Extended Metaphors In Nettles

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The poem ‘Nettles’ and ‘Born yesterday have many similarities in how they represent the difficulty in a parent and child relationship; in ‘Born yesterday’ the extended metaphor is based around the idea that to achieve happiness one must not thrive for perfection or happiness will never be accomplished. “Nothing uncustomary to pull you off your balance” supports the extended metaphor of how happiness is achieved. Philip Larking (PL) uses enjambment to show that the course of life is continuous and is about “balance”, this metaphor allows the reader to realise that something “uncustomary” will ruin that balance. Thus showing that although the advice is harsh and uncustomary it is the advice of experience and the advice that will allow the receiver …show more content…

Vernon Scannell (VS) uses the quote “and went outside and slashed in fury with it” to show the overprotectiveness of a parent and the fury they are faced with when their child is attacked by anything and in this case something as trivial as nettles. The military language used throughout the poem “regiment” “recruits” and “fallen dead” shows that protecting a child is like a war for the parent, a constant war that can never be won “my son would often feel sharp wounds again.” VS has done this to show the reader the difficulty of being a parent and how no matter how hard they try and shield him from the harm of the world it was inevitable and would happen “again”. VS has also used this quote to show the acceptance, the acceptance of the parent that they will not always be able to stop the harm of the “nettles”. The poem ends with this quote symbolising the acceptance and metaphorically representing that the parent will not always be there to sort everything out as the child grows up. VS has done this to shows the painfulness of being a parent as they will have to stand by and watch their child in trouble and won’t be able to help

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