KEEPING ORCHIDS What is the poem about?

? The poem is about the narrators meeting with her mother for the first time. As they meet at a train station we know the narrator is now an adult and she has been distanced from her mother. Due to Jackie Kays adoption as a young child we can presume that the mother is her natural mother. There is a sense of sadness and distance in the poem. Although the narrator is given a beautiful flowering plant orchids as a gift this particular plant is used as a metaphor for the problems! concerns and worries the narrator has about her possible relationship with her mother. What type of na ato is use!? The narrator is a first person narrator. Kay has created the persona of a daughter telling us about her first meeting and the fears and feeling she has about whether this relationship will develop or remain distant. What is the RE"#$IONSHIP bet%een the &ha a&te s in the poem? The relationship is between a daughter and a mother but it is all from the perspective of the daughter. They do not have a close relationship as they have only "ust met. The narrator tries to picture her mother by listing material possessions rather than anything truly personal or meaningful. There is a definite sense of secrecy and things being hidden. #any words have connotations of coldness! distance and a lack of a real meaningful relationship. The final lines of the poem have a more aggressive and angry tone suggesting the narrators anger and frustration at the lack of a significant relationship. Ho% is the poem S$R'C$'RED? The poem is arranged into two line stan$as throughout suggesting time is passing at a constant pace. This may suggest that as time passes Kay feels there is less chance of a relationship. Kay also uses en"ambment to support this sense of time continuously passing without a pause or hesitation. This device is also used in Kays other poems check and compare These two devices work well with the references to time throughout the poem such as %twelve days later& 'which is repeated(! %digital watch&! %story of her life&! %time is outside waiting&! %flowers live longer&. )ombining the structure with words related to time suggests that time may be running out for them to form a meaningful bond. * * * The poem starts with references to their %first meeting& with a suggestion that it was +uite an awkward meeting %closed as secrets&. ,t continues with a sense that the orchids symbolise a possible relationship which could bloom and be beautiful 'like the flower( but some buds stay closed and the carafe 'vase( has fallen over suggesting a problem or difficulty for the relationship. As time passes we get the impression Kay-the narrator wants to remember and cherish the relationship but she cant remember the details and has no meaningful memories to cherish.

The poem finishes with an increased sense of frustration and possibly anger as the narrator feels shut out or blocked from forming a relationship and perhaps it will end here and will be cut off.

WORD CHOICE (E)PRESSION Opening 4 stanzas - closed as secrets There is a clear suggestion that they have been unable to form a close bond at their first meeting as so much has not been discussed or revealed. - crashed / unprovoked / broken These words suggest a sense of destruction and anger symbolised by the falling vase which symbolise the narrators feelings of worry about the relationship. Stanzas 5 to 8 - Upset / troubled/ closed- .imilar to e/ample above Although describing the orchid it reveals the negative emotions associated with this new and awkward relationship. * %fading& - %remember& - %all , have& A suggestion that the relationship will soon disappear from memory. Stanzas 9 to 5 * %compressed& - %airtight& - %secret& - %hidden& There is a sense that there is no room or opportunity for the narrator to really get to know her mother as everything is sealed off or blocked the truth cant be accessed because of this. * %boiling water& - %cutting& - %sharp knife& These words suggest a more aggressive or angry reaction giving a sense of pain or serious in"ury which could be caused to the flowers but again these symbolise the relationship which has faded and ended. I*#GER+ Simi,e - like a baby in a shawl a successful description of the rounded shape of an orchids closed bud as the appearance is similar. .ignificant as we know that Kay was adopted as a baby so there is a definite link here by the choice of simile. Simi,e - %shut like an eye in the dark& again describing the flower bud but suggesting the hidden truth or things which cant be seen or are in darkness perhaps shame or embarrassment0 Pe sonifi&ation the orchids are described as %unprovoked& and %upset& 1ou cant provoke or anger a flower to upset it so it is clearly representing the narrators feelings. - time is outside waiting almost suggesting that time as a person is becoming impatient and fed*up and eventually it will run out and there wont be a chance to improve the relationship. *etapho %buds closed as secrets The unopen flowers seem to be hiding the truth. *etapho a bag of tricks- This description of the plastic bag could suggest that the narrator feels she is being tricked! cheated or led to and is not getting the real story or truth. S'CCESS.'" ENDING? / The narrator seems to have become more angry and frustrated by the end of the te/t as if she has become impatient or has lost the opportunity to form a relationship. 2eferences to time and death are followed by %cutting3 with a sharp knife& perhaps suggesting an end to the relationship30 $HE*ES ( KE+ IDE#S The poem can seem +uite difficult as it is unclear whether her mother may have died by the end of the poem or whether she "ust does not have any further contact3

4e should all be able to relate to elements of perhaps having a distant or awkward relationship with a family member or friend. ,n theory we should get on well with our close family but this is not always the case. The more specific focus on adoption is certainly something which can be commented on. The feelings of anger! confusion! worry and the need to discover the truth is something that we can imagine most adopted children would be able to relate to. CO*P#RISONS $O O$HER K#+ POE*S Gap +ea / ,t is likely you would )56T2A.T %Keeping 5rchids& with %7ap 1ear&. 4hile they both describe relationships between parents and children %7ap 1ear& is much more positive with feelings of pride! admiration and reminiscence about a positive relationship. They both reflect on memories and mention babies but these are very thin in details in %Keeping 5rchids&. ,n contrast! %7ap 1ear& has vivid! positive images 0e! / There are some similarities in terms of emotions in the relationships in this poem although as the narrator is the mother it is presented differently. 8ike the child in %Keeping 5rchids& the mother in %9ed& feels some sense of frustration and anger at her situation. Although the daughter helps her mother in %9ed& there is a sense that the mother does get the truth and this could relate to %Keeping 5rchids&. Di1o &e / 9oth poems present a childs upset and frustration at their parent's(. They also both use en"ambment to show a sense of an outpouring of emotions and some angry! aggressive vocabulary. %Divorce& is more obvious in the narrators anger at her parents but %Keeping 5rchids& has many e/amples of frustration and anger throughout. *y G an!mothe 2s Houses / A :;21 different poem you would )56T2A.T this with %Keeping 5rchids&. %#7<& includes many detailed! positive memories showing the narrators affectionate feelings for her 7ran but %Keeping 5rchids& describes fading memories linked to sadness and frustration.