How Poets Present Family Bonds In Eden Rock And Climbing My Grandfather

Both poems offer a deep insight into family relationships. In ‘Eden Rock’, the speaker meets his parents who are impliedly dead as they prepare a picnic. It is a dream-like mixture of imagination and memory that unfolds the scene. This suggests that the speaker is reliving a childhood scene while simultaneously seeing the future with his deceased parents. Contrast this with ‘Climbing My Grandfather,’ which is an autobiographical poetry in which the poet speaks first-person about his Grandfather. The poet recalls when he was young and his Grandfather viewed him more as a mountain than as a person. This is reflected in the metaphor of ‘climbing and distance’ which creates an image of the poet looking up at his Grandfather as a young boy.

Through the autobiographical lenses of their poems the writer uncovers the complex emotions which fuel family bonds. The extended metaphor of mountain climbing dominates ‘Climbing My Grandfather’. It is both a childish activity, such as climbing across relatives, and it also serves as a metaphor for understanding. The poet slowly climbs from foot to head until he reaches the “summit” of their grandfather. He does it ‘freely without any rope or net’ which suggests that there is danger and some challenge. He may also feel the security that he has when he’s with his grandfather. Additionally, climbing a mountain metaphor can be used to describe something that is very challenging but that gives us a sense accomplishment once we have reached the top. Waterhouse uses the metaphor to understand and get to know his grandfather. Waterhouse starts with “trying for a grip”. Waterhouse’s metaphor not only shows that his grandfather is struggling to understand him, but also serves as a metaphor for the difficult task of understanding one’s family. The last lingering line is odd, stands apart, and offers no opportunity for reflection. The change in tone of the last line is reflected in the separation. The pluperfect is “I hadn’t thought”, which suggests that he has changed his mind. The stanza size decreases from quatrains and triplets to one line, which is monosyllabic. This creates an isolation feeling from his parents as well as the poem. This change could signify that the narrator had died and is with his parents. The poem’s lengths are also different from their sizes. It is written in first-person present tense which gives it an immediate feeling of being in the moment. The narrator mentions his parents “somewhere Beyond Eden Rock” at the beginning. This can be used to suggest a physical distance. It’s possible they were physically there after Eden Rock. Or the time after. But it sure creates overtones for ‘the afterlife’.

From its title, ‘Eden Rock’ established it’s depiction of an idealised family. This name is biblically a reference the Garden of Eden. It evokes harmony and perfection. This could suggest that the narrator views this little place as perfect and peaceful. This could also be interpreted as the narrator being grateful to his parents for the idyllic childhood he recollects. Causley’s use in natural imagery such’stone’ and grass’ reflects the sense the narrator has that their relationship is natural and pure. This peaceful, unspoilt environment is illustrated by the claim that the “mother”‘s hair “takes the light on”. Light is associated with heaven. This is in keeping with the admiration that the narrator holds for his parents. His memories of the smallest details, such as the ‘old H.P. He remembers his childhood and the ‘tin cup painted blue’ sauce bottle. His descriptions of everyday objects show how much he loves them and the love he feels for their parents.

“Eden Rock” attempts to capture in photographs a true or imagined family photo, but “Climbing my Grandfather” conveys the struggle to preserve these connections. The 12th line shows that the grandfather/grandson relationship seems far from straightforward. The child is respectfully placing his feet in the old stitches and putting his trust in the grandfather. This could be a sign of the unspoken struggle and unexpected barriers that family ties can create. The poet described the ‘glassy-ridge of a Scar’ as a geological feature. However the ridge reminds us of mishaps that would have occurred in the man’s life. The poet may have mentioned the dangers of climbing. It could be that his Grandfather was very difficult to please, or that he is prone to losing his temper. The detailed description of the child’s neck as ‘loose’ could be a metaphor for the difficult life experiences his Grandfather has had. This gives the reader an insight into the richness and complexity of their relationship.

Waterhouse creates a dreamlike picture of family bonds, which can be seen at the end. “Climbing my Grandfather”‘s description of the grandfather’s warmth and knowing the slow beat of his good heart gives the impression that the child feels comforted, reassured, and even reassured by this solid mass, who to the child is more like a mountain than an individual. The grandfather becomes less intimidating and cold by the end and is more “good”. This is the discovery that the poem represents. It’s an uncovering, an understanding. Waterhouse reads the poem in an attempt to understand his grandfather. At the end of the poem, he feels reassured by his grandfather’s slow pulse. The ending is not nearly as cold and intimidating as the beginning. The poet might see this poem as a journey of discovery, and a way to recall his grandfather. Waterhouse is not a boy anymore, but the present tense makes it real and vivid. Waterhouse can also remember his Grandfather as a way to move from an inanimate mountain into a man with heartbeat.

In ‘Eden Rock,’ the poet uses a similar dreamlike vision to describe the family bond. ‘Eden’ already implies a feeling of paradise. Eden becomes extremely significant once we get to grips with the poem’s “otherworldliness”. It is difficult to understand the significance of the relationship between narrator’s parents and if this is a true moment. It’s not a real place, but it does raise questions about whether or not it’s based on the family’s past. The poem is about his parents’ afterlife. You can make it a place that you remember or it could be fictional. It creates an empathetic feeling because it is implied that the event is imagined throughout the poem.

Both poets depict family relationships as loving and close. Both poems center on the narrator’s family life. “Climbing his Grandfather” refers to the child’s Grandfather climbing, and “Eden Rock,” a recall of his memories with his parents. Despite the differences in both poems, the lasting impression they leave is of love and deep attachment, which shows that nature’s strongest bonds are familial.