To My Mother Poem Analysis

“A Mothers’ Love”

A sonnet is usually written for young love with passion and longing for the individual. This specific sonnet is about a sons love for his mother. The tone through the eyes of the son is one of somber. Somber is coupled with adoration in the way he conveys his message about his mother. The setting is during war-time and the particular war is blurred without further details. The mother has lost someone very close to her and his son visualizes his mother in different roles. His unconditional love is evident as he portrays his mother in everyday life with the challenges she is facing. In the sonnet “To my Mother” George Barker uses poetic devices such as similes, imagery, and connotation to demonstrate his mother’s strong and endearing qualities. Similes are used to compare two different

It is not the literal definition but anything the reader believes it to be. Connotations are found throughout this sonnet and here are a few of them. The second part of the line says “seismic with laughter” (3). Seismic could mean that when she laughs she shakes the ground. This is a good quality to have because laughing helps clear the soul and makes her feel better. He is admiring her ability to fully enjoy life. George Barker uses another example of connotation in this poem. Barker says, “Most near, most dear, most loved and most far” (1). “Most far” could mean that she is in extreme grief. Although she is near she is unreachable due to her grief. Barker is implying she is far from reality because she is so sad. “Most far” could mean she is depressed due to a recent loss of a loved one. The next example of a connotation is when Barker is saying “Whom only faith can move” (12). Barker speaks of his mother’s faith and her mourning a loss that has caused deep grief. He is saying to his mom that he believes in her and she can weather this sadness and move on. Faith is belief in