Eden Rock (AQA GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Each poetry anthology at GCSE contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem - printed in full - and asked to compare this printed poem to another. As this is a closed-book exam, you will not have access to the second poem, so you will have to know it from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to revise. However, understanding four things will enable you to produce a top-grade response:
The meaning of the poem
The ideas and messages of the poet
How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods
How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology
Below is a guide to Charles Causley’s Eden Rock, from the Love and Relationships anthology. It includes:
Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam
Overview
In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
The poem in a nutshell
A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Charles Causley’s intention and message
Eden Rock in a nutshell
Eden Rock, written by the poet Charles Causley, describes a vivid memory from the speaker’s childhood. The speaker emotionally describes his parents during a picnic. The poem’s ending suggests a remaining distance between the speaker and their parents.
Eden Rock overview
Lines 1
“They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock:”
Translation
The poem’s speaker tells the readers his parents are waiting for him, although the reader is not yet aware he is referring to them
He mentions the name of the place where they wait
Causley’s intention
Causley begins his poem with an ambiguous reference to the distance between him and his parents
He creates a detached tone which emphasises the distance implied in “somewhere beyond”
He refers to them impersonally as “they”
Lines 2-4
“My father, twenty-five, in the same suit
Of Genuine Irish Tweed, his terrier Jack
Still two years old and trembling at his feet.”
Translation
The speaker describes his father when he was younger
Causley’s intention
Causley presents a vivid description of the speaker’s father to show the power of the memory
The reference to the little dog “trembling at his feet” shows him as protective and perhaps respected
Lines 5-7
“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.”
Translation
The speaker now describes his mother, also in the past:
Causley’s Intention
His descriptions of her are vivid and show her as wholesome
Line 8
“Her hair, the colour of wheat, takes on the light.”
Translation
Here, the speaker ends the stanza with a description of his mother as bright and shining in the sun
Causley’s intention
Causley’s speaker seems mesmerised by his vivid memory of his mother
The memory of his mother is powerful: she seems virtuous, almost angelic
Lines 9-12
“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.”
Translation
The detailed observational narration continues as the speaker describes his mother’s actions on the picnic
Causley’s intention
Causley represents the picnic as familiar, implying it was a normal and habitual part of their lives
He mentions the “same three plates” and the prepared milk in the sauce bottle
The speaker’s vivid memory is personal and intimate
Lines 13-14
“The sky whitens as if lit by three suns.
My mother shades her eyes and looks my way”
Translation
The speaker describes the brightness of the sun
He remembers his mother looking at him
Causley’s intention
Causley uses imagery to present his vision as surreal
The supernatural quality of the white sky and “three suns” could present the hallucinatory nature of the memory
This could also represent the family (his parents and him as a child)
Causley shows the speaker’s powerful memories in close, detailed observation
Lines 15-16
“Over the drifted stream. My father spins
A stone along the water. Leisurely,”
Translation
The speaker describes his father’s actions now
Causley’s intention
Causley presents the speaker’s memories as peaceful
His father is presented as a calm and capable figure
Lines 17-19
“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.’”
Translation
The speaker seems to hear his parents speaking from the past
They appear to be offering guidance and reassurance for him to join them
Causley’s intention
Here, Causley implies the speaker seems stuck between the past and the present as he needs to ‘cross the stream’ to get to them
He refers to them impersonally to imply distance
Lines 20
“I had not thought that it would be like this.”
Translation
The speaker’s statement at the end of the poem expresses strong emotion
He feels the separation in a way he had not expected
Causley’s intention
Causley’s ending clearly asserts his surprise at the reality of losing his parents
However, there is also an ambiguous meaning to these lines as the reader is not told exactly what he feels
Writer’s Methods
Although this section is organised into three separate sections - form, structure and language - it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have.
Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Charles Causley’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:
Form
Charles Causley’s poem presents a speaker caught between the present and the past in a vivid memory of his childhood. However, the poet represents the distance his speaker feels from his parents by using a detached narration.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Distance in family relationships | The first-person speaker remembers, in detail, a day from his past, using present-tense verbs which immerse him in the memory | Causely presents a powerful and vivid memory from the speaker’s childhood to show its significance in his life |
The poet’s speaker refers to his parents in third-person: “They are waiting”, “they beckon” and “they call” | This creates a detached tone, which represents the distance the speaker feels from his parents and his past: he hears them but he cannot reach them or communicate with them | |
Charles Causley combines a personal memory with a narration to show the frustration the speaker feels due to the separation from his parents with whom he shared a close bond | ||
Structure
The poem presents the speaker’s nostalgic memories of a simple family day out with his parents. However, the poem comments on acceptance when missing and longing for loved ones by presenting the speaker’s changing emotions as he returns from a daydream back to reality.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Longing and acceptance | The poem mostly follows a regular structure of quatrains as the speaker remembers his parents
| His tone is sentimental as he remembers and he implies his parents brought him comfort |
The regular structure is broken at the end
| The speaker’s tone changes when the parents call out to him
| |
Charles Causley depicts a speaker taking comfort from his memory of his parents and his childhood, however, ultimately, he finds it hard to accept the separation and is left longing for his parents | ||
Language
Charles Causley uses natural imagery to depict the speaker’s memory of his parents as wholesome and pure. Simplistic language works alongside surreal imagery to show the hallucinatory nature of the speaker remembering an ordinary family picnic.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Nostalgia | The poet highlights the ordinariness of the event in the memory with simple imagery described in close detail “Slowly sets out the same three plates, the tin cups painted blue.” | The detailed descriptions suggest the powerful impact of such a simple event to show the speaker’s nostalgia regarding his parents |
The speaker’s mother is described with natural and sensory imagery: “Has spread the stiff white cloth over the grass./Her hair, the colour of wheat, takes on the light.” | Here, the speaker uses sibilance and alliteration within the imagery to highlight the description of the mother as virtuous and pure | |
However, as the poem draws to a close, Causley shifts the mood and evokes a strange, less natural image as the “sky whitens as if lit by three suns.” | Causley alludes to the hallucinatory nature of the speaker’s memory as he begins to hear his parents call and sees a bright and surreal light | |
Charles Causley presents the difference between the speaker’s comforting memory of his childhood, which he is drawn into, and the reality of his present: his adulthood without them | ||
Context
Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information: in this case, it is not random biographical information about Charles Causley or Cornwall which is unrelated to the ideas in Eden Rock. The best way to understand context is as the ideas and perspectives explored by Charles Causely in Eden Rock which relate to family love and relationships. This section has therefore been divided into two relevant themes that Causely explores:
Family relationships
Charles Causely’s poem describes the strong and intimate bond between a child and parent as natural and pure
The natural descriptions of a simple, ordinary picnic presents family as a natural bond
Causely grew up in Cornwall and many of his poems are set in natural landscapes which present his childhood as idyllic
He refers to his mother with natural imagery: “Her hair, the colour of wheat, takes on the light.”
The name of the poem alludes to the Garden of Paradise
Causely explains that the place is fictional, yet the title could suggest the family relationship is innocent and pure
Distance and longing
Eden Rock presents distance between parents and a child by alluding to the afterlife
The memory is of his parents in their twenties, stuck in that moment
Causely lost his father when he was young
The poem’s hallucinatory quality as the “sky whitens as if lit by three suns” creates an ethereal mood
The parents call him from beyond, guiding him to be with them on the “other bank”, alluding to the afterlife
The poem can be seen as an elegy to his parents
The stream he describes could allude to the metaphorical use of rivers to symbolise transitions from life to death
He describes them as virtuous and steadfast
What to compare it to
The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about love or relationships, in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that Eden Rock explores the ideas of family relationships and separation, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:
For each pair of poems, you will find:
The comparison in a nutshell
Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences
Eden Rock and Follower
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both Charles Causely’s Eden Rock and Seamus Heaney’s Follower present male speakers with positive memories of their parents which show their influence and significance in their son’s lives. While Causely’s poem deals with unresolved separation from absent parents, Heaney’s poem discusses the shifting roles within family relationships and a need for independence.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems describe their parents with admiration and love | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Follower |
Charles Causely’s first-person speaker describes a vivid memory of a picnic with his parents
| Similarly, Heaney’s speaker describes his positive reflections of a day with his father when he was young, using enjambment and regular quatrains to create a sentimental tone | |
The speaker describes his parents as he remembers them as a child
| Heaney’s speaker also describes his father with imagery presenting him as in control and respected
| |
The speaker’s perspective of his parents as reassuring and guiding is shown in their communication to him despite their distance: “'See where the stream-path is!/Crossing is not as hard as you might think.'” | Heaney’s speaker describes his father offering him advice and stability
| |
Causely and Heaney both pay tribute to their parents’ role in their development and present their parents as stabilising and guiding factors in their lives | ||
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poets illustrate simple childhood memories which are powerfully vivid | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Follower |
Causely uses sensory language to present the immersion and vivid recollection of the speaker
| Heaney’s speaker, similarly, presents the memory in evocative sensory description
| |
The ordinariness of the picnic is represented with natural imagery: “She pours tea from a Thermos” , sets out the “same three plates” and uses a sauce bottle for the milk, which suggests this is a familiar family outing | Heaney, too, remembers a simple and typical day with his father
| |
The speaker’s imagination is powerful as he hears his parents calling to him and his memory brings surreal images to his mind
| The speaker, here, alludes to the power of the memory of his father as describes the actions of his father
| |
Causely and Heaney present the influence of seemingly insignificant moments in their childhoods which have a lasting impact on the speakers | ||
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poets illustrate simple childhood memories which are powerfully vivid | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Follower |
Causely uses sensory language to present the immersion and vivid recollection of the speaker
| Heaney’s speaker, similarly, presents the memory in evocative sensory description
| |
The ordinariness of the picnic is represented with natural imagery: “She pours tea from a Thermos” , sets out the “same three plates” and uses a sauce bottle for the milk, which suggests this is a familiar family outing | Heaney, too, remembers a simple and typical day with his father
| |
The speaker’s imagination is powerful as he hears his parents calling to him and his memory brings surreal images to his mind
| The speaker, here, alludes to the power of the memory of his father as describes the actions of his father
| |
Causely and Heaney present the influence of seemingly insignificant moments in their childhoods which have a lasting impact on the speakers | ||
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poets illustrate simple childhood memories which are powerfully vivid | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Follower |
Causely uses sensory language to present the immersion and vivid recollection of the speaker
| Heaney’s speaker, similarly, presents the memory in evocative sensory description
| |
The ordinariness of the picnic is represented with natural imagery: “She pours tea from a Thermos” , sets out the “same three plates” and uses a sauce bottle for the milk, which suggests this is a familiar family outing | Heaney, too, remembers a simple and typical day with his father
| |
The speaker’s imagination is powerful as he hears his parents calling to him and his memory brings surreal images to his mind
| The speaker, here, alludes to the power of the memory of his father as describes the actions of his father
| |
Causely and Heaney present the influence of seemingly insignificant moments in their childhoods which have a lasting impact on the speakers | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | While Charles Causely’s poem ends with a speaker unable to accept the distance between he and his parents, Seamus Heaney’s poem ends with a speaker who wishes for independence | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Follower |
The speaker’s unresolved longing for his parents presents a speaker who is caught in the past
| In Follower, the speaker returns from his reflections of his father with a sense of frustration that his father “will not go away”
| |
The speaker remembers a specific memory of his parents as young adults, which suggests he sees them like that still, as they once were | The speaker remembers his father as a younger man, yet is able to see him differently now he is older as he is still with him | |
Both poets present positive childhood memories, however while Causely depicts a more idealised version of the speaker’s parents, Heaney shows a speaker who is more aware of the changing nature of his father | ||
Eden Rock and Mother Any Distance
Comparison in a nutshell:
This is an effective comparative choice to explore separation in family relationships. Both Charles Causely’s Eden Rock and Simon Armitage’s Mother Any Distance deal with complex dynamics of intimacy and independence between a parent and child which are depicted through vivid anecdotes.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems present speakers who express their admiration for, and feel reassurance from, their supportive parents | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Mother Any Distance |
Causely’s poem focuses on the emotional significance of an ordinary picnic
| Similarly, Armitage’s poem explores the emotional impact of a normal event - a parent helping their child move and measuring the rooms
| |
Charles Causely’s speaker describes in close detail the actions his parents take which present them as calm and stable
| Armitage, too, describes his mother’s calm and guiding actions: “requires a second pair of hands./You come to help me” | |
The speakers both explore feelings of separation from parents by reflecting on impactful, yet ordinary events during which their parents provided them with support and comfort | ||
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems present speakers who express painful and confusing feelings about the distance between parent and child | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Mother Any Distance |
Causely’s speaker is confused by the vision of his parents calling him from the afterlife and wishes he could be with them
| Armitage’s speaker, too, seems confused about whether to be with his parents or become independent
| |
Causely’s speaker presents a nostalgic tone regarding his parents through the flowing rhythm of enjambment, however at points the speaker’s voice is broken with caesurae to represent the painful emotions and thoughts | Similarly, Armitage’s speaker mixes reflective enjambment with poignant pauses created by caesurae to reflect his mixed emotions | |
Both poems explore the strong pull of parental love through speakers who find it difficult to let go | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | While Charles Causely’s poem shows family relationships which have been separated by death, Simon Armitage’s poem depicts separation as a result of growing up | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Mother Any Distance |
Causely’s poem presents the speaker’s parents in the past as young adults; his view of them is idealised as it is stuck in a distant memory: “My father, twenty-five, in the same suit/Of Genuine Irish Tweed” | Armitage, however, has a speaker who describes the relationship as possessive in present-tense verbs : “your fingertips still pinch” | |
The poem shows the distance between the speaker and his parents as persistently difficult
| However, Armitage shows a parent and child together realising the necessity of leaving
| |
Both poems discuss family love, however Causely’s speaker finds it hard to let go of his childhood bond with his parents, whereas Armitage’s speaker reflects on their changing relationship as they become an adult themselves | ||
Eden Rock and Before You Were Mine
Comparison in a nutshell:
Both Charles Causely’s poem Eden Rock and Carol Ann Duffy’s poem Before You Were Mine present reflections about parents in their younger years through speakers who mourn their absence. However, Causely’s poem considers this with a detached memory, while Duffy’s poem explores family love in an intimate conversation with a parent.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems are tributes to parents by speakers who reflect on their parents in younger years | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Before You Were Mine |
In Charles Causely’s poem, the speaker describes his parents in vivid detail with sensory imagery
| Similarly, the first-person speaker in Before You Were Mine describes her mother in rich imagery: “Your polka-dot dress blows round your legs” and “you shriek at the pavement” | |
The speakers evoke positive, bright imagery to show their parents as vibrant younger adults | ||
Causely’s speaker shows his parents as guiding him in his life
| 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, positive influence of parents in family relationships, while the speakers equally recognise them as younger individuals | ||
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poets present speakers who communicate with their parents despite separation and distance | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Before You Were Mine |
Causely’s poem explores intense feelings of separation through surreal imagery and flashbacks
| Duffy’s speaker, too, imagines a scene from her mother’s past with imagery
| |
The speaker presents the close link in family relationships with the possessive pronoun “my” | Duffy’s speaker also relates this idea with repetition of the line: “Before you were mine.” | |
The speaker communicates with his parents in the afterlife: “They beckon to me from the other bank./I hear them call,” | Similarly, Duffy’s speaker communicates in a direct address to her absent mother: “your ghost clatters toward me” | |
The poets both explore family love which transcends death and distance due to the intimate bond between parent and child | ||
Differences:
Topic sentence | Charles Causely’s poem depicts a speaker’s frustration with the distance from his parents, while Carol Ann Duffy’s more personal poem presents a speaker considering freedom and independence | |
Evidence and analysis | Eden Rock | Before You Were Mine |
Causely’s speaker is confused by the distance between him and his parents
| However, Duffy’s speaker understands the complex relationship of parent and child
| |
Causely’s speaker uses a detached third-person narrative to represent his feelings of separation: “They are waiting for me” | Duffy, however, presents an intimate monologue which directly addresses the mother: “You reckon it’s worth it.” | |
Both speakers communicate with their parents, however Causely’s poem presents unresolved feelings created by distance, whereas Duffy’s poem presents a speaker who feels close to their mother despite the distance | ||
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