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Analysis of Beachcomber

Synopsis= The speaker of this poem is an elderly lady who recalls a memory of her as a child on the beach, the poem focuses on the value of these childhood moments and the sad truth that they fade with age making it increasingly difficult to reflect as time goes on




Key quotations + Analysis
1.) "If you think til it hurts..."
  • This line demonstrates that despite the memories being a long time ago they are still fresh to her, they bring pain to the speaker as she is aware that she can not live without them but she also cant live with them. It is painful because she is forgetting memories.
  • The thought of losing these memories brings pain to the speaker, she is desperate to recall them and is prepared to fight for them.
2.) "Not in sepia"
  • Sepia gives an allusion of the past, therefore it demonstrates that the child on the beach is very much still a part of her present.
  • Sepia is a muted colour which could portray the fading of memories, however there is still some colour which portrays there is still some hope.
3.)  "You remember that cardigan, yes?"
  • Here the speaker separates herself from her childhood self, the use of a question mark could imply that the speaker is doubting her own memories. It could also be a method of reassuring herself as she is worried that she will never be able to recall her memories so vividly again.
4.) "Or the seashell on the shore"
  • This line mimics a classic song sung by children 'she sells seashells on the sea shore...' which could mimic a sense of childhood joy, however the sibilance gives this line a somewhat sinister effect implying that her childhood persona is taunted by the ghost of her present self trying to watch her.
  • The fact that this line is a tongue twister could reflect the difficulty associated with retrieving memories and that the memories are slipping from the speakers grasp.
5.) "Trow..harder...exactly"
  • The one word sentences used by the speaker imply that her memories were pulled away from her suddenly with no warning, it is difficult for the speaker to retract these memories that formed in her childhood
Links to other poems
  • First Love= Both speakers find it painful to reminisce and it the recollection of emotions and feelings appears somewhat forced. "I clench my eyes" "If you think til it hurts"


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