clearly stated or expressed, without ambiguity

implied or understood though not directly expressed

a brief descriptive scene that focuses on a particular moment

representing abstract ideas, themes, or concepts through concrete objects, actions, or images

Analysing the poem 'Mother, any distance' by Simon Armitage

English

In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry', pupils compared the language, form and structure of a variety of poems connected by the themes of love and relationships. In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry continued', pupils work on making more nuanced comparisons between poems.

In 'Single Poet Study: Maya Angelou', pupils explore how Angelou uses her poetry to present strong relationships to people and place. In 'AQA Love and Relationships Poetry', pupils analyse how a variety of different relationships have been presented across time.

Poetry anthology: first study

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

a description so clear you can picture it in your mind

a descriptive paragraph that uses all five senses

repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighbouring words

attributing human qualities to non-human entities

words that imitate the sounds they represent

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

representing abstract ideas, themes, or concepts through concrete objects

the speaker views their mother as an obstacle to achieving independence

the speaker worries that their mother views them as a burden

the speaker views their mother as stubborn and immovable

the speaker wishes they could be more principled in their beliefs

The image of the anchor on line 8 of 'Mother, any distance' could symbolise how...

In 'Mother, any distance', the speaker uses which image to suggest they feel tethered to their mother?

He uses smaller units of measurement to show how little things change over time.

He uses a tape measure to show old old-fashioned the mother is.

He uses a ruler to show how rigid and ordered the mother is.

He uses metric and imperial measurements to emphasises how time has moved on.

How does Armitage use measurements in 'Mother, any distance' to symbolise the generational distance between the mother and the son?'

the last line leaves the reader with the binary options of success or failure

the tape measure snaps which implies the speaker will fail on his own

the mother becomes increasingly more desperate not to let her son go

the description of sky suggests there are many possibilities for his future

the house is presented as a negative, foreboding place

How does Armitage imply the speaker's future is uncertain at the end of 'Mother, any distance'?

a mother who mourns the loss of her son after he moves out

a son who misses his mother after she dies

a son who wishes he could move back in with his mother

a mother who is helping her son to move into his new home

a father who is describing the relationship between his wife and their son

Which of these key themes can we identify in 'Mother, any distance'?

'Mother, any distance' loosely follows the conventions of which type of poem?

'Mother, any distance' is taken from a collection entitled 'Books of {{}}'.

short-lived, fleeting, lasting for a brief time

successful, effective in achieving its purpose

slow, gradually played out over a number of years

Starting with the first, put these quotations from 'Mother, any distance' in the order they appear.

Content guidance

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Adult supervision recommended

Starter Quiz