Essay Questions

How do the structure, form and content of 'Ageing' by Ruth Fainlight reflect the significance of the poem's title?

Age is the central theme of the poem 'Ageing', as its title indicates. Throughout the poem, key words signifying time highlight the contrast between past and present - 'Since', 'Now', 'When'. There is a Part 1 and a Part 2, which could be interpreted as the two chapters of life. The phrase '(say around forty)' points to the past, and the fact that the phrase is bracketed reinforces the idea that it is bracketed in memory; it is in the past. The contrast between youth and old age is also described - the speaker tells us 'Now that I'm really old' and that 'roller-skating / That used to be my favourite / sport, after school, every day'. The contrast between the present day and 'childhood days' returns us to the poem's title, emphasizing the speaker's despondent, maybe bitter, response to getting old.

Examine the use of narrative voice and form in 'Borrowed Time'.

This poem is written in the first person narrative voice, the 'I', who we could say is the poet, Ruth Fainlight. There are shifts throughout from 'I' to 'We' to 'you', suggesting that the speaker is addressing someone directly. The final lines of the poem - 'Do not allow this moment [...] last time' - seem to be aimed at the reader himself or herself, urging us to take onboard the central message of the poem. Written in one stanza, the poem asks lots of questions, implying the speaker might be anxious and is wanting answers. It is almost confessional in this respect, and the poem seems hurried.

Consider the theme of identity in Ruth Fainlight's 'Vertical'.

'Vertical' is one of the most identity focused poems written by the American-born poet Ruth Fainlight. Fainlight expresses her identity as poet, and her more personal identity. The speaker - who is most probably Fainlight - signals the opportunity for liberation that poetry offers her; she writes that 'I am released by language [...] / which sets me free / From whomsoever's definition'. Her vocation as poet is seen as a method of obtaining freedom. Later, the speaker confirms the three fundamental aspects of her identity: 'Jew. Woman. Poet.'. These one-word sentences, with all the nouns capitalized, emphasize the foundational components of her identity: her religious identity, her gender identity, her career identity. The fact that 'Poet' appears last in this list suggests it is the most important of the three.

Assess the poem 'Handbag' by Ruth Fainlight.

The poem 'Handbag' by Ruth Fainlight focuses on an item considered to be an essential part of a woman's wardrobe. Indeed, handbags were a very important part of the style of Margaret Thatcher, the first woman British Prime Minister. In this poem, the 'handbag' described belongs to the speaker's mother, and is endowed with a poignant, personal significance. Tactile and olfactory imagery combines to create a vivid picture of the importance of the handbag to the speaker's mother and the speaker, suggesting it is an item with intergenerational resonance. It has a life and a memory of its own, it has experienced things a human being experiences, which emphasizes its symbolic value.