In order to answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
- The poem in a nutshell
- A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
- A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Seni Seneviratne’s intention and message
“A Wider View” in a nutshell
“A Wider View”, written by Seni Seneviratne, is a nostalgic poem in which a speaker considers the perspective of a great-great-grandparent living in 19th-century working-class Leeds. The poem explores the bonds of heritage and cultural identity {Error #829843: Missing popover `sIVMyDlRxL3d_XH`} that move beyond time and place.
“A Wider View” breakdown
Lines 1–3
“From the backyard of his back-to-back,
my great-great-grandad searched for spaces
in the smoke-filled sky to stack his dreams,”
Translation
- The poem describes a type of Victorian terraced house, called a “back-to-back”
- The narrator introduces the poem’s subject, their great-great-grandfather
- The city where he lives is described as polluted and with little free space
Seneviratne’s intention
- The first lines of Seneviratne’s poem introduce the idea of reflection and longing
- The lines highlight the industrialisation of the city, and describe it as restrictive and cramped:
- The poet implies a lack of freedom in the city
Line 4–5
“high enough above the cholera to keep them
and his newborn safe from harm.”
Translation
- These lines tell us that the narrator’s distant relative had to keep his family safe from common but serious illnesses such as cholera
Seneviratne’s intention
- Seneviratne highlights the man’s care for his family as well as the dangers they face
- The lines imply poor social conditions in the city, making survival difficult
Lines 6–8
“In eighteen sixty-nine, eyes dry with dust
from twelve hours combing flax beneath
the conicals of light in Marshall’s Temple Mill,”
Translation
- The poem mentions the year, 1869, and the factory work of the Industrial Revolution
- The poet refers to long and uncomfortable working hours “combing Flax ” in a textile mille:
- “Marshall’s Temple Mill” is a former flax factory in Leeds, begun in 1791 by an industrial pioneer, John Marshall
- The textile mill was notoriousfor its poor working conditions, employing young children and the elderly, with long working hours
Seneviratne’s intention
- Here, the poet draws attention to the limited rights of the workers
- The descriptions allude to the dark and dusty conditions in the factory
- By mentioning a specific factory, the poet creates a sense of familiarity and authenticity
Lines 9–10
“he took the long way home because
he craved the comfort of a wider view.”
Translation
- The narrator explains how their great-great-grandfather walked the “long way home”, suggesting he needed to spend time alone outside of the busy, inner city streets
- The narrator explains that he “craved” more space, a “wider view” of the city
Seneviratne’s intention
- Seneviratne describes the man’s need for space and solitude
- The emotive {Error #829843: Missing popover `abc123`} words “craved” and “comfort” suggest the man is constrainedin some way and needs freedom
Lines 11–13
“As he passed the panelled gates of Tower Works,
the tall octagonal crown of Harding’s chimney
drew his sights beyond the limits of his working life”
Translation
- The man’s journey home takes him past historical buildings in the city
- The poet describes the buildings as imposing (“tall” and “panelled”) and stately (“crown”)
- These buildings seem to inspire the speaker’s imagination away from his mundane life in the factory
Seneviratne’s intention
- Seneviratne names famous landmarks in Leeds to draw attention to the history of the city
- The “panelled gates” add to the feeling of entrapment felt by the speaker
- The reference to the “octagonal crown” suggests the factory’s power and importance in the city
Lines 14–15
“drowned the din of engines, looms and shuttles
with imagined peals of ringing bells.”
Translation
- By listing the machines in the factory, the poet implies the noise (the “din”)
- But the speaker is able to drown out the noise with his imagination
Seneviratne’s intention
- Seneviratne draws attention to the noise of the factories, which the man seeks to escape
- The buildings the man sees on the walk home, however, help him forget his work:
- Seneviratne therefore conveys the power of personal reflection
Lines 16–17
“Today, my footsteps echo in the sodium gloom
of Neville Street’s Dark Arches and the red-brick vaults”
Translation
- The poet shifts to the present tense and a first-person perspective
- The historical arches over the station in Leeds are mentioned
Seneviratne’s intention
- Seneviratne brings the past and the present together as the narrator walks in the same place as they imagine their distant relative walked
Lines 18–19
“begin to moan as time, collapsing in the River Aire,
sweeps me out to meet him on the Wharf.”
Translation
- The narrator personifies the brick vaults that moan as time “collapses”
- These lines appear to describe a metaphysical blending of time and place
- The narrator is swept into the past to meet their great-great-grandfather
Seneviratne’s intention
- Seneviratne presents the close bonds of heritage
- The narrator, standing in the same place as they imagine their ancestors stood, feels a close connection with the past
- This is made more realistic by grounding the image in a particular place
Lines 20–21
“We stand now, timeless in the flux of time, anchored
only by the axis of our gaze - a ventilation shaft”
Translation
- The poet changes perspective to the first-person plural “we” to depict the meeting between the narrator and their ancestor
- Seneviratne’s narrator appears to find time stopped in the axis of the building’s ventilation shaft
Seneviratne’s intention
- Seneviratne’s theme of heritage is shown as a never-ending bond between family members
- The buildings, also timeless, are the stimulus for this reflection
- The view becomes a connection between the generations who see the same thing
Lines 22–24
“with gilded tiles, and Giotto’s geometric lines-
while the curve of past and future generations
arcs between us.”
Translation
- These lines refer back to the imagined “ringing bells” the great-great-grandfather hears when he passes Tower Works:
- “Giotto’s geometric lines” refers to a famous bell tower in Italy
- Here, the narrator explains how the majesty and history of the buildings connect past and present generations
Seneviratne’s intention
- Seneviratne ends the poem closing the distance between the narrator and their ancestry
- Physical belonging is linked to emotional belonging
- The poet describes how individuals can find connections across time and place through personal reflection