Climbing My Grandfather (AQA GCSE English Literature)

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Close family relationships

The poem is a first-person perspective to show a child’s experience as they climb up their grandfather’s body: 

• The speaker has a child-like innocence and inexperience: “an easy scramble onto his trousers”

The simplicity of the moment is shown as impactful as the speaker narrates his exploration of his grandfather as if it were an adventure

The present-tense verbs show the child’s perspective and imply the child’s learning process as he observes his grandfather closely: “I discover” and “I watch”

The poem’s sense of immediacy creates a sentimental tone as a child sees the challenge of growing up ahead, and is simultaneously guided and comforted by his grandfather

Andrew Waterhouse’s poem shows the close bonds within family relationships by presenting a personal memory of a child looking up to a supportive grandfather

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Distance in family relationships

The poem is a single, solid stanza , while the irregular line lengths convey the unpredictability of the speaker’s journey 

Waterhouse mirrors the solid, mountainous figure of the grandfather with a single stanza structure; however, the speaker’s journey to reach his grandfather is a challenging one

The poem begins by implying the risk the child feels they are undertaking climbing so high: “I decide to do it free, without a rope or net.”

The speaker acknowledges the distance between a child and his grandfather: 

• He is so far away that by the end he is “gasping for breath” in the “high altitude” of the summit

Waterhouse employs enjambment to create a personal, conversational tone: “At his still firm shoulder, I rest for a while/in the shade”

Waterhouse presents the relationship as close, despite the daunting distance between them, with the speaker being calm and reassured as he makes the journey

Andrew Waterhouse considers the daunting distance between a small child and their grandfather due to size and age, yet also comments on the comfort and support the child receives

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Family Love

Waterhouse shows how a child sees the grandfather as much like a giant:

• He uses language which describes the scale of his climb: “By the overhanging shirt I change/direction, traverse along his belt”

The extended metaphor constructs the child’s view of their grandfather as, at times, a somewhat mythical character to present the awe the speaker feels toward him

The poet describes the grandfather as pure using natural imagery :

• He describes his grandfather and the sky together: “his thick hair (soft and white/at this altitude), reaching for the summit,”

• He lies at the top “watching clouds and birds circle,”

 Waterhouse shows how a child looks up to the grandfather by evoking an image of him as so tall he reaches the sky:

• As the child reaches the “summit”, the epitome of a successful climb, his grandfather’s head is in the clouds

However, the grandfather is described with natural imagery to imply he is humble and simple: 

• He has “earth-stained hands”, scars, stitches and splinters, suggesting a hard life of labour

• The speaker is “refreshed” by the slow movements of “his brown eyes” and finds “shade” in his arms

• He repeats the slow movements of his eyes and the  “pulse of his good heart”

Waterhouse presents the grandfather as gentle and experienced and a source of comfort for the child, described as worthy of respect

Waterhouse presents family love by depicting an intimate portrayal of a child’s respect for his grandfather and the purity of old age

Topic sentence

Both speakers describe the relationship as supportive and stabilising, presenting the close family bond

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Mother, Any Distance'

Waterhouse shows the grandfather’s reassuring presence through the child’s perspective:

• The speaker’s calm tone is conveyed through enjambment: “Refreshed, I cross the screed cheek,//to stare into his brown eyes”

Armitage, similarly, suggests the mother is reassuring through the speaker’s calm tone of voice, using enjambment to create a sentimental tone

The speaker finds comfort in his relationship with imagery:

• Despite the long climb his grandfather provides respite:  “I rest for a while//in the shade”

• His grandfather provides support: “The nails//are splintered and give good purchase” and “place my feet gently in the old stitches and move on.”

 Armitage’s speaker compares his mother in a metaphor to an “Anchor” which roots and stabilises: 

• Moreover, they are “reporting” and “recording”, alluding to her experience and dominance

• Without her he may “fall”

Waterhouse and Armitage both pay tribute to the family relationship by presenting its supportive and calming role in their development

Topic sentence

Both poets illustrate simple moments that are powerfully significant in the children’s lives

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Mother, Any Distance'

Waterhouse’s speaker uses natural imagery  to describe the moment as exciting: 

• He describes his grandfather and the sky together: “his thick hair (soft and white//at this altitude), reaching for the summit”

• He lies at the top “watching clouds and birds circle” and “gasping” for breath

Armitage presents the powerful moment in metaphor: 

• He describes his feelings toward his mother with juxtaposed images to connote to the support she offers and the freedom he is about to enjoy: “the line still feeding out, unreeling//years between us. Anchor. Kite.”

• He describes “an endless sky” to suggest his sense of adventure

Waterhouse uses simple language to describe the grandfather as the child climbs up his body:

• His “old brogues” and “trousers” are the footholds of his climb

Armitage’s poem, too, describes a simple moment, this time between a son and mother measuring floors of his new home: 

• He conveys the significance of ordinary moments between parent and child with child-like language: “I space-walk through the empty bedrooms, climb//the ladder”

Both Waterhouse and Armitage explore the influence of seemingly insignificant moments in their childhoods that have a powerful, emotional impact

Topic sentence

Andrew Waterhouse’s poem explores the dependence of a child on their grandfather, while Simon Armitage’s poem considers the mixed emotions of an adult speaker who wishes for independence

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Mother, Any Distance'

The speaker acknowledges his dependence on the grandfather’s help as he attempts to reach his grandfather’s height as he climbs the vast body:

• Waterhouse conveys this through a semantic field of mountaineering: the child must “traverse along his belt”, “pull myself up the loose skin of his neck”

• The child speaker “gently” uses his stitches to climb up and “move on”

The speaker recognises the risk of independence, yet he sees it bringing freedom: 

• The symbolic imagery of a kite flying in “an endless sky” created by the metaphorical language shows the speaker desiring the freedom independence will bring

• The speaker recognises the strong pull of the maternal relationship and sees it as restrictive: his mother’s fingertips “still pinch” and “something has to give”

The speaker considers his grandfather in awe and wishes to be close to him: 

• The poem ends with the child close to the grandfather’s chest, listening to  the “slow pulse of his good heart”

The poem ends with a decision: “to fall or fly”; however, the isolated line implies the speaker’s choice to be independent from the family bond

Both poets explore strong family bonds; however, Waterhouse depicts a child’s profound respect for his grandfather’s help, while Armitage’s poem presents an adult speaker keen to explore his independence and freedom from his mother’s control

Topic sentence

Both poems explore family relationships through speakers who feel security from supportive older figures

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Follower'

Waterhouse depicts a moment a child climbs up the body of his grandfather: 

• The memory is described with simple language: the child has an “easy scramble” over the grandfather’s “old brogues”

Similarly, Heaney’s poem centres around a significant, yet typical memory of a son and his father working on a farm:

• The semantic field of rural farm-life (“plough”, “furrow”, “sod”) shows his vivid recollections of his simple childhood

The speaker describes his grandfather as reliable and experienced:

• He has “earth-stained hands” and scars and stitches

• The repetition of “slow” emphasises his composure as the pupil “slowly open and close” and he feels the “slow pulse of his good heart”

Similarly, Seamus Heaney’s speaker shows his father as careful and experienced: 

• verbs describe him as an “expert”: “His eye//Narrowed and angled at the ground”

• He presents his father as a role model: “I wanted to grow up and plough,//To close one eye, stiffen my arm.”

The speakers both explore the family relationship by showing the impact of ordinary moments in family relationships where older figures provide their children with support and guidance

Topic sentence

Both poems present speakers who express challenges when confronting feelings about the distance within family relationships

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Follower'

Waterhouse’s speaker finds the journey to reach his grandfather’s “summit” a challenging climb:

• This is depicted through the present-tense verbs throughout the poem: he is “trying to get a grip” and “traverse along his belt”

• He emphasises the risk of letting go by “not looking down”

Heaney’s speaker finds it challenging to  behave like his father:  

• He uses verbs which implies struggling movements: the son “stumbles in his wake” and as a child “Fell sometimes on the polished sod”

• He implies this with hyperbole: “All I ever did was follow”

Waterhouse conveys the sentimental moment by creating a nostalgic tone using enjambment: 

“the skin of his finger is smooth and thick//like warm ice”:

• However, the irregular line lengths and broken rhythm of caesura convey a speaker’s uneasiness with the challenge: “in the shade, not looking down,”

Similarly, Heaney’s speaker presents a nostalgic tone regarding his father with lines of enjambment at the start:

• However, by the end, caesura breaks the voice to represent the changes in the relationship: “always yapping. But today”

Both poems explore the strong pull of family love, as well as the conflicting emotions surrounding looking up to an older figure

Topic sentence

While both poems show a close family bond, Waterhouse’s poem ends with resolution for a comforted speaker, while Seamus Heaney’s poem ends unresolved

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Follower'

At the end of the poem, the speaker is emotionally and physically close to his grandfather: 

• He has reached the “summit” of his grandfather’s body and is reassured by the “slow pulse of his good heart

Heaney’s poem presents the speaker’s father as close by him at the end of the poem, but this is frustrating:

• The present-tense continuous verb in “It is my father who keeps stumbling” shows the continuing dependence in the relationship

Waterhouse offers an alternative angle showing a child’s innocent perspective of their grandfather:

• He commends the maturity of his grandfather with positive imagery: the “wrinkles well-spaced” and his “thick hair” is “soft and white”

The poem’s speaker describes a dependent older male, who is no longer as valuable to the son: 

• The dependence of the father on his son is shown with the preposition in “Behind me” which implies the father is now following his son

• The speaker’s frustration is shown as the father will “not go away”

Both poems discuss family love; however, Waterhouse’s poem presents age as a positive and powerful element of family relationships, while Heaney’s poem sees the changing nature of his father negatively

Topic sentence

Both poems present perspectives of children remembering a moment from the past

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Before You Were Mine'

Waterhouse’s speaker uses personal and informal language to evoke an intimate anecdote: “the old brogues, dusty and cracked;//an easy scramble onto his trousers”

Similarly, Duffy’s speaker addresses her mother in a personal and informal tone, remembering her mother as a younger woman with her “pals”:

• She addresses her informally: “and whose small bites on your neck, sweetheart?”

Waterhouse’s poem considers the supportive role of a grandfather with imagery describing the grandfather’s aged body: “place my feet//gently in the old stitches and move on.”

Similarly, Duffy’s speaker reflects on her mother as a mentor and presents her poem as a eulogy : “You'd teach me the steps on the way home”

The poems both comment on the powerful influence of family relationships by depicting an emotive and personal anecdote

Topic sentence

Both poets present speakers who comment on dependence within family relationships

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Before You Were Mine'

The speaker refers to the dangers of letting go of his grandfather’s support: “not looking down, for climbing has its dangers”

Duffy’s speaker, too, explores dependence within family relationships: 

• The poet relates this idea with repeated possessive pronouns and repetition of the line: “Before you were mine.”

The poet explores the child’s naive role in the family relationship as the child climbs up without thought for the grandfather: “the nails are splintered and give good purchase”

Duffy too considers the selfish innocence of the child’s dependence in family relationships:

• She describes “The decade ahead of my loud, possessive yell”

The poets comment on the idea of dependence within relationships, acknowledging that the role the child plays can be oppressive

Topic sentence

Andrew Waterhouse’s poem considers the grandfather’s role in a child’s life, while Carol Ann Duffy’s poem presents a speaker aware of her mother as an individual, not just in her role as parent

Evidence and analysis

'Climbing My Grandfather'

'Follower'

Waterhouse describes the moment a child climbs up a grandfather, showing the first-person perspective of the child by using an extended metaphor of mountaineering

However, Duffy’s speaker reflects on her mother’s imagined past before she had a child, using vivid imagery and direct address: “where you sparkle and waltz and laugh before you were mine.”

The speaker in Waterhouse’s poem describes his grandfather as he remembers him: his hair is “soft and white” and his “wrinkles well-spaced”

• His actions are slow: his pupils “slowly open and close” and his pulse is slow

Duffy, however, describes her mother as a younger woman, free of parental responsibilities: “The thought of me doesn’t occur” 

• She describes her mother’s actions with verbs which imply she is liberated and vibrant: she would “dance”, “laugh” and “shriek”

Both speakers reflect on their parents; however, Waterhouse's poem reflects on a child’s feelings towards his grandfather, whereas Duffy’s poem describes her mother in an imagined event from her past