Interpretation of "Mother, Any Distance" by Simon Armitage

Mother, Any Distance by Simon Armitage LO to analyse the poem and explore possible interpretations

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, developed consideration of the poem using accurate subject terminology

What might akite be a metaphor for?

and an anchor?

So what? If a kite and an anchor could symbolise a relationship what type of relationship might that be? Challenge: in pairs, discuss your ideas

The poet Simon Armitage was born in 1963 in West Yorkshire and studied Geography at university. This poem was published in 1993. As well as poetry, he writes for TV film and radio and has also written stage plays.

Mother, any distance greater than a single span requires a second pair of hands. You come to help me measure windows, pelmets, doors, the acres of the walls, the prairies of the floors. You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape, recording length, reporting metres, centimetres back to base, then leaving up the stairs, the line still feeding out, unreeling years between us. Anchor. Kite. I space-walk through the empty bedrooms, climb the ladder to the loft, to breaking point, where something has to give; two floors below your fingertips still pinch the last one-hundredth of an inch...I reach towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky to fall or fly. In pairs, discuss what you think the poem is about Ultra challenge: what other metaphors can you spot? What do you think they represent?

So whats it about? The narrator s mother comes to the house he s moving into to help measure things such as walls and doors. She holds the end of the tape measure while he walks away to measure things. This makes him think about how she s always looked after him but now she has to let him go. The narrator is looking forward to being independent, but he s also a bit scared by it. He doesn t know if he ll succeed without his mum or not, but there are hints that she ll always be there for him if he needs it.

form This poem is loosely written in the form of a sonnet sonnets are traditionally used for love poetry, so this choice of form shows that the speaker still loves his mother. Unlike a sonnet, the poem has an irregular rhyme scheme this reflects the narrator s feelings of uncertainty. The uneven lines of the last stanza reflect how the bond between mother and son is reaching breaking point.

Structure The speaker talks about how he needs his mother in the first stanza. In the second stanza he begins to explore independence and in the last stanza he understands that something/Has to give if he is going to be independent. The poem ends with the reader unsure whether he will fall or fly .

Language about measurement Measurements and distances are an extended metaphor in this poem. They represent the poet s changing relationship with his mother.

Language about movement Movement is used to show how the poet is breaking away from his mother. Walking around his new house is like exploring a new world and he feels ready to try to fly.

imagery The visual image of the tape as a link between the mother and son suggests an umbilical cord (a cord that connects a baby in the womb to its mother). The image of the narrator as a Kite and his mother as an Anchor suggests that she keeps him secure. At the end of the poem, this link seems to be about to break, which shows that the narrator is breaking away from his mother.

Feelings and attitudes Excitement the narrator is excited about being independent in his new life Fear he s also worried by the thought of being on his own Connection the tape represents the strong bond between mother and son Appreciation he appreciates her help and the security she offers him

Challenge: What do the words Anchor. Kite tell you about the narrator s relationship with his mother? Do you think the narrator s mother lets go of the tape? Why do you think this? What is the effect of the final rhyme? Ultra challenge: How does the form of the poem reflect the narrator s feelings for his mother?