“KEEPING ORCHIDS”



“KEEPING ORCHIDS”

• What is the poem about?

The poem is about the narrator’s meeting with her mother for the first time. As they meet at a train station we know the narrator is now an adult and she has been distanced from her mother.

Due to Jackie Kay’s adoption as a young child we can presume that the mother is her ‘natural’ mother.

There is a sense of sadness and distance in the poem. Although the narrator is given a beautiful flowering plant – orchids – as a gift this particular plant is used as a metaphor for the problems, concerns and worries the narrator has about her possible relationship with her mother.

• What type of narrator is used?

The narrator is a first person narrator. Kay has created the persona of a daughter telling us about her first meeting and the fears and feeling she has about whether this relationship will develop or remain distant.

• What is the RELATIONSHIP between the characters in the poem?

The relationship is between a daughter and a mother but it is all from the perspective of the daughter. They do not have a close relationship as they have only just met. The narrator tries to picture her mother by listing material possessions rather than anything truly personal or meaningful.

There is a definite sense of secrecy and things being hidden. Many words have connotations of coldness, distance and a lack of a real meaningful relationship. The final lines of the poem have a more aggressive and angry tone suggesting the narrator’s anger and frustration at the lack of a significant relationship.

• How is the poem STRUCTURED?

The poem is arranged into two line stanzas throughout suggesting time is passing at a constant pace. This may suggest that as time passes Kay feels there is less chance of a relationship.

Kay also uses enjambment to support this sense of time continuously passing without a pause or hesitation. This device is also used in Kay’s other poems – check and compare

These two devices work well with the references to time throughout the poem such as “twelve days later” (which is repeated), “digital watch”, “story of her life”, “time is outside waiting”, “flowers live longer”. Combining the structure with words related to time suggests that time may be running out for them to form a meaningful bond.

- The poem starts with references to their “first meeting” with a suggestion that it was quite an awkward meeting – “closed as secrets”.

- It continues with a sense that the orchids symbolise a possible relationship which could bloom and be beautiful (like the flower) but some buds stay closed and the carafe (vase) has fallen over suggesting a problem or difficulty for the relationship.

- As time passes we get the impression Kay/the narrator wants to remember and cherish the relationship but she can’t remember the details and has no meaningful memories to cherish.

- The poem finishes with an increased sense of frustration and possibly anger as the narrator feels shut out or blocked from forming a relationship and perhaps it will end here and will be cut off.

• WORD CHOICE /EXPRESSION

Opening 4 stanzas –

- “closed as secrets” – There is a clear suggestion that they have been unable to form a close bond at their first meeting as so much has not been discussed or revealed.

- “crashed” / “unprovoked” / “broken” – These words suggest a sense of destruction and anger symbolised by the falling vase which symbolise the narrator’s feelings of worry about the relationship.

Stanzas 5 to 8 –

- “Upset” / “troubled”/ “closed”- Similar to example above – Although describing the orchid it reveals the negative emotions associated with this new and awkward relationship.

- “fading” / “remember” / “all I have” – A suggestion that the relationship will soon disappear from memory.

Stanzas 9 to 15 –

- “compressed” / “airtight” / “secret” / “hidden” – There is a sense that there is no room or opportunity for the narrator to really get to know her mother as everything is sealed off or blocked – the truth can’t be accessed because of this.

- “boiling water” / “cutting” / “sharp knife” – These words suggest a more aggressive or angry reaction giving a sense of pain or serious injury which could be caused to the flowers but again – these symbolise the relationship which has faded and ended.

• IMAGERY

Simile - “like a baby in a shawl” – a successful description of the rounded shape of an orchid’s closed bud as the appearance is similar. Significant as we know that Kay was adopted as a baby so there is a definite link here by the choice of simile.

Simile - “shut like an eye in the dark” – again describing the flower bud but suggesting the hidden truth or things which can’t be seen or are in darkness – perhaps shame or embarrassment?

Personification – the orchids are described as “unprovoked” and “upset” – You can’t provoke or anger a flower to upset it so it is clearly representing the narrator’s feelings.

- “time is outside waiting” – almost suggesting that time as a person is becoming impatient and fed-up and eventually it will run out and there won’t be a chance to improve the relationship.

Metaphor – “buds closed as secrets” – The unopen flowers seem to be hiding the truth.

Metaphor – “a bag of tricks”- This description of the plastic bag could suggest that the narrator feels she is being tricked, cheated or led to and is not getting the real story or truth.

SUCCESSFUL ENDING? – The narrator seems to have become more angry and frustrated by the end of the text as if she has become impatient or has lost the opportunity to form a relationship. References to time and death are followed by “cutting… with a sharp knife” perhaps suggesting an end to the relationship…?

THEMES / KEY IDEAS – The poem can seem quite difficult as it is unclear whether her mother may have died by the end of the poem or whether she just does not have any further contact…

We should all be able to relate to elements of perhaps having a distant or awkward relationship with a family member or friend. In theory we should get on well with our close family but this is not always the case.

The more specific focus on adoption is certainly something which can be commented on. The feelings of anger, confusion, worry and the need to discover the truth is something that we can imagine most adopted children would be able to relate to.

COMPARISONS TO OTHER KAY POEMS

Gap Year – It is likely you would CONTRAST “Keeping Orchids” with “Gap Year”. While they both describe relationships between parents and children “Gap Year” is much more positive with feelings of pride, admiration and reminiscence about a positive relationship. They both reflect on memories and mention babies but these are very thin in details in “Keeping Orchids”. In contrast, “Gap Year” has vivid, positive images

Bed – There are some similarities in terms of emotions in the relationships in this poem although as the narrator is the mother it is presented differently. Like the child in “Keeping Orchids” the mother in “Bed” feels some sense of frustration and anger at her situation. Although the daughter helps her mother in “Bed” there is a sense that the mother does get the truth and this could relate to “Keeping Orchids”.

Divorce – Both poems present a child’s upset and frustration at their parent(s). They also both use enjambment to show a sense of an outpouring of emotions and some angry, aggressive vocabulary. “Divorce” is more obvious in the narrator’s anger at her parents but “Keeping Orchids” has many examples of frustration and anger throughout.

My Grandmother’s Houses – A VERY different poem – you would CONTRAST this with “Keeping Orchids”. “MGH” includes many detailed, positive memories showing the narrator’s affectionate feelings for her Gran but “Keeping Orchids” describes fading memories linked to sadness and frustration.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download