Download Catrin notes - St Cuthbert Mayne GCSE English

‘Catrin’ by Gillian Clarke
The central theme of this poem is the conflicting emotions in a parent/child
relationship. It shows the paradox of parenthood: the bond of motherhood and
the difficulty in giving the child freedom and independence.
Structure
1st person perspective – Mother talking to her daughter.
A two stanza poem: Stanza 1 is set in the hospital before and during the birth of
the narrator’s daughter. Stanza 1 is longer suggesting that the birth of her
daughter was a momentous occasion in her life. The repetition of ‘I can
remember’ together with the detail included in the account before and during the
birth indicates that the memory is forever etched in her mind. Stanza 2 is set in
the present when her daughter is older, probably a teenager. It explores the
conflict their relationship as the daughter strives to be more independent.
Each stanza ends with a full stop. The full stop in stanza one could indicate that
once the baby is born, the woman is entering a new era in her life – as a mother.
Whereas, the full stop at the end of stanza 2 could convey that the tension in
their present relationship will eventually move into a new phase as the girl
reaches adulthood.
The enjambement in the first stanza mirrors the struggle of labour until the birth
of the baby in the final two lines. Whereas the enjambement in the second
stanza indicates the ongoing struggle between the mother and daughter ‘Still I
am fighting/You off, as you stand there…’
There are generally 7 syllables to a line which creates a regular but not entirely
predictable rhythm. The poet may have used this rhythm to suggest the
constancy of a mother’s love ‘from the heart’s pool that old rope’ in the face of
difficulties ‘which changed us both. Still I am fighting’.
Rhyme is used in stanza 1 to suggest the anticipation and stability before the
baby’s birth ‘watching/taking’. Whereas the internal rhyme in stanza 2
associated with the teenage daughter ‘strong, long’ and ‘brown hair…defiant
glare’ conveys the struggle the daughter is exerting in order to gain more
independence from her mother.
Language
The contrasting words of love/affection and conflict indicate the struggle in the
mother/daughter relationship. ‘Love’, ‘tender’, ‘heart’ conflicts with ‘fierce
confrontation’, ‘struggle’, ‘fighting’.
Oxymoron is also used to convey the different struggles that are experienced
during the relationship. ‘wild tender circles/Of our struggle’ highlighting the pain
of childbirth contrasting with the love of a mother has for her child. ‘Trailing love
and conflict’ shows how this tension in the relationship continues.
Repetition of words ‘remember’, ‘love’, ‘struggle’,’ rope’ reinforces the conflicting
emotions in the parent/child relationship/
Essay title
Explore how the conflict between a mother a daughter is presented in
‘Catrin’. Use examples from the poem to support your daughter.