Example essay

1. English Department
KS4
Poetry Cluster: Conflict
Example
Compare how feelings of helplessness are presented in
‘Out of the Blue’ and one other poem from ‘Conflict’.
(36 marks)
'Out of the Blue' and 'Poppies' are two poems that both present feelings of helplessness in response to conflict. In 'Out of the Blue', the poet writes from the perspective of a victim who is trapped in the World Trade centre during the 9/11 attacks. Armitage provides a voice for those who were left helpless and waiting, hoping to be saved. This is in comparison to Jane Weir who, rather than writing from the point of view of a victim, writes about the universal experience of a mother's sense of helplessness as she is left behind - unable to stop her son from growing up and left alone with her fears about his safety.
The poets use language in a number of different ways. In 'Out of the Blue' direct address is used to engage the reader and help them to empathise with the situation that Armitage's character finds himself in. For example, "Does anyone see a soul worth saving?" This shows the feelings of helplessness as he finds himself trapped and trying to get the attention of the rescue forces down below. The word "anyone" suggests a kind of desperation whilst "soul" is a reminder, if one is needed, that he is someone worthy of rescue. It also makes me think of an SOS, which is what he is sending out to the people below. The rhetorical question makes it seem as though he is not just questioning observers and the reader, he is also questioning himself and his significance in such a large-scale disaster.
This is in contrast the way that Weir directs her poem towards her son as she recalls her tender memories of him as a small child. For example, "Play at being Eskimos like we did when you were little". This shows that this is a much more personal poem. The poet makes use of past tense in order to emphasise the fact that this is something that she feels that she can no longer do and yet she still seems to see her son as the helpless young boy that he used to be, rather than the young adult that he has grown into. Perhaps her sense of helplessness comes from her inability to let her son go.
In addition to this, both poets also make vivid use of imagery in order to present a sense of helplessness in their poem. In 'Out of the Blue' the poet makes use of personification to describe the fire that has trapped the character in the building. For example, "The heat behind me is bullying, driving." This suggests the speaker is a victim that is being overpowered. The word "driving" shows the power and force of the fire.

2. English Department
KS4
Poetry Cluster: Conflict
Example
Whilst Armitage uses personification, to establish his feelings of helplessness, Weir makes use of a metaphor to show her worry and concern for her son. She describes how she was, "skirting the churchyard walls, my stomach busy making tucks." This is showing her feelings of anxiety. The word "skirting" suggests that she is unable to face the reality of what might happen to her son.
Both of these poems seem to track a journey that the poets take the reader on and they have similarly mournful endings. Whilst 'Out of the Blue' tracks the growing desperation of the speaker and acceptance of his death, 'Poppies' follows the poet on the emotional journey of a mother trying to accept that her child no longer needs, or wants, her protection. The ending of 'Out of the Blue' is significant as the speaker makes the shift from his statement in stanza 4 that the, "white of surrender is not yet flagging" to a final acknowledgement that, "I am failing, flagging". This return to the flag imagery is a sign of his surrender and acceptance of death. We get the feeling that the speaker is filled with despair ad horror at the situation that he is in and now finds himself overcome with feelings of helplessness.
This links to the acceptance that seems to take place in 'Poppies'; however, in this poem the poet is not accepting the death of her son. I think that this poem has a far more positive ending as it seems to recognise her sense of helplessness but hope for the best regardless. For example, "hoping to hear your playground voice catching on the wind." This suggests that she is focusing on the return of her son and hoping that he will return to her as she remembers him.
In conclusion, these poems deal with different types of helplessness, both physical and mental. They both deal with issues of vulnerability even though they are dealing with different subject matters.