Autobiography

Question 0

Language?

Answer 0

• Title= whole life revolved round mothers death
• initial colours bright, once mother dies becomes bleak and colourless
• anaphora 6+7th stanzas= enhances loneliness

Question 1

Form?

Answer 1

Writer reflecting on childhood

•more sympathetic

Question 2

Imagery?

Answer 2

• “collar…”= childish incompetence of fathers role as vicar, fear of supernatural religion
• “lamp…dark”= mother dying ruined the light in his life

Question 3

Rhyme scheme?

Answer 3

• rhyming couplets= nursery rhyme, intimacy with mother+her death
• 8th stanza= rhyme scheme broken, oxymoronic between “sun” and “alone”

Question 4

Tone?

Answer 4

• 4th stanza= tone changes to nightmarish without mother

* “alone” last word of stanza= isolated tone

Question 5

Structure?

Sounds?

Answer 5

• repetition between each stanza= haunting void of mothers loss, ends poem but doesn’t start
• guttural sounds once mother dies= harsh and grating

Question 6

Meaning?

Answer 6

Child was never close with father, mother died aged 5.

Question 7

Links?

Answer 7

•PIANO= strong attachment to mother