Material by Ros Barber

Analysis of the Title

The title "Material" carries multiple connotations, referring both to the literal fabric of handkerchiefs and the more abstract concept of the substance and essence of life. It suggests a focus on the tangible and the intangible aspects of memory, tradition, and identity.

Structure and Form

Form, Meter, and Rhyme

• The poem is structured into nine stanzas of varying lengths, primarily octaves.
• It employs a loose rhyme scheme, predominantly ABCB, which contributes to a conversational tone.
• The meter is predominantly iambic tetrameter, although it is flexible and occasionally breaks to reflect the natural speech patterns of the speaker.

Speaker

• The speaker is an adult reflecting nostalgically on her childhood and the differences between her mother's generation and her own.
• The tone is introspective and somewhat regretful, with a mix of affection and embarrassment towards her mother's old-fashioned habits.

Setting

• The setting alternates between past and present, focusing on domestic scenes that highlight the contrast between traditional and modern life.
• Key locations include the family home, department stores, and local shops, which evoke a sense of community and personal interaction that the speaker feels has been lost.

Poetic Devices

Personification

• Handkerchiefs are personified, suggesting they had lives of their own and even "fell in love" and "mated".
• This personification imbues them with a sense of history and significance.

Imagery

• Vivid imagery captures the textures and details of the handkerchiefs, as well as the bustling life of local shops: "haddock smoked the colour of yolks" and "parcelled rows of local crab."
• These images evoke a bygone era of personal connections and tangible goods.

Alliteration and Assonance

• The poem uses alliteration and assonance to create a musical quality, such as in "mated, raising little squares" and "hankies...headscarves, girdles."
• These sound devices enhance the nostalgic and reflective tone of the poem.

Metaphor

• The handkerchiefs serve as a metaphor for the past, representing a time when life was more personal and interconnected.
• The speaker's mother, the "hanky queen", embodies the care and attention to detail of a previous generation.

Hyperbole

• Hyperbole is used to emphasize the speaker's feelings of inadequacy compared to her mother, describing her children as "neglected-looking" and needing strangers to clean their noses.

Enjambment and Caesura

• Enjambment is used to maintain a conversational flow, while caesurae create pauses that emphasize key ideas, such as in the line "She bought her own; I never did."

Key Themes

Tradition, Nostalgia, and Loss

• The speaker reflects on the disappearance of traditional handkerchiefs and the values they represent.
• The handkerchiefs symbolize a time when everyday interactions were more meaningful and products were durable.

"My mother too, eventually, / who died not leaving handkerchiefs / but tissues and uncertainty:"

• The speaker longs for the past but recognizes that she must let go of it.

Motherhood and Generational Change

• The poem contrasts the speaker's mother's devoted, old-fashioned approach to motherhood with the speaker's own modern, often frazzled experience.
• The speaker feels she doesn't measure up to her mother's standards of care and attention.

"The innocence I want my children to have is killed in TV's lassitude."

• She acknowledges that motherhood has changed and she must accept her way of parenting.

Modernity, Mass Production, and Dehumanization

• The shift from cloth handkerchiefs to disposable tissues symbolizes a broader cultural shift towards convenience and disposability.
• This change reflects the loss of personal, meaningful interactions and the rise of a more impersonal, mass-produced world.

"What awkwardness in me forbids me to keep tissues in my bag / when handy packs are 50p?"

• The speaker feels disconnected in a world that prioritizes efficiency over human connection.

Line by Line Analysis

Lines 1-4

My mother was the hanky queen when hanky meant a thing of cloth not paper tissues bought in packs from late-night garages and shops

"My mother was the hanky queen"

• The speaker introduces her mother, establishing a central figure in the poem with the affectionate title "hanky queen." This immediately suggests nostalgia and a sense of admiration.

"when hanky meant a thing of cloth,"

• This line contrasts the past with the present, highlighting that handkerchiefs were once made of cloth, indicating a bygone era.

"not paper tissues bought in packs"

• The poet underscores the difference between the past and modern conveniences, indicating a shift in values and traditions.

"from late-night garages and shops,"

• Modernity is depicted through the convenience of buying disposable tissues from garages and shops open late, contrasting with the permanence of cloth hankies.

Lines 5-8

but things for waving out of trains and mopping the corners of your grief when hankies were material she'd have one, always, up her sleeve

"but things for waving out of trains"

Handkerchiefs symbolize a more romantic, slower-paced era where gestures like waving from trains were common, suggesting a loss of personal touch in contemporary times.

"and mopping the corners of your grief:"

Handkerchiefs also serve a practical, emotional function, mopping tears, which ties to themes of care and tenderness.

"when hankies were material"

The word "material" is multifaceted, referring to the physical fabric and also implying significance and substance, hinting at deeper themes of loss and change.

Lines 9-12

Tucked in the wrist of every cardi, a mum's embarrassment of lace embroidered with a V for Viv, spittled and scrubbed against my face.

Tucked in the wrist of every cardi,

• The speaker describes her mother's habit of keeping a handkerchief in the wrist of her cardigan.
• This highlights the mother's preparedness and practical nature, ready to care for any minor mishap.

a mum's embarrassment of lace

• The handkerchiefs are ornate, and covered with lace, which the speaker finds embarrassing.
• This phrase conveys a typical child-parent dynamic where the child is embarrassed by the parent's old-fashioned habits.

embroidered with a V for Viv,

• The handkerchiefs are personalized, and embroidered with the letter "V," likely standing for the mother's name, Viv.
• This detail shows the sentimental value and personal touch the mother put into her belongings.

spittled and scrubbed against my face.

• The mother would dampen the handkerchief with her spit and use it to clean the speaker's face.
• This vivid imagery captures a common, intimate, albeit embarrassing, maternal action that reflects the mother's care and attention to her child's needs.

Lines 13-16

And sometimes more than one fell out as if she had a farm up there where dried-up hankies fell in love and mated, raising little squares.

And sometimes more than one fell out

• Multiple handkerchiefs often fell out of the mother's sleeve, showing she carried many at once.
• This comical exaggeration emphasizes the mother's readiness and possibly her obsession with cleanliness and care.

as if she had a farm up there

• The speaker humorously imagines her mother having a "farm" of handkerchiefs in her sleeve.
• This simile conveys the sheer number of handkerchiefs and adds a playful tone to the recollection.

where dried-up hankies fell in love

• The speaker personifies the handkerchiefs, suggesting they "fell in love" and multiplied.
• This whimsical image reflects the speaker's playful nostalgia and the seemingly endless supply of hankies.

and mated, raising little squares.

• The handkerchiefs are described as "mating" and producing "little squares," extending the personification.
• This further emphasizes the abundance and perhaps the impracticality of the mother's habit in the eyes of the speaker, adding a humorous touch to the memory.

Lines 17-21

She brought her own; I never did. Hankies were presents from distant aunts in boxed sets, with transparent covers and script initials spelling ponce, the naffest Christmas gift you'd get -

"she bought her own; I never did."

• The generational gap is evident here.
• The speaker's mother values handkerchiefs enough to purchase them, while the speaker does not, showing a shift in habits and perhaps values.

"Hankies were presents from distant aunts"

• The handkerchiefs represent a network of relationships and traditions, given as gifts from relatives, suggesting a close-knit community or family.

"in boxed sets, with transparent covers"

• Nostalgia is evoked through the image of handkerchiefs in boxed sets, a common gift in the past.

"and script initials spelling ponce,"

• The initials on the hankies reflect a time when personalization was important, perhaps viewed as pretentious ("ponce") in modern times.

"the naffest Christmas gift you'd get - "

• The speaker humorously acknowledges that these gifts were not necessarily desired, hinting at a clash between tradition and personal preference.

Lines 22-24

my brothers too, more often than not, got male ones: serious and grey, and larger, like they had more snot.

my brothers too, more often than not,

• The speaker highlights that her brothers also received handkerchiefs, though theirs were different from hers.
• This detail emphasizes the gender norms of the time, where even something as simple as a handkerchief was gendered.

got male ones: serious and grey,

• The handkerchiefs for the boys were "serious and grey," contrasting with the likely more decorative ones given to girls.
• The use of "serious" suggests a societal expectation for boys to be less frivolous and more practical.

and larger, like they had more snot.

• The larger size of the boys' handkerchiefs humorously implies that boys are messier or more prone to having colds.
• This line adds a touch of humour and exaggeration, reflecting the speaker's childhood perception of her brothers.

Lines 25-28

It was hankies that closed department stores, with headscarves, girdles, knitting wool and trouser presses; homely props you'd never find today in malls.

It was hankies that closed department stores,

• The speaker attributes the decline of department stores to the obsolescence of handkerchiefs and similar items.
• This hyperbolic statement underscores the cultural shift away from traditional, durable goods.

with headscarves, girdles, knitting wool

• These items, like handkerchiefs, are depicted as relics of a past era.
• They represent a time when self-sufficiency and homemaking skills were more common.

and trouser presses; homely props

• "Trouser presses" and "homely props" further emphasize the domestic and practical nature of the items.
• The phrase "homely props" suggests these were everyday items that supported a way of life now considered outdated.

you'd never find today in malls.

• The speaker laments the disappearance of these items in modern commercial spaces.
• This line contrasts the past with the present, highlighting the shift towards disposable, mass-produced goods.

Lines 29-32

Hankies, which demanded irons, and boiling to be purified shuttered the doors of family stores when those who used to buy them died.

Hankies, which demanded irons,

• Handkerchiefs required maintenance, such as ironing, reflecting the care and effort people once invested in their possessions.
• This detail emphasizes the labour-intensive nature of maintaining such items.

and boiling to be purified

• Boiling handkerchiefs to sterilize them highlights the hygienic practices of the past.
• This practice underscores the emphasis on cleanliness and the value placed on reusable items.

shuttered the doors of family stores

• The decline in demand for handkerchiefs and similar items led to the closure of family-run stores.
• This line suggests a loss of small businesses and the personal touch they provided.

when those who used to buy them died.

• The disappearance of these stores is linked to the passing of the generation that valued such items.
• This line poignantly acknowledges the generational shift and the loss of traditions.

Lines 33-40

And somehow, with the hanky's loss, greengrocer George with his dodgy foot delivering veg from a Comma van is history, and the friendly butcher who'd slip an extra sausage in, the fishmonger whose marble slab of haddock smoked the colour of the yolks and parcelled rows of local crab

And somehow, with the hanky's loss,

• The decline of handkerchiefs symbolizes the broader disappearance of a way of life.
• This line sets up the nostalgic reflection on other aspects of the past that have been lost.

greengrocer George with his dodgy foot

• The mention of "greengrocer George with his dodgy foot" personalizes the memory, adding a human element to the loss.
• This specific detail evokes a time when personal relationships were central to everyday commerce.

delivering veg from a Comma van

• George's method of delivery underscores the quaint and personal nature of past commercial interactions.
• The Comma van symbolizes a bygone era of local, personalized service.

is history, and the friendly butcher

• The phrase "is history" signifies that such characters and their roles have vanished.
• The "friendly butcher" further illustrates the personal relationships people had with their local tradesmen.

who'd slip an extra sausage in,

• This detail highlights the generosity and personal connection in past customer service.
• It contrasts with the impersonal nature of modern commercial transactions.

the fishmonger whose marble slab

• The "fishmonger" and his "marble slab" evoke a vivid, sensory image of traditional marketplaces.
• This imagery contrasts with the sterile environments of modern supermarkets.

of haddock smoked the colour of the yolks

• The descriptive detail of the haddock's colour adds to the nostalgic, sensory evocation of the past.
• This line highlights the quality and distinctiveness of locally sourced products.

and parcelled rows of local crab

• The "parcelled rows of local crab" emphasize the artisanal, careful presentation of goods.
• This image reinforces the sense of loss for the unique, personal touches of local vendors.

Lines 41-46

lay opposite the dancing school where Mrs White, with painted talons, taught us When You're Smiling from a stumbling, out of tune piano: step-together, step-together, step-together, point!

lay opposite the dancing school

• The proximity of the fishmonger to the dancing school further underscores the close-knit nature of the community.
• This line situates the memory within a specific, familiar locale.

where Mrs White, with painted talons,

• Mrs White's "painted talons" (nails) characterize her vividly, adding a touch of humour and individuality.
• This detail adds colour and personality to the memory of the dancing school.

taught us When You're Smiling from

• The song "When You're Smiling" is evocative and nostalgic, recalling a specific cultural moment.
• This reference adds a musical, cheerful element to the memory.

a stumbling, out of tune piano:

• The "stumbling, out of tune piano" adds a humorous and endearing touch, reflecting the imperfect but cherished nature of these memories.
• This detail emphasizes the charm of the past, where imperfections were accepted and even loved.

step-together, step-together, step-together,

• The repetition of "step-together" mimics the rhythm of a dance lesson, bringing the scene to life.
• This line conveys the discipline and routine of childhood activities.

point!

• The abrupt "point!" at the end adds a sense of finality and precision to the dance instruction.
• This single word encapsulates the culmination of the lesson, adding a playful and dynamic end to the stanza.

Lines 46-49

The Annual Talent Show when every mother, fencing tears, would whip a hanky from their sleeve and smudge the rouge from little dears.

The Annual Talent Show

• The "Annual Talent Show" represents a communal event that brought families together.
• This line sets the stage for a shared memory of community and family pride.

when every mother, fencing tears,

• The metaphor "fencing tears" vividly captures the mothers' attempts to hold back their emotions.
• This phrase conveys the deep emotional connection and pride mothers felt for their children.

would whip a hanky from their sleeve

• The act of "whipping a hanky from their sleeve" underscores the practicality and preparedness of mothers.
• This detail connects to the broader theme of handkerchiefs as symbols of care and attentiveness.

and smudge the rouge from little dears.

• The mothers "smudge the rouge" from their children's faces, adding a tender, personal touch to the scene.
• This line encapsulates the nurturing and affectionate actions of the mothers, reinforcing the nostalgic tone.

Lines 50-56

Nostalgia only makes me old. The innocence I want my brood to cling on to like ten-bob notes was killed in TV's lassitude. And it was me that turned it on to buy some time to write this poem and eat bought biscuits I would bake if I'd commit to being home

Nostalgia only makes me old.

• The speaker reflects on the nature of nostalgia, recognising that longing for the past doesn't bring back the past but instead emphasises her age.
• This line acknowledges the futility of dwelling on memories, as it only serves to remind her of the time that has passed.

The innocence I want my brood

• The speaker expresses a desire for her children to retain their innocence.
• "Brood" suggests a protective, motherly instinct, highlighting her concern for their well-being.

to cling on to like ten-bob notes

• The speaker uses the simile "like ten-bob notes" to illustrate how she wants her children to hold on to their innocence as tightly as one would guard money.
• This metaphor conveys the value she places on their innocence, akin to precious currency.

was killed in TV's lassitude.

• The speaker laments that the innocence she cherished for her children was destroyed by the passive consumption of television.
• "Lassitude" suggests a lethargy or lack of energy, implying that TV induces a state of inactivity and mental dullness.

And it was me that turned it on

• The speaker admits her role in allowing television to infiltrate her children's lives.
• This line indicates a sense of guilt and responsibility for contributing to the loss of innocence.

to buy some time to write this poem

• She reveals that she used television as a distraction for her children so she could have time for herself, specifically to write poetry.
• This line conveys the internal conflict between her creative pursuits and her duties as a mother.

and eat bought biscuits I would bake

• The speaker contrasts her current habit of eating store-bought biscuits with her idea of baking them herself.
• This detail underscores her feelings of inadequacy and the gap between her aspirations and reality.

if I'd commit to being home

• She suggests that if she were more dedicated to being a traditional, stay-at-home mother, she would have the time to bake.
• This line reflects her struggle with modern motherhood and the pressure to balance multiple roles.

Lines 57-64

There's never a hanky up my sleeve. I raised neglected-looking kids, the kind whose noses strangers clean. What awkwardness in me forbids me to keep tissues in my bag when handy packs are 50p? I miss material handkerchiefs, Their soft and hidden history.

There's never a hanky up my sleeve.

• The speaker notes that, unlike her mother, she does not carry handkerchiefs.
• This line highlights the difference between her approach to motherhood and that of the previous generation.

I raised neglected-looking kids,

• She self-critically describes her children as appearing neglected.
• This harsh assessment reveals her feelings of inadequacy and guilt as a mother.

the kind whose noses strangers clean.

• The speaker adds that her children are so neglected that even strangers feel the need to clean their noses.
• This hyperbolic statement emphasises her perceived failure to provide the same level of care her mother did.

What awkwardness in me forbids

• The speaker questions why she feels uncomfortable carrying tissues.
• This line suggests an internal barrier preventing her from adopting practical habits.

me to keep tissues in my bag

• She elaborates on her previous question, focusing on the simple act of carrying tissues.
• This reinforces her struggle with feeling inadequate compared to her mother's preparedness.

when handy packs are 50p?

• The speaker notes that tissues are easily accessible and inexpensive, highlighting the irrationality of her discomfort.
• This line underscores the triviality of the barrier she feels, adding to her sense of frustration.

I miss material handkerchiefs,

• She expresses nostalgia for traditional handkerchiefs, which symbolise a bygone era of care and attentiveness.
• This line conveys a longing for the tangible, durable objects of the past.

Their soft and hidden history.

• The handkerchiefs' "soft and hidden history" suggests a sentimental value and a connection to a more personal, intimate past.
• This phrase captures the essence of her nostalgia, valuing the memories and care embedded in those handkerchiefs.

Lines 65-68

But it isn't mine. I'll let it go. My mother too, eventually, who died not leaving handkerchiefs but tissues and uncertainty:

"My mother too, eventually,"

• This line suggests the inevitability of change and the passage of time affecting everyone, including the speaker's mother.

"who died not leaving handkerchiefs"

• The mother's death is introduced, with a poignant note that she didn't leave behind the symbolic handkerchiefs, indicating perhaps a deeper sense of loss and a break from tradition.

"but tissues and uncertainty:"

• This contrasts the permanence of cloth with the disposable nature of tissues, symbolizing a shift to a less certain, more transient modern life.

Lines 69-72

and she would say, should I complain of the scratchy and disposable, that this is your material to do with, daughter, what you will

and she would say, should I complain

• The speaker imagines what her mother would tell her if she voiced her complaints.
• This line sets up a hypothetical conversation, highlighting the continued influence of her mother's wisdom.

of the scratchy and disposable,

• "Scratchy and disposable" refers to modern, mass-produced items like paper tissues, contrasting with the softer, reusable handkerchiefs of the past.
• This phrase encapsulates the speaker's dissatisfaction with the lack of quality and permanence in contemporary life.

that this is your material

• The mother's imagined response is pragmatic, acknowledging that the speaker must work with the reality of her present circumstances.
• "Your material" has a double meaning, referring both to the literal materials (like tissues) and the metaphorical material of her life and experiences.

to do with, daughter, what you will

• The mother's advice is empowering, suggesting that the speaker has the agency to shape her life despite the limitations of modernity.
• This line encourages acceptance and adaptation, implying that it's up to the speaker to make the best of her situation.