My view about poem- ''The Grandmother''

      Poem 









"The Grandmother"

About Author

              “The Grandmother” poem written by Elizabeth Joan Jennings was born July 18, 1926 or died on October 26, 2001. He was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, England.  Elizabeth Jennings started her career as librarian. First she was highly influence by Hopkins, Auden till, she was her first book not published in 1955, won the name of book was “A way looking”. When she went to regard her religious faith highly increase. She also won W.H.Smith literature award for collected poems 1987. In 1953 arts conical of great Britani award her while prize for her book, which wile of poem. The Grandmother poem published her first collection of poem.

         
 Elizabeth Joan Jennings

Poem

She kept an antique shop – or it kept her.
Among Apostle spoons and Bristol glass,
The faded silks, the heavy furniture,
She watched her own reflection in the brass
Salvers and silver bowls, as if to prove
Polish was all, there was no need of love.

And I remember how I once refused
To go out with her, since I was afraid.
It was perhaps a wish not to be used
Like antique objects. Though she never said
That she was hurt, I still could feel the guilt
Of that refusal, guessing how she felt.

Later, too frail to keep a shop, she put
All her best things in one narrow room.
The place smelt old, of things too long kept shut,
The smell of absences where shadows come
That can’t be polished. There was nothing then
To give her own reflection back again.

And when she died I felt no grief at all,
Only the guilt of what I once refused.
I walked into her room among the tall
Sideboards and cupboards – things she never used
But needed; and no finger marks were there,
Only the new dust falling through the air.

                    In the first stanza the poem has gave description of her Grandmothers antique. She her grandmother cherished the antique shop more than anything or anyone. In her she kept many antique it such as apostle spoons and Bristol glass. The shop was funded by heavy furniture. She was very much attached wile antique shop. This attachment described the very first line of the poem…….

“She kept an antique shop or it kept her”  

         She had replaced family members with antique items which she uses to polish to keep their newness. She found love in those lifeless items only which is described in the last line of the stanza……

“Polish was all, there was no need of love”     

                  In the Second stanza Elizabeth Jennings expresses her guilt which is still that in her heart. Once her grandmother wanted but she at once refused without even thinking how she would feel. She refused to go out with her grandmother because she was afraid and didn’t want to be used like antique objects. When she refused her grandmother did not express her feeling that she was hurt but now Elizabeth Jennings deeper into her past she guilt. Her guilt is very well express in the fifth and six line of the second stanza…….

“I still could feel the guilt of that   refusal, guessing how she felt”

              Now she cannot express her guilt to her grandmother as she is no more.

             In the Third stanza the poet tells about death of her grandmother. In her last days her grandmother becomes very weak that she could not take care of her antique shop. In the very first line of the third stanza the poet expresses weakness of her grandmother……

  “Last, too frail to keep a shop, she put”

             The shop had no owner now as its honor had died. There is one word in the third stanza shadow come which mean death has arrived to take grandmother away now no polish cab return her back to life the think. Which she kept in her so, started smiling old because there caretaker was no more. Elizabeth Jennings grandmother loved her shop she had feeling for old the antique object that she kept in the shop in other word we can say the grandmother for shop and the shop for her grandmother with the death of the grandmother. The shop lost “It’s life” her death left the poet with the guilt which will be there in her heart for the rest of her life.

          In the last stanza the poet again talks about her guilt. The guilt of what she once refused when her grandmother was died. There was no “Grief” that guilt made her feel sad that she feel just “The guilt”. And that guilt made her feel sad that if her grandmother would have alive she would have abolished to her but with the death of her grandmother that guilt left in her heart for the lifelong. The Elizabeth Jennings enters in the room after the death of her grandmother she notices no figure marks or any of the objects. All she notices whole the dust which was falling through the air with the word sign board of the cupboards. The poet wants to say that for her grandmother the antique of the object of the shop was everything as she replaced her family member with such objects. She fended…….

“Oneness with them through them was lifeless”.

                 The shop was the only reason for which grandmother lived but she is no more now if there is anything remains in the shop is just dust……