- What is happening in 'The Chucky'
- How does the writer use language to interest the reader?
My grandmother
works the chucky. She funnels
A handful of maize* into the hole
just as her mother used to do.
Sometimes she feels the grainy texture
Of her grandmotherčŽs palm.
Once, the mud dried room
Filled with the spirits of all our mothers.
But usually all she can see
Is her ageing hand, all she can feel
Is an aching absence.
My mother
Has a Philips grinder and my sister
Knows how to change the fuse.
And when they make roasted maize
We always have it with spinach
And lots of butter. Sometimes the scents
Bring my grandmother back
Before our eyes, and we recall
The story of how our mother
Ran in with our father to tell
My grandmother of their plans to go to England.
Of how the grinding stopped and the flour
Spilt and the sudden silence
Was interrupted by a gust
Which shut the door on the light.Could you annotate this poem please?
Read the question - what is it asking you - what happens in the poem, how does the poet use language to interest the reader? So your response should focus on the words used and why you think they have been employed.
Firstly %26quot;chucky%26quot; - an unusual, dialect word, which makes the reader want to find out more about this strange device.
The repitition of %26quot;mother%26quot; is also interesting, emphasising a ritual that has been passed down from mother to daughter. This is a connection with the past, and somehow the graininess of the maize reminds her grandmother of this, with her feeling the same sensations as her mother must have done.
I think %26quot;mud-dried%26quot; is also interesting as it highlights the primitive nature of the surroundings and the primal, simple nature of the task. This is a natural process, as is the drying out of mud in sunlight, which has been carried out since time immemorial.
%26quot;Aching absence%26quot; - note the assonance of the repeated %26quot;a%26quot; sound describes the pain of death and a loss of a loved one.
The traditional, family ritual of grinding the maize is contrasted with modern technology %26quot;My mother has a Philips grinder and my sister / Knows how to change the fuse%26quot; - whether this is positive (i.e. knowledge is still being passed on from generation to generation) or negative (the feel of the corn in the hands and the skill involved has been automated and as a result a connection with the past is lost) I think is ambiguous. However, I think the poet is saying that there is a fundamental change by moving to modern technology, which although is labour saving, disconnects us from the past.
This is reinforced by the shock of her mother telling her grandmother of their plans to leave. She runs in with excitement, interrupting the calm scene and disrupting the ancient ritual. The grinding of the corn is a metaphor for the way a younger generation has broken with the past, shown by the spilt flour and the closing of the door with the wind. Note the sibilance of %26quot;sudden silence%26quot; and the simple, monosyllabic words which end the poem. There is no words adequate to express her grandmother's grief, so the poet is content with a simple depiction of the finality of the door shutting. The grandmother is left alone, with an %26quot;aching absence%26quot;.
I thought this was a brilliant poem. It reminds me of Edwin Muir's classic poem %26quot;Horses%26quot; - describing how the survivors of a nuclear war have to abandon modern technology and rediscover the horse.Could you annotate this poem please?
dont understand it at all sorry :(Could you annotate this poem please?
noCould you annotate this poem please?
(Poem start's here)
My grandmother
works the chucky. She funnels
A handful of maize* into the hole
just as her mother used to do.
Sometimes she feels the grainy texture
Of her grandmotherčŽs palm.
Once, the mud dried room
Filled with the spirits of all our mothers.
But usually all she can see
Is her ageing hand, all she can feel
Is an aching absence.
My mother
Has a Philips grinder and my sister
(Welcome to the middle of the poem!)
Knows how to change the fuse.
And when they make roasted maize
We always have it with spinach
And lots of butter. Sometimes the scents
Bring my grandmother back
Before our eyes, and we recall
The story of how our mother
Ran in with our father to tell
My grandmother of their plans to go to England.
Of how the grinding stopped and the flour
Spilt and the sudden silence
Was interrupted by a gust
Which shut the door on the light.
(Poem ends here)
