Timothy Winters Poetry Analysis

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Timothy Winters by Charles Causley is about a young nine-year old boy called Timothy Winters. Charles Causley wrote this poem about a real boy suffering from poverty because of the lack of support from the Welfare State in the 1950’s. Charles Causley attitude towards this poem is suffering because the poem constantly mentions deprivations such as clothing, bedding, family and welfare support that make Timothy underprivileged. Two literary techniques used to communicate the theme and attitude of the poem are imagery and metaphor. A metaphor is used to explain the lack of support from the Welfare State. Imagery is used to describe Timothy’s appearance and the effects of poverty on the condition of where he lives. The lack of support from the Welfare State and the effects of being poor portray ‘suffering’ as Charles Causley’s attitude and Timothy Winters as the theme.

Stanza six uses a metaphor to show a significant reason towards Timothy Winters poverty, a major cause for Timothy’s suffering. Stanza six is about a Welfare Worker whose job is to provide social support for Timothy. The first two lines of the stanza are: “The Welfare Worker lies awake/ But the law’s as tricky as a ten-foot snake” (Causley, 21-22). “The Welfare Worker lies awake” means that the Welfare Worker is unable to sleep because he worries for Timothy. Despite the fact that the Welfare Worker is aware of Timothy’s condition, he is unable to help as explained on line 22: “But the law’s as tricky as a ten-foot snake”. This means that the law restricts the Welfare Worker from giving the help Timothy Winters desperately needs. It can be insinuated that there are more people like Timothy Winters and that the Welfare State is ineffective in giving enough support. T...

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Charles Causley’s attitude towards the theme, Timothy Winters, is suffering. Imagery and metaphor literary devices are used in Timothy Winters to explain the reason towards Timothy’s suffering and how it has affected his appearance and living conditions. A metaphor in the poem explains that the Welfare State cannot support Timothy despite his poverty. Imagery illustrates Timothy’s appearance and how it has been influenced by poverty. It also gives an impression towards Timothy’s poor living conditions and how he is left to set priorities just to survive. Timothy Winters is suffering because he is deprived of the basic needs which everyone deserves in life and receives no support, leaving him to survive on his own. Timothy Winters is a poem that effectively expresses youth poverty during the 1950’s to show the ineffectiveness of the Welfare State.

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