Eden Rock
By Charles Causley
They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock:
My father, twenty-five, in the same suit
Of Genuine Irish Tweed, his terrier Jack
Still two years old and trembling at his feet.My Mother, twenty-three, in a sprigged dress
Drawn at the waist, ribbon in her straw hat,
Has spread the stiff white cloth over the grass.
Her hair, the colour of wheat, takes on the light.She pours tea from a Thermos, the milk straight
From an old H.P. sauce-bottle, a screw
Of paper for a cork; slowly sets out
The same three plates, the tin cups painted blue.The sky whitens as if lit by three suns.
My mother shades her eyes and looks my way
Over the drifted stream. My father spins
A stone along the water. Leisurely,
They beckon to me from the other bank.I hear them call, ‘See where the stream-path is!
Crossing is not as hard as you might think.’I had not thought that it would be like this.
Summary of Eden Rock
- Popularity of “Eden Rock”: ‘Eden Rock’ was written by Charles Causley, a well-known Cornish poet, and teacher. This melancholy poem was first added to his final collection, A Field of Vision, published in 1988. The poem contemplates both death and the nature of family ties. It presents the readers with the writer’s vision in which he sees his parents waiting for him anxiously. Although the poem unfolds his personal life experience, its relevance with the world makes it sound universal and appealing to the readers.
- “Eden Rock” As a Representative of Family Love: The poem explores the phenomenon of family love. It begins with the description of the speaker’s family being present at a picnic place near Eden Rock. His father looks stunning in his patterned costume. In comparison, his mother seems spectacular in her floral dress and straw hat. As the poem moves forward, he explains how his mother serves tea and places plates for the family. Meanwhile, the sky gets filled with the dazzling light that disturbs his mother. She places her hands on her eyes to avoid the bright sunlight. The speaker is present at a distance; his parents look at him from the other side of the stream. Unfortunately, he fails to catch the right path to reach them. Filled with love and care, his parents direct him toward a path that makes him cross the stream quite easily.
- Major Themes in “Eden Rock: Family love, natural hazards, and distance from family are the significant themes layered in the poem. The poet spots a happy family that goes to a place near Eden Rock to wait for their son. At first, everything seems fine and joyous; his father and mother seem happy with their plans. However, the poem becomes sad when the family is dazzled by the white sky, and the speaker fails to reach his parents. Even during this challenging time, his parents try to encourage him. The ambiguous end of the poem opens up new images for the audience.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Eden Rock
literary devices are tools that can bring richness to a lifeless poetic piece. Charles Causley used various literary devices in the poem and the analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /i/ in “My mother, twenty-three, in a sprigged dress” and the sound of /e/ in “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my”.
- Allegory: It is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events. This is an allegorical poem that sheds light on the fear of losing.
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ in “From an old H.P. sauce-bottle, a screw” and the sound of /h/ in “Her hair.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /r/ and /m/ in “She pours tea from a Thermos, the milk straight” and the sound of /l/ and /r/ in “Still two years old and trembling at his feet.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“My father, twenty-five, in the same suit
Of Genuine Irish Tweed, his terrier Jack
Still two years old and trembling at his feet.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Charles Causley used imagery in this poem such as “They are waiting for me somewhere beyond Eden Rock”, “She pours tea from a Thermos, the milk straight”, and “The same three plates, the tin cups painted blue.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of metaphor in the last lines such as “Crossing is not as hard as you might think.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of joy, love, and separation just to show how they constitute a significant part of our life.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Eden Rock
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction and Tone: The poem shows poetic diction with happy and tragic gone combined.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or metrical pattern.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. The poem has three quatrains, one Quintain, and one tercet.
Quotes to be Used
The lines from the poem, “Eden Rock” are useful to use as a quote when talking about the life of those parents whose sons become soldiers.
“My mother shades her eyes and looks my way
Over the drifted stream. My father spins
A stone along the water. Leisurely,
They beckon to me from the other bank.”
