Brothers, Andrew Forster

Andrew forster, born in South Yorkshire. He is well known collection of poetry, Fear of Thunder, which was published in 2007.

The poem, Brothers is an anecdote from his childhood, but it can also be read as being about sibling relationships in general.

The childhood memory reflects on when him and his older brother are given the responsibility of looking after their younger brother for the afternoon. They are exasperated with him, but excited to be out on their own. They send their younger brother back to get his bus fare from their mother. However they use age as dominance over their younger brother and leave him behind. There is a contrast between how young they are and how old they feel at the time.

Alliteration is used to give a sense of contempt at the 'spouting six year old'.

This is a narrative poem addressed to the six year old in the poem, seemingly some years after the events they describe. The poem is written in free verse, making it seem more like a story being told in spoken English. The first stanza establishes the realtionship between the brothers. The second explains how the youngest had to go back and how the older two went on. Thw third stanza describes how the youngest got left behind, and hints at the impact this may have had. The distance can be seen as a metaphor.



 Frustration, Guilt and Regret are expressed in the poem.

Could be compared to Sister Maude or looking back on childhood in Nettles.