Edwin Morgan Winter Winter Season of Winter is

Edwin Morgan Winter

Winter � Season of Winter is often associated with death � It represent death in nature � It often also symbolises the end of human life and the relentless passing of time � Such passing of time and the loss it brings are central concerns of this poem � The word has many cold, negative connotations

The year goes, the woods decay, and after, many a summer dies. � ‘The year goes’ wc introduces central concern of the passing of time � ‘the woods decay’ wc negative connotations of aging, suggesting that over time things worsen. This introduces theme of change in nature. � ‘many a summer dies’ – Imagery compares the end of a year (which happens in winter) to a person’s death. � Sentence structure- use of a list helps to create a slow, plodding pace and a depressed tone

The swan on Bingham’s pond, a ghost, comes and goes. �A metaphor is used to compare the swan to a ghost. Visually this is effective as both are white. This also has more negative connotations: it links with the idea of life ebbing away; the swan becomes a shade haunting the pond. This mirrors how we can be haunted by people who fade from our lives, who become ghost. � WC of ‘comes and goes’ reinforces this sense of loss / fading away.

Bingham’s pond � This is the poem’s setting. � It is a frozen (in Winter) pond near Morgan’s home in the West End of Glasgow. � It is beside Great Western Road-an extremely busy, long road that leads west out of Glasgow.

It goes, and ice appears, � ‘It goes’ repetition: third use of ‘goes’ in the poem, increasing sense of passing of time and loss. � Alliteration of ‘g’ connects it with ‘ghost’. � ‘ice appears’- the swan migrates for the winter season and the pond freezes over. � Symbolism- the frozen pond becomes a symbol for death

it holds, bears gulls that stand around surprised, � WC – ‘bears ‘and ‘holds’ are synonyms, meaning to carry. ‘Bears’ in particularly suggests carrying a heavy weight. Metaphorically, grief is a heavy weight to carry. � The ice holds the weight of birds and some ice skaters

� ‘blinking in the heavy light, ’ � unusual wc of heavy to describe the light. We would not naturally associate light with weight. � Creates a vivid impression of the winter sunlight that illuminates but provides little warmth and is almost oppressive. This faint light fits with the idea of life fading away.

when skates take over swan-tracks gone. � Sibilance (repetition of s sound) mimics the sound of the cutting of the ice’s surface by ice skates. � ‘gone’ wc again suggests change /loss. However, the change from ‘goes’ to ‘gone’ suggest a shift from decay to death. The loss seems final.

After many summer dyes, � Metaphor –compares apparent bright colour of pond in summer. This suggests life, warmth and energy. This, however, is now in the past. � Homophone- words that have the same pronunciations but different meanings (I would not like to be a bee). � Dyes is a homophone of dies, thereby reminding us of death.

the swan-white ice glints only crystal beyond white. � This is a contrast with the colour and life of summer. � Both ‘swan-white’ and ‘crystal’ suggest a setting drained of colour, without life.

Questions Lines 1 -9 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. How does the title helps to introduce the poem’s themes? (2) How does Morgan’s use of language create mood in the first sentence? (4) What impression of the swan is created by Morgan’s use of language in lines 2 -3? (4) What does the ice represent? (1) What impression of the light is created by Morgan’s use of language in lines 5 -6? (2) In lines 8 -9, how does Morgan’s use of language create a contrast? (4)

Even dearest blue’s not there, � ‘dearest blue’s not there’ enjambment emphasises colour and affection. � ‘blue’ suggests summer � ‘dearest’ suggest something valued and loved � However, wc of ‘not there’ puts emphasis on the absence of colour and what was/ is loved, adding to the sense of loss.

though poets would find it. � Suggests that poets can, even in the coldest, darkest days, imagine and depict colour and warmth. � Irony- Morgan unable to find this himself. He is a poet. This is a poem, but any such presence of warmth and love is gone.

I find one stark scene cut by evening cries, by warring air. � ‘I’ use of first person. It is only now, almost halfway through, that we become aware that the poem is being told in the first person. � This is also perhaps the bleakest line so far. � ‘stark’ wc suggests that the pond, as viewed by the narrator, is barren, bleak and desolate. � WC used to describe sounds suggest pain and violence ‘cut’ ‘cries’ ‘warring’. This mirrors the suffering of the poetic voice.

The muffled hiss of blades escapes into breath, hangs with it a moment, fades off. � The skaters leave, leaving silence. � Fading sound of ice skating is almost made to seem like a death � WC ‘fades’ is a negative verb, much like ‘decay’. This highlights the loss of sound, mirroring the earlier loss of colour. Imagine a move that is playing in colour with sound: first the colour is replaced by white, then the sound is replaced by silence. What mood would this create? � Onomatopoeia of ‘hiss’ creates an ominous, menacing tone, suggesting danger.

Fades off, goes, the scene, the voices fade, � This is the point where humanity leaves the poem � ‘Fades off’ repetition emphasises the disappearance of sound and life, creating a bleak mood. � ‘goes’ wc- a key word in poem, its fourth use. � The scene- sight � The voices- sound � Almost seems like end of a movie / performance

the line of trees, the woods that fall, decay and break, � ‘fall, decay and break, ’ WC conveys idea that it is the natural order for things to gradually weaken and fail. We get an impression of the trees losing their strength, dropping to the ground and rotting away. � Enjambment places extra emphasis on ‘and break’ with its connotations of pain and suffering.

the dark comes down, the shouts run off into it and disappear. � WC ‘the dark’ lack of colour now replaced by darkness, connotations of death and depression. It also replaces the humanity that was there, which now disappears. � Imagery ‘run off into it’ the boys become not people, but just noises, ‘shouts’ that are soon consumed by the dark.

At last the lamps go too, � ‘At last’ WC suggest the inevitability of the disappearance of light here. It also suggests a sense of conclusion, of ending. � Even artificial, human attempts at creating light have been defeated. This recalls the earlier disappearance of summer’s light. The dark now dominates completely. � ‘go’ is the plural version of ‘goes’.

when fog drives monstrous down � The fog has replaced light. Light tends to represent life. Here fog suggests the ravages of time and inevitability of death. � Symbolism time. � ‘fog’ represents the passing of WC ‘monstrous’ connotations of frightening, harmful, malevolent. Used here to describe the movement of fog. Reinforces the dark, depressing, bleak mood.

the dual carriageway out to the west � ‘dual carriageway’ reference to Great Western Road, which is beside Bingham’s Pond. Refers to nature being replaced by urbanisation. � Symbolism: the road represents the journey of human life. ‘The west’, is where the sun sets at then end of the day, mirroring the end of human life.

and even in my room / and on this paper � ‘my’ use of first person introduces second time the poetic voice speaks in a personal way. � ‘my room’ change of setting to somewhere that should be personal, secure and warm. � ‘on this paper’ contradicting earlier implication that he is not a writer /poet.

I do not know � WC suggests failure to understand the poem’s central concerns- passing of time, death.

about that grey dead pane of ice that sees nothing and that nothing sees. � Think, � What pair, share do you think the confusing end to this poem means?

Questions Lines 10 onwards 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. How does Morgan’s use of language create a sense of loss in line 10? (2) What mood is in lines 11 -12? How does Morgan’s use of language create this? (5) How is a negative feeling created in lines 1318? (4) What impression is created of the fog? How does Morgan’s use of language achieve this? (3) What mood is created at the end of the poem? How does Morgan’s use of language achieve this? (5)