Brothers

LO: to explore the imagery and language Forster uses to explore the relationship between brothers.

Brothers – Andrew Forster

What’s it about? – initial impressions

• Who is the narrator?• How many brothers are in the story?• Where are they?

Complete the following:‘Brothers’ by Forster is about........The poet remembers....Looking back the poet feels.................. about the way he treated his.............................

Basics

• The poem is autobiographical – Andrew is the older brother and the poem is a direct address to his younger brother.

• The poet expresses disdain and frustration toward his irritating younger brother, but later shows that he regrets his behaviour and wishes he had treated his sibling more kindly.

What style of language?

• The poem uses colloquial language with a strong nostalgic and almost photographic feel. Casual language is used in a way that reflects the innocence and youth of childhood.

• The entire poem is like a snapshot of a moment in time the poet experienced with his brother.

• Highlight the following:• Any words that give an impression of childhood.• Words or phrases that show the passion and

intensity of a brotherly/sibling relationship.

Structure

The narrative poem is written in free verse. This means there is no regular rhythm.

Reads more like real conversation – relates to child-like communication; lack of order. Also, the honest/conversational tone reveals the apologetic nature

There are 3 stanzas. The opening two have 5 lines each, but the last stanza has only 4 lines. This is to reflect the poet’s incomplete and still developing relationship with his brother.

Label each stanza with any of the appropriate adjectives.

Rites of passage

• The poem in some ways explores a rite of passage for the speaker – the movement away from childhood, and an inevitable separation from the younger brother.

• We can relate this to themes of adolescence and experiencing new changes within oneself, as well as frustration/tension within family relationships.

ImageryAlliteration - “spouting six-year-old” (line 5) – harsh sounds; reflects the

abrasive emotions towards little brother.

Metaphor - “Olympic Gold” (line 11)

Metaphor – ‘threadbare’ - means worn-out and exposed; relates to their tiredness of one another

Metaphor – “Looking back ...towards the gate...I ran on, unable to close the distance I’d set in motion.” (line 14)

Innocence – “skipped” (line 4), “windmilled home” (line 8)

Juxtaposition – “strolling” (adult) vs “windmilled” (childish); trying to emphasise the perceived difference between how ‘grown-up’ Andrew thinks he is, and how immature his brother is. Note: poet then says he was 10 and the ‘little’ brother was 9; so Andrew is poking fun at himself because of course, the age difference is nearly nothing.

LanguageChosen quotation

Effect they have on the reader – think about what it tells us of the relationship between the two boys.

‘saddled with you’

‘your ridiculous tank-top’

‘I sighed’

‘ I was nine and he was ten...doing what grown-ups do’

Themes

• Growing up/adolescence• Idolisation• Innocence• Relationships between brothers• Guilt/regret/cruelty

To which poem could you compare this one?

To finish off…

Complete a P-E-E paragraph like this one…

Forster describes the relationship between the two brothers as.....

This is implied in the lines “ _______________ ”Forster uses similes /metaphors /etc here to show

___________________________.This shows us that ____________ and has the following

effect on the reader

Homework for Friday

• The author Forster left off line off the stanza to symbolise that he acknowledges the relationship between him and his brother is unfinished.

• Write a fourth stanza to the poem, exploring what the boys

do next.