Catrin (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Each poetry anthology in the GCSE contains 15 poems, and in the poetry question in the exam you will be given one poem on the paper – printed in full – and asked to compare this given poem to one other from the anthology. As this is a “closed book” exam, you will not have access to the other poems, so you will have to know them very well from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to learn. However, understanding four things about each poem will enable you to produce a top-mark response:

• The meaning of the poem and the story it tells 
• The ideas and messages the poet wanted to convey
• How the poet uses poetic techniques to convey their ideas and messages
• How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas and themes of other poems in the anthology

Below is a guide to Gillian Clarke’s 'Catrin', from the Conflict anthology. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
• Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods
• Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes
• What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

The poem has been taken from Pearson Edexcel’s poetry anthology, the full version of which can be found here.

In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is essential that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell
• An explanation of the poem, line-by-line
• A commentary of each of these lines, outlining Clarke's intention and message

'Catrin' in a nutshell

'Catrin' is an intensely personal poem depicting a mother’s relationship with her daughter. The speaker describes her daughter’s birth and explores their physical and emotional connection, as well as their struggle to become two separate people. The umbilical cord becomes a metaphor for their continued connection, but Clarke also addresses the conflicts between them. The poem celebrates Catrin’s individuality and the bond that still connects the mother with her daughter. 

'Catrin' breakdown

Lines 1–5

“I can remember you, child, 

As I stood in a hot, white 

Room at the window watching 

The people and cars taking 

Turn at the traffic lights.”

Explanation

• The speaker remembers waiting to give birth to her daughter
• She is standing in a hospital room, which is overheated, with bare, white walls 
• The speaker looks out of the window at the street, where life is going on normal
  
  

Clarke's intention

• Clarke presents her speaker’s memory in the first person (“I”) and addresses her daughter directly, as “child”:
• This introduces the personal tone of the poem
• The “I” and “you” used throughout the poem reflect the nature of the mother-daughter relationship, which changes but also remains the same
• The unnamed “child” who is being addressed is assumed to be the “Catrin” referred to in the title
• The “hot, white room” conveys a stifling atmosphere:
• This illustrates the closeness, but also the discomfort, of the relationship Clarke portrays in the poem
• The speaker’s view from the window emphasises the contrast between her situation and the outside world :
• She is about to do something life-changing and extraordinary (give birth), while outside people are continuing with their normal lives
• This also signals the way in which her own life is about to change forever

Lines 6–9

“I can remember you, our first 

Fierce confrontation, the tight 

Red rope of love which we both 

Fought over.-” 

Explanation

• The theme of conflict is introduced with the description of the child’s birth as a “fierce confrontation”
• The “tight/Red rope of love” is a metaphor for the umbilical cord:
• The theme of conflict continues as the speaker describes fighting over the umbilical cord with the baby
  
  

Clarke's intention

• The speaker repeats “I can remember you”, reinforcing the relationship between mother and daughter 
• The moment of birth, when the baby becomes a separate individual to the mother, is described by the speaker as a conflict – their “first/Fierce confrontation:
• This description emphasises the physical separation between the speaker and her baby
• It could also indicate the pain and struggle of childbirth
• The metaphor of the “tight/Red rope of love” indicates the connection between them: 
• The fact that they “both/Fought over” the umbilical cord presents a dual image of connection and conflict
• This ensures that the theme of conflict is interwoven with their connection from the very start
• The metaphor of the rope indicates connection, but also restriction – a rope can tie someone up
• The red colour of the rope, which contrasts sharply with the stark white of the room, may also indicate the blood of childbirth

Lines 9–17

“-It was a square

Environmental blank, disinfected 

Of paintings or toys. I wrote 

All over the walls with my 

Words, coloured the clean squares 

With the wild, tender circles 

Of our struggle to become 

Separate. We want, we shouted, 

To be two, to be ourselves.”

Explanation

• The speaker returns to her previous description of the hospital room, noting how bare of decoration or objects it is
• In her imagination, the speaker writes and draws coloured circles on the walls
• The speaker and the baby both express their desire to become separate human beings:
• The shouting could also refer to the cries of the mother and baby during childbirth

Clarke's intention

• The metaphor of the “square/Environmental blank” suggests that the bareness of the room makes the speaker’s physical environment “blank” or empty:
• She has no point of reference or any way to get her bearings
• The squareness and blankness of the room could also represent a blank sheet of paper and refer to the act of writing
• The “blank” may represent the idea that the act of childbirth is so real and overwhelming that her surroundings feel empty and featureless in comparison
• The description of the room as “disinfected of paintings or toys” suggests that nothing in it relates to colour, or children, or life:
• The room is likely to be disinfected to ensure sterile conditions for the birth
• However, the description also suggests the speaker’s alienation, echoing the initial description of her looking out of the window
• The speaker projects herself into the space around her by writing and drawing on the walls in her imagination:
• The speaker is a writer, so covering the walls with her own words is an act of self-assertion
• She is reclaiming her individual identity at the moment of separation from her baby
• However, the speaker’s “words” may also be her shouts as she gives birth
• The image also mimics the way a child might draw on walls, pulling the focus back to the birth and foreshadowing future conflicts between mother and child
• The oxymoron of “wild, tender circles” mirrors the conflicting feelings of pain and love as the speaker gives birth:
• The circles also represent the wholeness of both mother and baby as they become separate individuals
• Clarke emphasises the mother and baby’s individuality and their mutual desire – “our struggle” to “be two, to be ourselves”:
• The “I” of the poem so far has become the plural “our” and “we”
• This image continues the interweaving of conflict – the desire to be two separate people – with connection
• The speaker and her child want the same thing, but that will separate them

Lines 18–24

“Neither won nor lost the struggle

In the glass tank clouded with feelings

Which changed us both. Still I am fighting 

You off, as you stand there 

With your straight, strong, long 

Brown hair and your rosy, 

Defiant glare,-”

Explanation

• The speaker reflects that neither she nor her daughter “won” in their struggle for separation:
• The “glass tank” of the plastic hospital crib was metaphorically “clouded” with their new feelings, and their experience changed both of them forever
• The poem moves into the present tense to note that the speaker is “still” in some kind of conflict with her daughter
• The speaker’s visual description of Catrin brings the poem right into the present moment:
• Her description conveys admiration for Catrin’s healthy hair and complexion
• Catrin’s “defiant glare” continues the theme of conflict between her and the speaker

Clarke's intention

• The fact that neither mother nor daughter won or lost their struggle illustrates the balance in their relationship:
• It also reflects the tension between connection and separation in the poem
• The “glass tank”, which is “clouded” suggests that their feelings about the birth and their situation are so overwhelming that they block out any other feelings:
• “Clouded” could also suggest confusion about feelings that are still very new to them
• The speaker is fighting her daughter off, as if Catrin is attacking her by trying to separate further from her as she grows up
• There is a mixture of admiration and irritation in the speaker’s physical description of Catrin:
• This mirrors the tension between connection and separation that characterises their relationship
• The fact that Catrin is “defiant” is further illustration of the balance of power in their relationship

Lines 24–29

“-bringing up

From the heart’s pool that old rope, 

Tightening about my life, 

Trailing love and conflict, 

As you ask may you skate 

In the dark, for one more hour.”

Explanation

• The speaker returns to the metaphor of the rope to express her sense of connection with her daughter:
• The connection is so deep that it reaches into the speaker’s “heart’s pool”, which represents the depth of her love for Catrin
• However, the rope restricts the speaker, “tightening” around her, at the same time as it connects to her love for her daughter
• The rope carries with it a long history of mixed love and conflict
• The speaker then returns to the present moment to report Catrin’s question, which has been the source of the conflict between them
• Catrin wants to stay out for one more hour to roller skate on the street, but the speaker has refused her permission to do so

Clarke's intention

• Clarke wants to convey the tension between love and conflict that characterises the mother-daughter relationship:
• She does this by returning to the metaphor of the rope, which once connected them physically (the umbilical cord) and continues to connect them emotionally 
• At the same time, their connection restricts the speaker’s life, because it occupies her feelings and her time
• The rope also suggests the image of something tied up, like a boat moored in a harbour
• The metaphor of the “heart’s pool” reinforces this interpretation:
• The “heart’s pool” represents the speaker’s love, but could also be an allusion to the lifeblood they shared before Catrin’s birth, or the genetic connection between them
• The return to the present moment reveals that the conflict over Catrin staying out later was the starting point for the speaker’s reflections:
• The “now” of the poem has sent the speaker’s thoughts into the past, to examine the original source of her feelings for her daughter
• The distance between them in the present is suggested by the phrase “in the dark”, which could refer to hidden feelings or information

This section is split into three areas: form, structure and language. Instead of treating these technical areas as separate, aim to integrate them in your analysis. Think about how Clarke's language, structure and form combine to get her ideas and message across in 'Catrin'. 

You will gain far more marks by focusing on Clarke's themes than on individual poetic techniques. Therefore, the analysis in the following sections is arranged by theme, and explores Clarke's use of:

• Form
• Structure
• Language

Form

'Catrin' describes the speaker’s experience of giving birth to her daughter and the blend of connection and conflict that characterises their relationship. The speaker’s first-person reflections are provoked by a disagreement with her daughter, and her thoughts reach back to Catrin’s birth, to examine the original source of her feelings. The poem has no regular rhythm or rhyme scheme, and is split into two stanzas, with the subject of the second stanza reflecting back on the first. 

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s intention
Conflict and connection	The poem uses a first-person speaker: Her thoughts are addressed to her daughter, Catrin, the “you” of the poem	The use of “I”, “you”, “our” and “we” in the poem emphasises its intensely personal tone
	The break on the page between the two stanzas represents the shift from memory to the present moment: It also symbolises the cutting of the umbilical cord at the end of the first stanza  Despite the break, the second stanza echoes elements of the first, such as the metaphor of the rope	The break between past and present mirrors the division and conflict between the speaker and her daughter: However, the reference back to the daughter’s birth in the second stanza also reinforces the strength of their continuing connection

Structure

The poem begins in the past tense, as the speaker remembers giving birth to her daughter. It then moves into the present tense in the second stanza. The break between the two stanzas mirrors the physical separation that happens when the “tight/Red rope of love” is cut. The second stanza focuses on a disagreement between the speaker and her daughter. Running through the entire poem is the metaphor of the rope, which ties together the past and the present. Clarke uses enjambment and caesura to convey her speaker’s thought processes and to emphasise certain words.

Theme	Evidence	Poet’s intention
Conflict and connection	Clarke uses the metaphor of a rope to represent the connection between the speaker and her daughter: The “tight/Red rope of love” is both the umbilical cord and the deep emotional bond between them In the second stanza, the speaker returns to the metaphor when she refers to “that old rope/Tightening”	The bond between mother and child is as strong emotionally as the physical bond of the umbilical cord: The rope is “tight” when the speaker is giving birth and “tightening” when she argues with her daughter This shows that the connection between them, with all its restrictions, is as powerful as it was when Catrin was born
	Other metaphors reinforce the symbol of the rope: Catrin’s “Defiant glare” brings the rope “up/From the heart’s pool” The metaphor of the “heart’s pool” represents the source of the speaker’s love for her daughter	When the speaker and her daughter argue, her feelings of frustration and anger come from the same source as her feelings of closeness and connection: The rope is “Trailing love and conflict”, emphasising the dual nature of the bond between them
	Clarke uses enjambment to convey the speaker’s thought processes: For example, the statement at the start of the second stanza runs across three lines, with no punctuation This is a memory of seeing her newborn daughter in a hospital crib  The memory of their “struggle” leads into the description of their current conflict	The way Clarke presents this memory illustrates the way that a single memory can contain many elements:  It incorporates a visual memory, the speaker’s emotional state and her reflection that their “struggle” has “changed us both” The enjambment emphasises the way these elements are all rolled into one
	When sentences run on from the previous line, there is often a caesura after the first or second word in the following line: For example, “which we both/Fought over.” and “our struggle to become/Separate.” The caesuras after “Fought over” and “Separate” make these words stand out	The words and phrases that are emphasised in this way are often drawn from the semantic field of conflict: They include “Fierce confrontation”, “Fought over”, “Separate” and “Defiant glare” This technique weaves the theme of conflict through the entire poem

Language

The vivid imagery in the poem is both visual and metaphorical. Clarke uses colour imagery, and refers to writing and drawing to reflect the creative act of giving birth. Although the poem is written in free verse, it contains distinctive verbal patterns, such as the repetition of “love”, “struggle” and “rope”, which connects the two stanzas. Despite the absence of regular rhyme, the assonance of groups of words in close proximity to each other has a unifying effect.

Theme	Evidence	Poet's intention
Conflict and connection	Visual imagery is used in the descriptions of the birth: The visual contrast between the “white” room and the “red rope” of the umbilical cord heightens the drama of the description	The white “blank” of the room suggests a lifeless, blank page, while the red rope conveys the vitality of new life and connection:  The tension between the two reflects the twin strands of “love and conflict” (line 27) in the mother’s relationship with her daughter
	The speaker imagines writing and drawing coloured circles on the blank walls:  She describes covering the walls with  “my/Words” and drawing “wild, tender circles” The oxymoron of “wild, tender circles” reflects the speaker’s combined feelings of pain and love	The speaker’s acts of writing and drawing suggest that these are acts of self-assertion: They are creative actions that echo the creation of a new life Clarke demonstrates that creativity involves struggle, in this case “our struggle to become/Separate”
	Repetition of certain words in the poem create verbal patterns:  The words “love”, “struggle” and “rope” are repeated in the first and second stanzas Repetition is also used in the description of the moment of birth, when the speaker describes how “we shouted/To be two, to be ourselves” The repetition of “to be” could represent verbally their separation into two beings	These verbal patterns emphasise the tension between “love” and “struggle” in the mother-daughter relationship: Their bond, and the way they can’t escape it, is reinforced by the repetition of “rope” The fact that these words are repeated in both stanzas ties the present to the past: nothing has changed This mirroring effect is echoed in the repetition of “to be” in the final line of the first stanza, which divides the past from the present
	The description of the speaker’s argument with her daughter contains assonance in the words “there”, “hair” and “glare”: This emphasises those particular words to create a sequence	The assonance also demonstrates a progression in the argument: First of all, Catrin is just “there” and then the speaker notices her hair, which is “strong”, showing her growing independence Finally, the speaker describes her “Defiant glare”, a non-verbal confrontation
	Clarke uses alliteration to describe the birth: “our first fierce confrontation”	The repeated “f” sounds suggest someone biting their lip in pain: They could also represent short puffs of breath as the speaker gives birth

Context can offer important insights into the poem, but you should avoid using information about Clarke or her biographical or literary context in a random way. Instead, aim to combine contextual information with your analysis of the poem's themes to demonstrate your understanding of her ideas and message. In 'Catrin', the main focus is on the struggle between conflict and connection between the speaker and her daughter, so this section is bullet-pointed under that central theme: 

• Conflict and connection

Conflict and connection

• Gillian Clarke (born in 1937) is a Welsh poet and playwright from Cardiff, who was the National Poet of Wales from 2008 to 2016:
• ‘Catrin’, like much of her poetry, explores her own identity as a writer and a mother
• She connects her identity with the themes she addresses in her poems
• Clarke often celebrates women’s domestic roles in her poetry:
• Her poems frequently focus on the subject of motherhood
• ‘Catrin’ is a poem that celebrates a mother’s role
• The focus of ‘Catrin’ on bodily imagery is typical of Clarke’s poetry about motherhood
• Clarke often writes about her own family and her family history
• Clarke’s poems are often characterised by tension between two forces:
• This is the case in ‘Catrin’, which explores the tension between conflict and connection in a mother-daughter relationship
• Clarke’s own daughter is called Catrin, so the poem is derived from her personal experience
• Clarke’s writing often addresses armed conflicts:
• For example, she has written about the 2021 Afghanistan War in ‘Listen’ and the 1990s conflicts in former Yugoslavia in ‘Letters from Bosnia’ 
• Both of these poems, like ‘Catrin’, present images of mothers and children, and how they experience the effects of conflicts 
• Clarke also uses natural and domestic imagery extensively to get her ideas across:
• These dual preoccupations with domestic life and conflict can also be seen in ‘Catrin’:
• Clarke focuses on the mother-daughter relationship, but uses the language of conflict to describe their struggle

In your exam, you will be asked to compare the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. That means it’s a good idea to revise pairs of poems together, in order to understand how each poet presents their ideas about conflict. This will enable you to write a thorough analysis of their similarities and differences. In 'Catrin', Clarke's main theme is the relationship between connection and conflict. Therefore, the following comparisons would be a good place to start:

• 'Catrin' and 'Poppies’
• 'Catrin' and 'The Man He Killed’ 

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• The comparison in a nutshell
• Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
• Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

'Catrin' and ‘Poppies'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Parenthood features strongly in both poems, with each speaker describing their connection with their child in very direct terms. Conflict is also a main theme in both poems, but while Clarke addresses the tension between conflict and connection in her speaker’s relationship with her daughter, Weir’s speaker addresses the armed conflict that took her son away from her. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Both poems focus on the relationships between mothers and their children and use similar techniques to convey that connection
Evidence and analysis	'Catrin'	'Poppies'
	The speaker in Clarke’s poem is a mother who is addressing her daughter in her imagination: The first and second person (“I” and “you”) are used, conveying the speaker’s feelings very directly	Weir’s speaker is also a mother addressing her child, a son, in her imagination:  The speaker also uses “I” and “you” to convey her feelings directly
	The intimacy of the mother-daughter relationship is revealed in physical details:  For example, the speaker describes Catrin’s “straight, strong, long/Brown hair” This description conveys the daughter’s strength and will as she grows older	Physical details are also employed to convey the intimacy of the mother-son relationship: For example, the speaker remembers wanting to run her fingers through the “gelled blackthorns of your hair” The description of his hair conveys the dangers the speaker’s son will encounter
	Clarke evokes memories of a earlier time in Catrin’s life:  The speaker’s memories of her daughter’s birth reinforce the physical and emotional bond between them They also link the past to the present moment of conflict	Weir’s speaker also remembers her son as a child:  Her memories of rubbing noses when he was little reinforce the emotional bond between them They also emphasise the depth of her suffering in the present
	The extended metaphor of the rope ties the past and present together:  The speaker has created something (her daughter), but that creation brings conflict as well as love	The extended metaphor of dressmaking runs through the poem:  The speaker has made something (her son), but someone else has unmade it (the war in which he was killed)
	Clarke uses colour imagery to convey the nature of her speaker’s relationship with her daughter: The “Red rope” illustrates the vitality of their connection	Weir also uses colour imagery to convey the loss and remembrance of her son: The “spasms of paper red” of the poppy she pins on his jacket evoke his lifeblood, which is spilt in the war
	Direct address, physical details, colours and metaphors are used by Clarke and Weir to evoke the intimacy and tensions of parent-child relationships

Differences:

Topic sentence	While both speakers address their children directly, their circumstances are very different
Evidence and analysis	'Catrin'	'Poppies'
	Clarke presents a relationship in which the speaker’s daughter is growing up and their relationship is ongoing:  This continuity can be seen in the metaphor of the rope that still connects them	Weir presents a situation in which the speaker’s son has died and her relationship with him can only exist in her memory: The simile of the wishbone conveys the loneliness and yearning she has for her lost son
	‘Catrin’ focuses on the connection and the conflict between between mother and daughter:  The speaker observes that “Still I am fighting/You off”, showing that their struggle takes place in the context of their bond with each other	‘Poppies’ focuses on the tragic loss of the speaker’s son, whom conflict has taken away from her:  Their bond can only exist in her memory, which is illustrated by her “hoping to hear/your playground voice” once more
	The setting in Clarke’s poem is indistinct in terms of its time frame:  We can only guess when the birth happened and how old Catrin is now This helps Clarke’s description feel more universal and typical of a mother-daughter relationship	Weir’s poem has a very distinct time setting: three days before Armistice Sunday: These circumstances mark out the speaker’s loss as representative of a specific group of parents who have lost loved ones in armed conflicts
	Clarke’s poem presents a typical mother-daughter relationship, with all its conflicts, while Weir presents the heart-breaking loss of a child under specific circumstances of conflict

'Catrin' and 'The Man He Killed'

Comparison in a nutshell:

The theme of connection runs through both poems. Clarke’s speaker describes her bond with her daughter and Hardy’s speaker articulates his sense of recognition and similarity with the man he killed. While the conflict in ‘Catrin’ is a personal one between mother and daughter, the armed conflict in ‘The Man He Killed’ has resulted in the sense of regret that the poem focuses on. 

Similarities:

Topic sentence	Although the poems are different in their focus, they both feature themes of connection and conflict
Evidence and analysis	'Catrin'	'The Man He Killed'
	Clarke uses a first-person speaker:  This gives her account a personal tone It also allows the speaker to convey her feelings very directly	Hardy also uses a first-person speaker: His dramatic monologue is delivered in the first person, making it a similarly personal account This has the effect of speaking directly to the reader
	The theme of connection between mother and daughter is central to the poem:  Clarke uses language such as “we”, “our”, “ourselves” to emphasise their connection Catrin’s “Defiant glare” brings up “from the heart’s pool” the “rope” that connects them, demonstrating the power of the bond between them, despite their current conflict	The theme of connection between the speaker and the man he killed is also central to Hardy’s poem: His speaker uses language such as “we” and “just as I” to illustrate their connection His descriptions, “I shot at him as he at me” and “face to face” emphasise their similarities, even as it describes their mutual enmity
	The metaphor of the rope appears in both stanzas of the poem:  It appears in the description of the daughter’s birth and the description of their disagreement, connecting the past to the present	The idea of the speaker sharing a drink with the man he killed begins and ends the poem: This promotes a feeling of connection between the two of them and indicates that the speaker’s sense of regret remains unchanged
	Clarke employs language drawn from the semantic field of conflict: Words like “confrontation”, “fought”, “separate” and “defiant” emphasise the element of struggle in the speaker’s relationship with her daughter	Hardy also uses language associated with conflict:  Words like “infantry”, “shot”, “shoot”, “killed”, “foe” and “war” emphasise the nature and the violence of the armed conflict the speaker has experienced
	Both poems use a first-person speaker, language and structural methods to promote a sense of mutuality between their speakers and their subjects

Differences:

Topic sentence	Although they both address the theme of connection, the settings, subject matter and form of the two poems are very different
Evidence and analysis	'Catrin'	'The Man He Killed'
	Clarke’s themes are presented in a domestic setting and focus on the speaker’s account of her daughter’s birth and their current relationship	Hardy’s themes are presented in a  military setting and focus on the speaker’s account of an armed conflict and his sense of regret
	The poem depicts a close family relationship:  This is emphasised by references to their blood connection	While there is a sense of recognition between the speaker to the man he killed, they are strangers to each other
	‘Catrin’ is written in a free verse form that echoes the speaker’s train of thought:  The movement from past to present in the poem indicates the development and progression of the relationship between mother and daughter	In ‘The Man He Killed’, Hardy employs a cyclical structure: The speaker ends up where he started, retelling his story in the pub He is trapped in his memories and cannot move forward or change his situation
	Clarke’s poem uses its form and structure to emphasise the intimate and ongoing nature of the mother-daughter relationship, while Hardy’s structure traps his speaker in his regret and anxiety