She values his
closeness to nature
and how he
experiences things
that she doesn’t in
her everyday life
She seems
to long his
lifestyle, as
she finds it
as romantic
and
fulfilling
The narrator reflects on their different
lives- the man lives in Yorkshire and
spends time outside, whereas, she
lives a long away in a city, and spends
her time inside writing
She feels as though
he lives in a different
world, but the letters
he writes help her to
feel connected to
him and his way of
life.
Structure
Enjambment
‘seeing the seasons/ Turning’
Free verse Makes the poem flow
like natural speech or a letter
Allows lines and stanzas to flow
into each other
Continuous movement reflects
the way that the seasons are
constantly changing They are so
connected that talking is natural.
Middle
stanza
‘Is your life
more real
because you
dig and sow?’
Rhetorical question
Reflects how
the issue is at
the centre of
what the poem
is about
Physical Verbs
Series of
active verbs
‘digging’
‘planting’
Describe the
letter writer’s
physical work in
his garden
They are
ordinary but
satisfying
actions
Emphasise
his
connection
with nature
‘planting
potatoes’
Alliteration
Emphasises
that it is a
repetitive and
ordinary action
Contrasts
The narrator presents her
lifestyle as different to the
letter writer’s He works
outside whilst she sits at a
computer Whilst he sees his
life as ordinary, she
romanticises it and sees her
own life as inferior
Alliteration
Emphasises the
contrast between
her ‘heartful of
headlines’ and his
‘seeing the
seasons’
The word
‘headlines’
sounds
melodramatic
and artificial
compared to the
natural ‘seasons’
‘feeding words
onto a blank
screen’
Figurative
language –
‘feeding words’
Creates a contrast between her
feeding words and his feeding
people with potatoes Her
actions seem artificial compared
to his experiences with na
Computer shows the contrast
between their lifestyles and
professions ‘blank screen’ sounds
lifeless and empty In comparison to
his ‘singing’ knuckles
‘pouring air and light’
More natural that the
words she writes He writes
to her about his
day-to-day life
She romanticises it by describing in terms
of ‘air and light’ Almost a magical
description
Language about
Communication
Communication
bridges the distance
between them
Emphasises the
things they have in
common
‘our souls tap out
messages’
Figurative
language
Spiritual
language
Shows that they
have a deep and
meaningful
connection
Suggests their
connection is
almost spiritual
‘who sends me
word of that
other world’
‘word’ and ‘world’
Alliteration
& Assonance
Make these words sound
similar but they are also
different This reflects how his
words make the speaker feel
close to his world, but also
reminds her that she’s distant
from him
‘watching
the same
news in
different
houses’
Communication
brings them together,
despite the physical
distance between
them
Hints that their lives aren’t
so difference This shared
experiences makes her feel
closer to hi