Ms Kirkwood | Anna.Kirkwood@portobello.edin.sch.uk
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Contents
1) ‘Box Room’ – the poem
2) Summary
3) Key Quotes & Analysis
4) Practice Essay Questions
5) Evaluation Guide
6) Worked Essay plan
7) Suggested Revision Tasks
8) Useful Evaluative Phrases
9) Personal Notes
Box Room
First the welcoming. Smiles all round. A space
For handshakes. Then she put me in my place –
(Oh, with concern for my comfort). ‘This room
Was always his – when he comes home
It’s here for him. Unless of course,’ she said,
‘He brings a Friend.’ She smiled ‘I hope the bed
Is soft enough? He’ll make do tonight
In the lounge on the put-u-up. All right
For a night or two. Once or twice before
He’s slept there. It’ll all be fine I’m sure –
Next door if you want to wash your face.’
Leaving me ‘peace to unpack’ she goes. My weekend case
(Lightweight, glossy, made of some synthetic
Miracle) and I are left alone in her pathetic
Shrine to your lost boyhood. She must
Think she can brush off time with dust
From model aeroplanes. I laugh it off in self defence.
Who have come for a weekend to state my permanence.
Peace to unpack – but I found none
In this spare room which once contained you. (Dun-
Coloured walls, one small window which used to frame
Your old horizons). What can I blame
For my unrest, insomnia? Persistent fear
Elbows me, embedded deeply here
In an outgrown bed (Narrow, but no narrower
Than the single bed we sometimes share).
On every side you grin gilt edged from long-discarded selves
(But where do I fit into the picture?) Your bookshelves
Are crowded with previous prizes, a selection
Of plots grown thin. Your egg collection
Shatters me – that now you have no interest
In. (You just took one from each, you never wrecked a nest,
You said). Invited guest among abandoned objects, my position
Is precarious, closeted so – it’s dark, your past a premonition
I can’t close my eyes to, I shiver despite
The electric blanket and the deceptive mildness of the night.
Liz Lochhead
Summary
Box Room by the Scottish poet Liz Lochhead explores issues of love, family, relationships, the past, atmosphere, womanhood and place. It tells the story of a girl visiting her boyfriend’s childhood home. She is to stay in his old room (the box room of the title) for the weekend.
The girlfriend recounts her meeting with her boyfriend’s mother upon arrival at the house. We get the impression the mother does not approve of the girlfriend. Although both women are polite and friendly, there is tension between them. The mother’s actions and words convey a frosty dislike. The speaker of the poem seems aware of this however and adopts a strong, defiant attitude – she is willing to fight for her man. The power-struggle between the two women continues as the girlfriend is shown her room. Descriptions of the box room itself seem to illustrate the relationship between the mother and son: she is protective of him and wishes to cling to the memory of his childhood. The speaker pities the mother whom she views as pathetic.
The second stanza describes the girlfriend’s stay that night. She describes the room, the objects in it and her inability to sleep. Each of the objects in the room relates to the boyfriend’s past. The girlfriend begins to wonder if she really knows her boyfriend at all. She begins to doubt if their relationship will last. The room itself adds to the mood of doubt and uncertainty– it is dull, claustrophobic and unwelcoming. At the end of the poem, the speaker is lying awake, unable to sleep, wondering what the future will be for her relationship, and thinking about how unpleasant the whole experience of staying in the box room has been.
Through its description of the room and the speaker’s reactions to it, the poem explores how doubt and uncertainty can affect a relationship.
The title
Up until the 1930s houses in Britain (especially country houses and larger suburban houses) were built to contain a ‘box room’. Its original function was to store boxes, trunks, portmanteaux and other cumbersome items.
Over the later part of the 20th Century, as the size of luggage has decreased and the provision of built-in storage in houses has increased, these rooms have often been converted to serve a different purpose. As the box room was to all intents and purposes a glorified cupboard, it was usually far smaller in size than any other room in the house. They tend to be used nowadays as single bedrooms, children’s bedrooms/ playrooms, or as ‘studies’ and home offices.
The box room in the poem is the boyfriend’s old childhood bedroom. Its small size is important in helping to create the oppressive, claustrophobic atmosphere that the speaker experiences.
Key Quotes & Analysis
Below is a list of poetic techniques used in Box Room by Liz Lochhead.
To write about the poem successfully, you should……
□ understand what these technical words mean and be able to explain them, giving examples from the poem
□ be able to explain the effect of the technique in the poem (i.e. what it adds to the reader’s understanding of the poem’s theme)
|Technique |Example / Explanation |Effect |
| |Minor sentences (sentences without a verb) are used in the first line|These minor sentences sound awkward and forced. This reflects |
| |to describe the meeting between the girlfriend and the mother: |the awkwardness as the two women greet each other. |
| | |They almost sound like stage directions which suggests the two |
|Minor Sentences |“First the welcoming. Smiles all round. A space for handshakes.” |women are simply acting out the roles they know they should |
| | |play, but actually dislike one another. |
| | | |
| |“Friend” |The capital F suggests that the mother has chosen this word |
| | |carefully – she sees the speaker as only a friend, not a |
|Word Choice | |girlfriend. She makes this attitude clear through what she says.|
| | | |
| |“pathetic shrine” |A shrine is a holy place of worship, usually for a saint or god.|
| | |The word suggests the mother clings to her son as if she |
| | |worships him. The speaker’s disgust at this is conveyed by the |
| | |word “pathetic” which is a slamming condemnation of the mother. |
| |“self-defence” |By describing her laugh as self-defence, the speaker shows that |
| | |she is aware of the conflict between herself and the mother; she|
| | |is ready to battle the mother to keep hold of her boyfriend. |
| |“you grin gilt-edged from long discarded selves” |“gilt-edged” means the pictures are in frames of gold. This |
| | |hints at how the mother has turned the room into a “shrine” for |
| | |the son, idolising him. However, he has changed over time as |
| | |these photos are of “selves” that he has left behind. |
| |“closeted so – its dark” |Conveys a sense of claustrophobia and darkness. The room is |
| | |literally small, but it also suggests the speaker feels trapped |
| | |in her relationship. |
| |Deliberately cutting off a line in the middle of a phrase to |“Space” is emphasised at the end of the first line, suggesting |
| |emphasise a word at the beginning or end of a line. |that although the women are shaking hands, there is a ‘distance’|
|Enjambment | |between them. This space is physically represented on the page |
| |“A space / for handshakes” |by the gap between the end of this line and the start of the |
| | |next. |
| |“my position / is precarious” |Placing “position” at the end of the line imitates on the page |
| | |how precarious the girl feels about her situation (in the |
| | |relationship.) She feels like she is ‘on the edge’. |
| |A pair of brackets. |This is almost like an aside – a comment being made to the |
| | |reader by the speaker. Here, we sense irony – the girlfriend |
|Parenthesis |(Oh, with concern for my comfort) |suggests the mother doesn’t care at all about her comfort. |
| | | |
| |(But where do I fit into the picture?) |These brackets contain a rhetorical question the speaker is |
| | |asking of herself. She has been prompted by the pictures on the |
| | |wall, but is actually questioning her place in her boyfriend’s |
| | |life. |
| |“…This room |The speaker quotes the mothers words directly. By doing this, |
| |was always his – when he comes home |she makes the reader consider the mother’s words carefully. We |
|Direct Speech |It’s here for him. Unless of course’ she said, |detect the mother’s sarcasm and subtle digs and hints. (“make |
| |‘He brings a Friend.’ She smiled ‘ I hope the bed |do” “a night or two” “once or twice before” etc..) |
| |Is soft enough? He’ll make do tonight | |
| |In the lounge on a put-u-up. All right |Quoting the mother directly perhaps also suggests the speaker is|
| |For a night or two. Once or twice before |mocking the mother. Her dislike is very clear. |
| |He’s slept there. It’ll all be find I’m sure – ” | |
| |“her pathetic shrine to your lost boyhood” |The speaker calls the boxroom a shrine. She is suggesting that |
| | |the mother has deliberately kept memories of the boy’s childhood|
|Imagery (Metaphor) | |alive, by devoting herself to keeping the room exactly the same |
| | |as it was. |
| | |Here the speaker suggests that dust represents time and that by |
| | |dusting the room and keeping it clean, the mother is trying to |
| |“She must think she can brush off time with dust.” |stop the passage of time – trying to cling to her son’s |
| | |childhood. |
| |“Your bookshelves are crowded with previous prizes, a selection of |Physical books are compared with the boyfriend’s past |
| |plots grown thin.” |relationships – relationships which have ended. “Crowded” |
| | |suggests he has had a lot of previous girlfriends. “Grown thin” |
| | |suggests they ended because he became bored with them, like |
| | |someone becoming bored by reading the same story over and over |
| | |again. |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| |Pairs of lines which rhyme together (aabbcc..) |The use of rhyming couplets throughout reflects the theme of the|
| | |poem: a couple in love. |
|Rhyme scheme = rhyming couplets|The whole poem is written in rhyming couplets, except the lines | |
| | |Ironically, the lines which describe the most intimate of |
| |“In an outgrown bed (Narrow, but no narrower / than the single bed we|moments (sharing a single bed together) don’t rhyme, conveying |
| |sometimes share.)” |the idea that the relationship is flawed or cracked already. |
| |The second stanza opens with a repeated phrase from stanza 1: |In the first stanza this line was spoken in inverted commas, |
| | |suggesting the speaker’s sarcasm – she didn’t trust the mother, |
|Repetition |“Peace to unpack” |was aware of her insincerity, and was willing to stand up to |
| | |her. |
| | | |
| | |However, the repeat in the second stanza adds “- but I found |
| | |none.” This signals the difference between the stanzas – the |
| | |speaker is no longer witty and assertive, she is doubtful and |
| | |troubled. |
| |The second stanza contains two rhetorical questions: |These questions reflect how troubled and uncertain the speaker |
| | |is – questioning her feelings about her place in the |
|Questions |“What can I blame for my unrest, insomnia?” |relationship. From the rest of the poem, the reader can infer |
| |… |the answer to both questions. |
| |“But where do I fit into the picture?" | |
| |In the second stanza, the writer describes fear as if it were a |The personification of fear suggests how intrusive her doubts |
| |person in bed beside her, keeping her awake: |have become – she is scared about the future of the relationship|
|Personification | |so much, it is keeping her awake. It is almost as if the |
| |“Persistent fear elbows me” |boyfriend’s place in the bed has been usurped by Fear itself. |
| |“Your egg collection shatters me” |“Shatters” is an appropriate word to use, as it makes us think |
| | |of an egg-shell cracking. The speaker is literally saying the |
|Pun / Word-play | |sight of his egg-collection upsets her. This is perhaps because |
| | |the egg collection symbolises the boyfriend’s previous partners.|
| | |The effect is actually very serious – the speaker is feeling |
| | |devastated. The amusing pun contrasts with the serious emotional|
| | |topic. |
| |“Your egg collection… |The egg collection is literally a collection of eggs that the |
| |You never wrecked a nest you said” |boyfriend collected when he was a child. (This was not an |
|Symbolism | |unusual hobby for young boys years ago). However, the speaker |
| | |sees it as a symbol for relationships. The nest is a symbol of |
| | |the secure, loving family home. Perhaps the speaker is worried |
| | |that the boyfriend did in fact wreck nests by seducing previous |
| | |girlfriends away from their families. Perhaps the fact the |
| | |boyfriend no longer cares about the collection (or the previous |
| | |girlfriends), upsets the speaker. Alternatively, perhaps the |
| | |boyfriends words remind the speaker of the mother’s apparent |
| | |worry: that the speaker will ‘wreck’ her nest by stealing her |
| | |son away. |
| |“Your past a premonition” |A premonition is a glimpse of the future, so this doesn’t make |
| | |logical sense. However, it suggests that the speaker sees the |
|Oxymoron | |objects in the room as clues from the boyfriend’s past. The |
| | |pictures, toys, egg collection and books all give clues about |
| | |his previous relationships with girls (and his own mum). These |
| | |give the speaker a “premonition” of the future – she can imagine|
| | |that soon she may be an ‘ex’ too. |
| |“One small window which used to frame your old horizons” |This literally describes the room’s small window which limits |
| | |the view of the scenery outside. It also indicates the way the |
|Ambiguous or double meanings | |boy’s life, ideas, opinions and experiences were restricted and |
| | |limited by his life at home with his controlling mother. This |
| | |suggests the boyfriend is now older, wiser and living away from |
| | |home. |
| |“My position is precarious” |She is literally feeling unwelcome and not at home in the room |
| | |(thanks to the mother!). It could also mean she feels her role |
| | |as girlfriend is uncertain; the relationship is in danger of |
| | |ending. |
| |“I shiver despite / the electric blanket and the deceptive mildness |“Deceptive mildness of the night” could refer to the night being|
| |of the night.” |unusually warm. However, it is more likely a comment on the |
| | |apparently warm welcome the mother gave, which was actually |
| | |false – she was really being cold and frosty towards the |
| | |speaker. Even though the speaker is physically warm (she has an |
| | |electric blanket), she feels ‘cold’ in the sense of numb, |
| | |emotionally drained and unhappy. This is why she shivers – she |
| | |is scared for the future of her relationship. |
Practice Essay Questions (Int 2)
2003
Choose a poem in which a particular place is described.
Briefly state what the poem is about and then go on to show how the techniques highlight particular aspects of the place, making it seem real to you.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: imagery, word choice, structure, tone, or any other appropriate feature.
2004
Choose a poem which deals with a real or imaginary person or place.
Show how the person or place is introduced and how the techniques used give a convincing portrayal of that person or place.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: characterisation, imagery, word choice, tone, or any other appropriate feature.
2005
Choose a poem which creates a mood of calm, or relfection, or nostalgia.
Show how the poet creates this bood by the choice of subject matter and by the use of particular poetic technique.
In your answer you must refer to the text and to at least two of: content, word-choice, tone, sound, or any other appropriate feature.
2006
Choose a poem which deals with birth or death or love or hate or jealousy.
By looking at the content and language of the poem show how your understanding of one of these topics is deepened by your reading of the poem.
2007
Choose a poem which creates pity or sympathy in you.
Show how the feelings of pity or sympathy are brought into focus by the use of poetic techniques.
2008
Choose a poem about a strong relationship – for example, between two people, or between a person and a place.
Show how the poet, by the choice of content and the skilful use of techniques, helps you to appreciate the strength of the relationship.
2009
Choose a poem which deals with a particular time of year or a particular place.
Show how the poet, by his or her choice of content and style, persuades you to adopt his or her view of the season or the place.
Practice Essay Questions (Higher)
2004 (Q.14)
Choose a poem in which a chance encounter or seemingly unimportant incident acquires increased significance the end of the poem.
Show how the poet’s development of the encounter or incident leads you to a deeper understanding of the poem’s theme..
In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of: theme, atmosphere, word choice, rhythm, or any other appropriate feature.
2005 (Q.12)
Choose a poem in which a specific setting is strongly evoked.
Show how the poet creates this sense of place and/or time, and then discuss the relative importance of the setting to the poem as a whole.
In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of: setting, theme, mood, imagery, or any other appropriate feature.
2005 (Q.13)
Choose a poem which you feel is particularly relevant to a teenage audience.
Make clear why you think the poem is so relevant to this age group and show how the poetic techniques used in the poem help to achieve this.
In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of: theme, mood, imagery, rhythm, or any other appropriate feature.
2006 (Q.12)
Choose a poem in which there is a noticeable change of mood at one or more than one point in the poem.
Show how the poet conveys the change(s) of mood and discuss the importance of the change(s) to the central idea of the poem.
2007 (Q.12)
Choose a poem in which there is a sinister atmosphere or person or place.
Show how the poet evokes this sinister quality and discuss how it adds to your appreciation of the poem.
2008 (Q.13)
Choose a poem which is strongly linked to a specific location.
Show how the poet captures the essence of the location and exploits this to explore an important theme.
2008 (Q.14)
Choose two poems which explore human relationships.
By referring to both poems, discuss which you consider to be the more convincing portrayal of a relationship.
2009 (Q.12)
Choose a poem in which the poet explores one of the following emotions: anguish, dissatisfaction, regret, loss.
Show how the poet explores the emotion and discuss to what extent he or she is successful in deepening your understanding of it.
2010 (Q.15)
Choose a poem in which the creation of mood or atmosphere is an important feature.
Show how the poet creates the mood or atmosphere, and discuss its importance in your appreciation of the poem as a whole.
2011 (Q.14)
Choose a poem in which the poet blends narration and reflection.
Show how the poet blends these two aspects in such a way as to illuminate the central concern of the poem.
Evaluation Guide
Worked Essay Plan: Tone
Step 1 –
- Identify the key words in the question:
Write about a poem which features a contrast or variety of different tones.
Show what techniques the writer uses to create these tones and go on to explain how they give you a clearer understanding of the poem’s subject.
Step 2 –
- Decide how to structure your essay ( deal with the two stanzas in turn.
- Plan which techniques/key quotes to discuss in each section.
Stanza 1 – tone of defiance / aggressiveness / sarcasm
|Quote |Points for Evaluation |
|(Oh with concern for my comfort) |Sarcasm created by the aside in brackets. |
|Pathetic Shrine |Connotations of ‘pathetic’ |
| |Connotations of ‘shrine’ |
|She must think she can brush off time with dust from model |Metaphor – time& dust |
|aeroplanes |Accusatory tone: repetition of “she” |
| |Illustrates the mother’s relationship with the son. |
|I laugh it off in self-defence. |Connotations of “self-defence” suggest a battle between the |
| |women. |
| |“Laugh” shows speaker’s attitude. |
|Who have come for a weekend to state my permanence |Emphasis of being last line of stanza 1, reflects how defiant |
| |and strong the speaker feels. |
| |“Permanence” – demonstrates speaker’s intentions. |
Stanza 2 – tone of doubt / uncertainty
|Quote |Points for Evaluation |
|Peace to unpack, but I found none. |Repetition of line from previous stanza shows what has changed |
| |– she is not confident or aggressive as she was in stanza 1. |
|What can I blame? |Use of rhetorical questions conveys speaker’s uncertainty. |
|… | |
|(Where do I fit into the picture…?) | |
|Your egg collection shatters me. |The pun draws attention to the word “shatters” which emphasises|
| |the very real, serious impact the experience is having on the |
| |girl. |
|My position / is precarious. |The line break after “position”, put the word precariously at |
| |the end of the line, imitating how the girl is feeling. |
|Your past a premonition. |Oxymoron ( hints at what will happen the next day. |
|I shiver despite the deceptive mildness of the night. |Double meaning – the night is warmer than it seems / the |
| |mother’s welcome appeared warm. |
| |“I shiver” ( not through cold, but fear. A moment of |
| |realisation? |
Step 3 – Write an introduction using TAGL (Text, Author, Genre to Link to Question). Also include a brief summary of what the poem’s about:
‘Box Room’ by Liz Lochhead is a poem which describes the encounter between a girl (speaker) and her boyfriend’s mother when she visits to stay for the weekend. The girlfriend spends time in the ‘box room’ of the title (the boyfriend’s old bedroom). The poem describes her encounter with the boyfriend’s mother, as well as her observations when in the room. Through its first-person account of the girl’s stay, the poem suggests that her surroundings affect her deeply, undermining the confidence she had about her relationship and reducing her to doubt. The ending suggests that the girl realises her boyfriend is not who she thought he was, and that the relationship cannot continue.
There are two clear tones present in the poem. The defiant, assertive tone of the first stanza presents the speaker’s strong attitude when in conflict with the mother. However, there is a shift in the second stanza to a more doubtful, uncertain tone when the speaker begins to question her relationship. These two different tones are created through a number of techniques, including: the use of parenthesis, word choice, metaphor, oxymoron, questions and syntax.
Step 4 –
- Deal with each relevant point individually using P.E.E.L. Always remember t o refer to the question.
POINT
Later in stanza two, the doubtful tone which is now well established is furthered by the description of the “abandoned objects” in the room. Seemingly innocuous childhood items begin to take on deeper significances for the speaker as she considers her relationship. She is left feeling like her relationship is hanging in the balance. This is emphasised through her use of enjambment in line 33.
EVIDENCE
The phrase “my position / is precarious” is split between the two lines so that the word “position” is at the end of the line.
EXPLAIN
Although she is literally talking about her position: being in the box room, the clever use of the line break conveys a different idea too. Placing the word “position” at the end of the line literally puts it in a ‘precarious’ place on the page – hanging off the end of the line. This reflects what it describes; it mirrors how the girl feels her place in the relationship is uncertain and could be about to end.
LINK
This adds to the tone of the stanza, emphasising the uncertainty and instability the poet clearly feels. Not only does her stay in the box room make her feel uncomfortable in the boyfriend’s house, it also makes her feel uncomfortable in the relationship.
Step 5 –
- Once you’ve completed the main body of your essay, write a conclusion summing up your response.
- Recap on the techniques you have mentioned and link back to the question once more.
In conclusion, while this poem appears to be a straightforward description of an insignificant experience, it is made clear that the events described have had a major impact on the speaker.
Overall I feel … … towards the girl / mother because…
Through her use of [list the techniques you have mentioned] Lochhead creates a dramatic and unsettling picture of a relationship breaking down. The message of the poem is clearly that someone’s background and past are an important part of their character, and that the past can affect the present in many ways. In the opening stanza the reader sides with the speaker, admiring her strength of character and wit when in conflict with the mother. By the end of the poem, our sympathy has been cemented as we fully appreciate the speaker’s vulnerabilities exposed in the equivocatory second stanza. It is largely Lochhead’s skilful use of the two contrasting tones which achieve this effect.
Suggested Revision Tasks
• Read the poem over several times – learn important lines off by heart (Try sticking key quotes to your fridge, bedroom walls or ceiling above your bed to help you memorise them. Alternatively make them your screensaver or background on your PC!)
• Show off to a friend or relative – teach them the poem! Explain to them what it is about and how the techniques you have studied work.
• Practise writing PEEL paragraphs on key quotes.
• Practise writing essay plans. (Introduction, paragraph plans & conclusion, all adapted to fit a particular question)
• Choose a question and write a full essay answer. Hand it in for marking and feedback.
• Create and revise mnemonics for your key quotes.
• Write and memorise an adaptable generic introduction and conclusion.
• Create revision cards (ask your teacher for study-cards) for each key quote: draw a picture to go with each quote. Include your mnemonic on each card.
• Use the internet to read other critics’ interpretations of the poem. Research Liz Lochhead, her life and other poetry.
Useful Evaluative Phrases:
Shows
Suggests
Hints
Indicates
Demonstrates
Implies
Gives the impression of/that...
Illustrates
Evokes
Conjures up the idea of...
Creates a feeling of...
Brings to mind...
-----------------------
BOX ROOM
STUDY PACK
by Liz Lochhead
Name __________________________________
• NAME THE TECHNIQUE BEING USED
• EXPLAIN WHAT IS BEING DESCRIBED
E.G.
When talking about ________ Lochhead uses [name technique]……
When describing ____________ Lochhead employs a [name technique]
In lines ______ Lochhead uses [name technique] when describing _______________
The use of [name technique] helps give the reader an impression of ____________
Using [name technique] in lines ________ helps give the reader a picture of _________
The poet describes ____________________ in line ________ using [name technique]
• EXPLAIN HOW THE TECHNIQUE WORKS IN THE POEM
E.G.
Word Choice – give connotations
Imagery (similes & metaphors) – identify the 2 things being compared
Personification – explain what is being personified
Oxymoron – explain why it is an oxymoron
Enjambment – explain what word is emphasised and where it is
Parenthesis – explain what words are in parenthesis and why
Ambiguous meaning – what are the two possible meanings?
• EXPLAIN WHY THE TECHNIQUE IS USED
• WHAT DOES IT TELL THE READER ABOUT THE THING BEING DESCRIBED?
• REITERATE HOW IT RELATES TO THE QUESTION?
E.G.
What does it tell us about the characters in the poem?
What does it add to the reader’s understanding of the whole situation?
What does it make the reader think about?
What does it tell us about the poet’s message?
How does it relate to Lochhead’s theme?
How does it make you feel?
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