Song for Last Year's Wife - Analysis

Hey guys. I have to analyse Brian Patten's Song for Last Year's Wife and I have checked the internet for additional help but found hardly any. The poem is in the Edexcel Anthology. I need desperate help in the Language and the Structure in the poem so please do help. :smile:

Thanks.

Reply 1

Pritvy

Hi
I am doing this poem aswell in school. I found a few points which might help you.

1) Direct address is used, Where you directly talk to someone.

2) Hypothetical Questions are also used.

3)The language used by Brian Patten often has two meanings. Sometimes you feels as if there is a loss and sometimes it feels as if anger is displayed.

Pritvy :smile:

Reply 2

Wise_Scholar

Original post by Pritvy

Thank you so much for your help. :biggrin:

Reply 3

LolaRosie

Hey,
Song for Last Years wife is a poem which has been written to explore the feeling of emtyness and loss, and this is done through the use of wintery imagry.
the line "Perhaps it is/ the Winter, its isolation from other seasons" is Pattens way of expressing his sadness and how he feels isolated and trapped, as he refers to himself as the season.
You can talk about the way the poet talks as if she has died ... "the eath's still as hard" makes it seem as though he buried her.
Finally you can talk about the tone beening mornfull and subtude.
I hope this helps soz if its too late.
Lola Rosie :biggrin:

Reply 4

housecaptain