(1) Discuss Jennings's presentation of love and companionship and its impact upon the self. You should make detailed reference to at least two poems in your answer.

(2) Discuss how Jennings creates a mood of resignation in her writing. You should make detailed reference to at least two poems in your answer.

In the poem, ‘Father To Son’, Jennings reveals the unpredictable and complex nature of companionship. The use of enjambment paired with the structure of the poem creates an irregular reading flow, which reflects the inconsistency with the relationship between the father and son. Furthermore, the contrast of visual half-rhymes, “know” and “now” and the auditory half-rhyme, “mine” and “sign” brings out the superficiality and unpredictability of companionship. The father’s love for the son as portrayed through the use of metaphor where the son is like the seed the father “spent or sow it”, emphasises on the idea that the father’s love for the son is presented through his care and concern for his son. But love when shown through the wrong way can cause distance in relationships. This is seen through the use of Christian allusions, where the father sees his son as the “prodigal son”, bringing out the idea that the traditional Christian father and son relationship is perfect and loving. However, it is the reality of the father’s ideals for his relationship with his son which caused distance between them. Additionally, the ending on an impasse shows that the complicated nature of relationships make love and companionship seem less than ideal.

In the poem, ‘Father To Son’, Jennings reveals the unpredictable and complex nature of companionship. The use of enjambment paired with the structure of the poem creates an irregular reading flow, which reflects the inconsistency with the relationship between the father and son. Furthermore, the contrast of visual half-rhymes, “know” and “now” and the auditory half-rhyme, “mine” and “sign” brings out the superficiality and unpredictability of companionship. The father’s love for the son does not close the gap of understanding between them as presented through the

Jennings uses imagery to create a mood of resignation.

In “Man In a Park”, there is a focus on the man’s senses as he “Heard the key turn” and “shut his eyes” and “felt that he had made the whole place still”. These sensory imagery convey a sense of him choosing to be from an observer’s standpoint, where he feels and observes rather than acts and does, suggesting that he has accepted the cyclical nature of life and death and instead of fighting it, and ‘without protest’ has accepted his inevitable death. Him standing by and experiencing the gates being locked through his sense of hearing also conveys closure, where he does not do anything but listens as severance occurs. There is also repetition of the idea of the man ‘watch(ing) and wait(ing)’ with content, as if welcoming and anticipating death. 

Jennings uses a cyclic and rigid structure and diction to create an eventual mood of resignation. In “The Interrogator”, the first and last line of each stanza is repeated thus creating a feeling of the persona being locked in and suppressed by the interrogator. In addition, the interrogator is described as “always right”, “always has an answer”, “always knows best” and “always find words”. The repetition of “always” creates an impression of the interrogator being always assured and confident. Even as the persona “pinned down (the interrogator) on his smooth desk chair”, in an attempt to fight back against the interrogator, the persona comes to the realization that it would be futile and just “prov[ing] him right”. The interrogator is still winning this silent battle. Hence, the persona is resigned to the realization and acceptance that he or she is unable to win this silent mental battle against the interrogator.