Both poems provide a deeply personal insight into the individual's experience of family bonds, in "Eden Rock" this is conveyed through the encounter between a speaker and his parents, who are presumed dead, preparing a picnic. The scene unfolds through a dreamlike combination of memory and imagination, suggesting that the speaker is remembering a scene from his childhood while also seeing a vision of his dead parents in the present. In contrast, "Climbing My Grandfather" is an autobiographical poem, in which the poet writes about his grandfather in the first person. The poet remembers a time when he was a child and his grandfather seemed more like a great mountain than a human being. This is seen through the extended metaphor of "climbing" and distance which actually creates a vivid image of him looking at his grandfather as a child. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Writers, through the autobiographical prism of their poems, reveal the complex emotions that fuel family bonds. “Climbing my Grandfather” is a poem dominated by the extended metaphor of mountain climbing showing both the childhood activity of climbing a relative, and an extended metaphor of the development of understanding, as the poet gradually moves from the feet to the head to reach the grandfather's "summit". The initial statement that he does it “for free, without rope or net,” suggests a challenge and potential danger. Alternatively, it may also imply the security he feels when he is with his grandfather which eliminates the need for a “rope or net.” Furthermore, the metaphor of climbing a mountain also means something that presents challenges, which is very difficult for us to achieve but which gives a sense of achievement once completed. Here, Waterhouse uses it to explore the difficulties of knowing and understanding his grandfather, starting with “trying to make a decision.” This metaphor not only shows that he is trying to climb up his grandfather's mountainous body, but is also part of the extended metaphor of the difficulty in understanding one's family. Although 'Eden Rock' is ostensibly about an idealized reunification, there are hints of the painful nature of this prospect. The last lingering line is strange, separate, the only moment of reflection. The separation marks not only a change in tone for this last line, but also echoes the division between the poet and his parents. “I hadn't thought about it” is the overflow, suggesting that now he has changed his mind as in the past, he didn't think it would turn out like this. Furthermore, the size of the stanzas decreases from quatrains to triplets to a single monosyllabic line that creates a feeling of isolation from his parents and the poem. This change could suggest that the narrator has died and is finally with his parents, which creates a sort of conclusion to the poem. Aside from the size of the stanzas, the poem is also written in the first person present tense, which gives it a sense of immediacy – it's as if it's happening here and now. The narrator's initial reference to where his parents are, “somewhere beyond Eden Rock,” suggests physical distance, but it can also be used to suggest the afterlife as well. They may be physically in space after Eden Rock, or in a later period, but it certainly creates undertones of “life beyond.” “Eden Rock,” from its title itself, establishes its depiction of the idealized picture of a harmonious family. The use of this name evokes the idea of ​​perfect harmony as it is a biblical reference to the Garden of Eden. This reference could also suggest that for the narrator this small place with his parents isperfect and peaceful. Alternatively, this could be seen as a reflection on the narrator's gratitude for his parents as they are responsible for the seemingly perfect childhood he remembers. Additionally, Causley's use of natural imagery such as "stone," "grass," and "straw" reflect the narrator's sense of seeing their relationship with their parents as natural and pure, as if it were meant to be. This calm and pristine environment is exemplified when the narrator states that the mother's hair "takes on the light." The light has celestial connotations, reflecting how the narrator sees his parents as angelic and holy, showing strong admiration for them. References to small details he remembers, such as an "old HP sauce bottle" and "tin cups painted blue" reflect how special his childhood is to him, and his detailed descriptions of ordinary things show their importance to the narrator and affections. has because of the way his parents did things. While “Eden Rock” seeks to remember in photographic detail a perfect snapshot of family, real or imagined, “Climbing my Grandfather” conveys a sense of struggle to maintain these bonds. On the twelfth line there is a sense that this grandfather/grandchild relationship is anything but simple. It is the child who respects the old here, placing his feet "gently into the old seams", which could suggest the struggle and unexpected barrier of family bonds. The poet's description of the 'glassy ridge of a scar', the ridge being a geological feature, but the 'scar' reminds us that the man would have had accidents and injuries during his lifetime. The poet's reference to the "danger" of "climbing" might suggest that his grandfather was a challenge, that his patience might be tested by a playful little boy, or that the "danger" was that of loss and grief. The child's detailed description of the "loose skin of his neck", could represent the dangerous loose rocks of a mountain which could symbolize the harsh life challenges his grandfather will have experienced. This then allows the reader to get a sense of the depth and breadth of the relationship and complexity between the older man and his grandson. Waterhouse adopts a dreamlike vision of the family bond seen at the end of the poem. At the end of 'Climbing my Grandfather', the description of "feeling his warmth, knowing the slow beat of his good heart" conveys the sense that he feels comforted and reassured by his grandfather, this solid mass of man who seems like the most child similar to a mountain than to a man. But in the end, we have the feeling that grandfather is less a cold and challenging obstacle to discover, than he is affectionate and “good”. Poetry, therefore, is a discovery. It is a discovery, an understanding. Waterhouse revisits the poem to better understand his grandfather, and ultimately feels reassured by the “slow pulse” of his grandfather’s “good heart.” Not as cold and daunting as at first. For the poet, this poem could be a journey of discovery and a way to remember his grandfather, from top to bottom. The present tense makes him vivid and real, even though Waterhouse is no longer a boy, and remembering his grandfather in this way brings him back from a still mountain to a man with a beating heart. Similarly, in “Eden Rock,” the poet also adopts a dreamlike view of family bonding as “Eden” already suggests a sense of paradise, a paradise seen as dreamlike. When we understand the “otherworldly quality” of this poem, Eden becomes very significant. From the title we don't understand the importance of the relationship between the narrator and his parents or whether this is a real moment. Since "Eden Rock" is not a real place as it was invented, it is still in doubt whether.