based on a real memory or it may be an imagined scene of the time before the narrator was born or when he s near death his parents could be beckoning him to join them in life or in the after life.

form The poem is made up of five stanzas mostly four lines long and nearly every line has ten syllables this regular structure reflects the steady nature of the narrator s relationship with his parents. The final line is separated from the rest of the stanza this could emphasise the narrator s current separation from his parents or it could show that he has now crossed the stream and is looking at what s beyond. The poet mainly uses half-rhymes which create a gentle, natural rhythm.

structure In the first three stanzas the narrator affectionately describes his parents, showing his fondness for them. In the fourth and fifth stanzas his parents turn their attention to him and encourage him to join them.

Language about memory The narrator uses childhood memories to create a vivid scene. The beautiful and peaceful descriptions of his parents reflect how special his childhood is to him.

Language about ordinariness Specific details such as the HP Sauce bottle show the narrator s nostalgia for the details of everyday life when he was a child. The use of ordinary language reflects how life was simple and uncomplicated back then and shows the narrator s fondness for this time.

Feelings and attitudes Deep and lasting bond the parents have been waiting for their son. If the narrator is talking about death, he isn t scared he ll be reunited with his parents, so it s just like going back to childhood. Nostalgia as the poet s father died when he was 7, the narrator s affection for the time when he and his parents were together as a family could reflect the poet s own desire to see his parents again. Peacefulness there is a feeling of peace throughout the poem. This could reflect the narrator s emotions he feels at peace when he thinks about his parents and imagines being reunited with them.

Answer the following questions in full sentences: Why do you think the poet chose to call the place in the poem Eden Rock? How would you describe the mood of the narrator? Why do you think the last line is separate from the rest of the stanza?