Material by Ros Barber: AS Level

Material by Ros Barber

Read Ros Barber's blog post about the reason she wrote Material here.

You will need to refer to this poem in your Poems of the Decade book p.10-12 because it is not available in full on the internet.

Content

Although the poem is written by the poet as a way to cope with her mother's death, it is also an exploration of nostalgia and the loss of the ways of the past. Barber considers the difference between a fabric 'material' handkerchief and the paper tissues more common today.

Main Themes

• The relationship between parents and children - Barber and her mother, Barber and her children
• Materialism - Community and local life has been abandoned for the TV
• Nostalgia and the passing of time - a fifties/sixties high street culture
• The changing role of women in society - from motherhood as a valued role to motherhood on the fly

Structure and Form

The poem is presented in eight stanzas, seven of which are eight lines long. The sixth stanza contains nine lines, probably because it belongs with the fifth stanza and the extra line could represent the overflow of nostalgia felt by the narrator as she talks about the high street characters of the past.

The regular iambic pattern of eight beats per line introduced in the first stanza also becomes inconsistent, reflecting the uncertainty of the first person narrator. Add to this the half-rhymes and colloquial interruptions which pepper the poem and the poem breathes a lack of confidence, unsettling and sad.

Despite her grief and loss, the narrator seems to want to make her listeners smile. There is gentle humour which lightens the overall bleak reality of a past and a person that will never return. It is an elegy that elevates the memory of the poet's mother.

Language

Barber uses descriptive and emotive language to help the reader to imagine what her mother was like and to feel the nostalgic sadness associated with her passing. The title 'Material' is literally the handkerchief of the poem but it also suggests the realised physical presence of her mother in the substance of the poem. Its links with other words and ideas such as 'immaterial' and 'materialism' to suggest that the memory of a parted loved one puts everything else into perspective.

Stanza 1

• Calling her mother the 'hanky queen' is a fond oxymoron that elevates and denigrates at the same time.
• The contrast between the solidity and reliability of a 'hanky' with its usefulness for romantic situations 'things for waving out of trains' and moving moments 'mopping the corners of your grief' is set in contrast with the transient 'paper tissues' with their convenient but unimpressive availability in 'late-night garages and shops'.

Stanza 2

• The first image of her mother as an 'embarrassment' is recognisably twee and old-style with her 'cards', 'V for Viv' and 'lace'. The 'sp', 'scr,' and 'b' sounds slow the reading down as the awkward and rather unpleasant imagery reminds the reader of a concerned mother cleaning a child's face on the go.
• The extended metaphor of the hankies reproducing up her sleeve amuses the reader, a warm-hearted jibe at the mother for her unfashionable habit.

Stanza 3

• The contrast of value placed on handkerchiefs is presented through a younger version of the narrator's voice. Words like 'ponce' and 'naffs' seem outdated for an adult today. 
• The repetition of 's' and 'x' sounds slows down the reading of 'boxed sets with transparent covers', adding a note of distain to the the voice, suggesting overkill, unnecessary focus on the importance of the handkerchief.

Stanza 4

• Lists of outdated items 'headscarves, girdles...' and discontinued actions 'boiling to be purified' add weight to the argument that shops have closed because no-one buys material hankies anymore.
• The internal rhyme of 'shuttered the doors of family stores' adds weight and inevitability to the end of not just department stores but family values.

Stanzas 5&6

• These two stanzas are linked by the enjambment of the last line of stanza 5 into 6 and the extension of description of people in the high street, showing the uncontrolled nostalgia of the narrator.
• Informal details add an emotive note of fun and colourful character to these seemingly well-known local figures: 'with his dodgy foot', 'comma can' 'friendly' 'slip an extra sausage in', helping the reader to imagine the gossip around the streets or even the very words of the narrator's mother.
• The repetition of step-together forms a regular beat, evocative of a bossy dance teacher ordering her pupils as they dance.
• The very long sentence stretching through fourteen lines creates a meandering and thoughtful tone as the past is remembered

Stanza 7

• A guilt trip begins and continues over the last three stanzas. The sentences are shorter and less indulgent as the narrator gets impatient with herself and criticises her own mothering. 
• Alliteration of 'b' sounds emphasise the bitter anger of the writer as she regrets not baking her own biscuits, making the reader understand the impact of a rushed, disposable life.
• The less-than-perfect scenario is painted with negative words 'cling on to', 'was killed', 'buy some time' 'if I'd commit' which helps the reader realise the dissatisfaction felt by the narrator.

Stanza 8

• The frustration comes over in the rhetorical question 'what awkwardness in me...' challenging the reader to answer an impossible question and feeling frustration in turn.
• The value of motherhood in the past is emphasised by the narrator's situation - she is working rather than being with her kids. The adjective phrase 'neglected-looking' describing her own children sums up the impact of a disposable culture.
• The handkerchiefs the she misses in the final two lines seem more clearly a metaphor for her mother, whose comfort she craves.

Stanza 9

• The choppy short sentences and added words 'I'll let it go.' 'eventually' emphasise the private nature of the narrator's internal train of thought.
• Coming to terms with her mother's death means that she needs to come to terms with her own, 'disposable' life.
• The final three lines of the poem, italicised, are a rhyming triplet, emphasising the proverb-style ending, wanting to instruct the reader with a final thought.

Revision questions:

1. Is the guilt trip of the narrator a valid one?

2. How would you interpret this poem using a feminist or psychoanalytical perspective?

3. Is the poem saying that life was better in the old days?

4. What does this poem say about the value of parenting?

5. How does the poet use language and structure to present a poem about bereavement?