Summary
Summary GCSE English Literature 0475 Plenty by Isobel Dixon Review
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A concise review of Plenty by Isobel Dixon for the GCSE English Literature 0475 Poetry and Prose exam.
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PLENTYWhen I was young and there were five of us,
all running riot to my mother’s quiet despair,
our old enamel tub, age-stained and pocked
upon its griffin claws, was never full.
Such plenty was too dear in our expanse of drought
where dams leaked dry and windmills stalled.
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Like Mommy’s smile. Her lips stretched back
and anchored down, in anger at some fault –
of mine, I thought – not knowing then
it was a clasp to keep us all from chaos.
She saw it always, snapping locks and straps,
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the spilling: sums and worries, shopping lists
for aspirin, porridge, petrol, bread.
Even the toilet paper counted,
and each month was weeks too long.
Her mouth a lid clamped hard on this.
We thought her mean. Skipped chores,
swiped biscuits – best of all
when she was out of earshot
stole another precious inch
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up to our chests, such lovely sin,
lolling luxuriant in secret warmth
disgorged from fat brass taps,
our old compliant co-conspirators.
Now bubbles lap my chin. I am a sybarite.
The shower’s a hot cascade
and water’s plentiful, to excess, almost, here.
I leave the heating on.
, And miss my scattered sisters,
all those bathroom squabbles and, at last,
my mother’s smile, loosed from the bonds
of lean, dry times and our long childhood.
Notes:
● The stanzas are 8 stanzas, with 6 of them being about childhood, and 2 stanzas about current life. Perhaps this is because
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the many stanzas reflect upon the number of troubles the family had during childhood, as well as all the happiness that the
family felt with each other. The persona seemed to be more happy with her childhood, despite it being difficult because of all
the happy memories from then. She remembers her childhood so vividly that it indicates how much the childhood meant to
her, and how much happiness it gave her , despite the troubles that came with it.
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● “There were five of us” past tense- 5 siblings?
● “Running riot” - alliteration - the kids were all very naughty- misbehaved, lots of chaotic behavior
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●
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“Mother’s quiet despair” - the mother quietly bore the burden of all the stress, from the kids' behavior
“Enamel tub…never full” - old tub - may refer to how the family was too poor to afford anything new. pocked- the tub was
stained, dirty, and had a few holes Perhaps, the holes were why the tub was never full. metaphorical towards how the
financial structure and support of the family was not sturdy enough- perhaps it had holes, which was why the family was in a
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bad financial situation.
● “Such plenty” - plenty is a metaphor for luxury.
● “Expanse of drought” - expanse- neverending. The little luxuries were too dear, too precious to the family during the
neverending times of drought.
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