Family+Group

This poem I find is very pleasant and joyful even though parts of it refer to the death of her child. The mood and atmoshpere is kept constant throughout the poem with the bright, colourful and positive words: ecstasy, sun, fire, bloom, nasturtiums, jokes, tenderness, lightly, life, bright, mellow etc. In my opinion Edmond is celebrating the life of her child that passed away and is remembering the good parts of her life. "now in our keeping, mutely alive in our lives" It is as if she has died in the physical form, been lamented in her other poems e.g. Before a funeral and then reborn in their hearts with her memories. "I hear a familiar cadence" I thought that this represented the rhythmic sound/ thump of her child's heart beating. "For ten years has set us the hardest lesson- to find what it is even death cannot take away:" is the line that comes before that and I believe that Edmond is saying that death can take away the person but not the memories and who she was. Celebrating the inter-connection between life and death in a way. - Theon

I agree with you that although the poem refers to the death of her child, she tries to make a celebration about her life rather than focusing on the death. The simile, 'like the threads still bright in the old tartan rug where we sprawl', shows that bright threads are the memories of her, 'the life after death of her', and although she is dead, her memory is still strong and it's like she is still there in spirit. In the last stanza, a calming atmosphere is created, 'sprawl', 'mellow', shows how the author has accepted the death of her child and is ready to move on after one last rememberance. -Izzy

This poem is about family and although a death a family member can be rough, the family still stays intact. the imagery of death is particularly apparent within the middle of the poem at the end of the 2nd stanza and the beginning of the 3rd stanza, this is the reminiscence of the passed child and how although she is now passed her memories still live on in the other members of the family. Although death is apparent within this poem the aura that it gives makes the poem seem a more friendly one, with the death image giving us a opportunity to become stronger as a family. - David

I think that tartan rug simile is particularly important in this poem as it does, as Izzy said above, represent the interwoven memories of the extended family, yet the choice of tartan for the rug is interesting. It could possily be just that the family had a tartan rug but it also has connotations of an old Scottish 'clan' or extended family, as well as being a common item for a New Zealand family. This fact along with the natural setting speaks of the poet's background. - Abby

I particularly like the 2nd stanza of this poem which is both cheerful and reminiscent at the same time. "conversations bloom all about with instant colour" is a very positive and cheerful... flower-like... image. The stanza then becomes reminiscent "forgotten summers" and the idea of the dead family member is introduced "and of course she is here too, the one who for ten years has set us the hardest lesson." - James

In this poem the amily takes the incident of ones death but has a positive approach despite how hard it has been over the years. The use of positive connotations, "conversations bloom all about with instat colour..." but in a way this masks the feelings beneath what is really felt, "to find what it is even death cannot take away..." I think that the tartan rug simile also puts across this idea as it covers up "the life after death of her...". - Lu'isa

The last sentence of the poem "This is the photograph/ of a notable occasion no one remembered to take." is from importance because it clearly shows that it is important to remember the good parts of the life of the dead child and that it is going to live on in everyone else. This is something that is often forgotten when experiencing the tragic death of a person that used to be close to someone. The only image that the poet wants to remember is that even though the child is physically dead that it is always going to live on in everyone that used to be close to her. The photograph catches the emotion of one certain moment for ever. She wants to keep the last "photograph"/ memory of her child a positive one. -Lorenz

Just expanding the idea of the remaining existence of the dead daughter, she is remembered by all the family, and consequently lives on in them, as when conversations between family members are being described, the daughter is said to be present with them. "And of course she was here too, the one who for ten years has set us the hardest lesson". I don't consider this family gathering to be a memory and so event in the past, but an event in the present as grammar indicates this. Thus despite the author's daughter's death, the family is able to move on as this gathering shows evidence of happiness, "conversations bloom all about with instant colour". This is sufficient evidence to prove that the author and her family have indeed moved on, thus this poem contrasts the family's position in the previous poem "before a funeral". -Winstan

This poem was written after the death the death of her daughter and I think that the purpose of the poem would be to show how the friends and families of Rachael have coped with her loss and how well they are moving on. It could be of a setting when the whole family gather together at a park and celebrate maybe the anniversary the of the death, I can think of many scenarios but can't develop them into sentences. i agree with the point that Theon and Lorenz have made, there is a lot of happiness about this poem and I assume that Edmonds was over the death of her daughter in this poem. With the point that Lorent made, where a memory will live inside the people but will not be remembered. - Sahib

The setting of the piece contrasts the subject of the poem, but may however fit the mood of the poem. The poem mentions the sun being hot on the hills, and they are eating out on the grass - Summer. However, in poetry winter is almost always used along side death. The idea of summer is continued subtly with 'conversations blooming' and with a mellow landscape, which reflects not only the season but also the location. I think the last line might contrast everything though, and say this is what HAD happened, meaning what there now is is completely different to this happy picture. damn. Jacob.

Initially I think the poem lacks genuineness-the use of 'playing' families, rather than actual being families make it seem like they are putting on an act, false happiness for the benefit of the parents possibly? However as the poem furthers I think I begin to like it better and get more attached to the poem, as a new positive outlook emerges. The second stanza seems nostalgic-sure- but yet still cheery. We almost gain an idea of new life being reborn, talk of 'bloom' and instant colour. It seems to be Spring or Summer, a cheery time--> while this does contrast how the family should be feeling, it proves that they are moving forward.- Chelsea

The poem talks of average family life, the relationships and general happy times ("meridian"). As Edmond's poems usually are based around the death of her daughter, this poem talks about the random happy times that the family had together. The last line of the poem - "this is the photograph of a notable occasion no one remembered to take" - indicates how there are many times that go unnoticed in the grand scheme of things. Unlike Edmond's other poems this one doesn't so much mourn her daughter's death but rather celebrates the happy times the family had when she was alive. - Mike