2. Request to a Year - Line by Line Analysis

Summary

The poem 'Request to a Year' by Judith Wright explores the speaker's admiration for her great-great-grandmother's dedication to art and her ability to remain composed in a crisis. The speaker reflects on her ancestor's qualities and wishes to embody them in the coming year.

• Personification — attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.
  Example: The 'year' is personified as capable of giving gifts.
• Alliteration — repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
  Example: 'meditating a suitable gift' uses /t/ sounds.
• Enjambment — continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.
  Example: Lines 7-8 create momentum with enjambment.
• Apostrophe — addressing an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.
  Example: The speaker addresses the 'year' directly.

Exam Tips

Key Definitions to Remember

• Personification: Giving human traits to non-human things.
• Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.
• Enjambment: A sentence that continues beyond the end of a line.
• Apostrophe: Directly addressing an absent or imaginary person or abstraction.

Common Confusions

• Confusing alliteration with consonance, which can occur anywhere in the word.
• Assuming enjambment means lines must rhyme.

Typical Exam Questions

• What is the significance of the great-great-grandmother's actions? Her actions highlight the balance between art and motherhood.
• How does the poem use sound devices to enhance its meaning? Alliteration and sibilance add musicality and tension.
• Why does the speaker address the 'year'? To express her hopes for personal growth and artistic strength.

What Examiners Usually Test

• Understanding of literary devices like personification and alliteration.
• Ability to analyze the poem's themes and structure.
• Interpretation of the speaker's intentions and desires.