Wednesday 18 January 2012

Praise Song For My Mother, Grace Nichols

Grace Nichols was born in Guyana in 1950 and moved to Britain in 1977. She is able to appreciate both cultures, and they are important to her.


The poem looks at different aspects of a mother/duaghter relationship. The mother is seen as the daughter's world. Mother is compared to or likened to as water, the moon, day and food: she is the necessities of her daughter's every day life. A few of you picked up on the fact that the elements are used to help describe her 'pull'. The moon pulls the tides; note the metaphor in this reference.

Several of you looked at the use of repetition of 'you were' and the word 'replenishing' and the fact that the poem is laden with feelings.

There is much more specific imagery used in the final stanza. There is a hint at emigration in the final line 'Go to your wide futures'.

The poem expresses joy and praise for her mother.

This would be good for comparision with Harmonium (parental relationships). Nettles looks at the relationship from a parental perspective.

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