10. What does the fl our do to the mother’s face? 11. Do you think the mother is old-fashioned? Why/why not? 12. In the second stanza, what is the father doing?
13. What words in the fi rst three lines of the second stanza tell you that this is a task the father has performed many times before?
14. Do you think there is any point to the father carrying out this task? 15. Why do you think he does it? 16. What are the conditions outside as he works? 17. In what ways do the mother and the father fulfi l stereotypical gender roles? 18. In the fi nal stanza, what word describes the grandfather’s hand as he pours the wine? 19. Why does the wine bottle ‘shiver on the lip of each glass’? 20. What indications are there in the fi nal line that the grandfather’s condition is deteriorating?
21. From the descriptions of the mother and father, do you think this is likely to be a household in which wine is regularly drunk with meals?
22. Do you think the son has come home because it is a special time of year? What time of year do you think it might be? Can you fi nd evidence from the poem to support your claim?
OVER TO YOU...
1. From your reading of the poem what impression do you form of both parents? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
TIP
As this question requires you to discuss only the fi nal four lines of the poem, one paragraph would be suffi cient.
TIP (10)
2. How does the poet suggest the passage of time in the last stanza? Explain your answer with reference to the last stanza of the poem. (10)
As this is a 10-mark question, it would make sense to write one paragraph on each parent.
