1.15 - Climbing My Grandfather
Context
Social and cultural context
- This poem was written in the late 20th century, a time when traditional ideas of British masculinity, like the "stiff upper lip," were being challenged.
- Waterhouse explores a more open and affectionate relationship between male family members, moving away from emotional distance.
- Outdoor activities like climbing became more accessible to working-class families, providing a new language to describe experiences and relationships.
Biographical context
- Andrew Waterhouse was a passionate climber who died in a climbing accident, making the poem's central metaphor deeply personal and poignant.
- The poem reflects his own experience and love for climbing, using it as a way to understand and express a deep family connection.
- This focus on a personal journey of discovery connects to a wider cultural interest in family history and understanding older generations.
Literary context
- The poem is built on an extended metaphor [a comparison that continues throughout a text], comparing the grandfather to a mountain.
- This technique elevates the elderly figure, presenting him as a majestic, natural wonder to be explored, rather than as frail or weak.
- The use of free verse [poetry without a regular rhythm or rhyme scheme] and a single, unbroken stanza was a modern stylistic choice, reflecting the continuous effort of the climb.
Overview
Climbing My Grandfather in a nutshell
- What literally happens in the poem: The speaker describes the experience of climbing their grandfather, treating his body as if it were a mountain landscape. The journey starts at his shoes and progresses upwards, ending at his head where the speaker rests.
- Context and significance: Waterhouse uses the extended metaphor of climbing to explore the process of getting to know an elderly relative. The poem celebrates male family affection and argues that building a strong relationship requires patience, effort, and close attention.
- Key techniques and approach: Waterhouse uses an extended metaphor, a single continuous stanza, and sensory imagery to create a feeling of a continuous, intimate journey of discovery.
Translation and Waterhouse's intent
Lines 1-7
"I decide to do it free, without a rope or net.
First, the old brogues, dusty and cracked;
an easy scramble onto his trousers,
pushing into the weave, trying to get a grip.
By the overhanging shirt I change
direction, traverse along his belt
to an earth stained hand."
Translation
The speaker decides to "climb" his grandfather without any safety equipment. He begins at his grandfather's old, worn shoes and starts to climb up his trousers and shirt, moving across his belt towards his hand, which looks like it has dirt on it from gardening.
Waterhouse's intention
- The decision to climb "free, without a rope or net" establishes the speaker's trust and emotional vulnerability in the relationship.
- By describing the grandfather's clothes and hands with realistic, working-class details ("dusty", "cracked", "earth stained"), Waterhouse grounds the fantastical climb in a real, affectionate portrait of an ordinary man.
Lines 7-20
"The nails
are splintered and give good purchase,
the skin of his finger is smooth and thick
like warm ice. On his arm I discover
the glassy ridge of a scar, place my feet
gently in the old stitches and move on.
At his still firm shoulder, I rest for a while
in the shade, not looking down,
for climbing has its dangers, then pull
myself up the loose skin of his neck
to a smiling mouth to drink among teeth."
Translation
The speaker uses his grandfather's finger nails for grip and notes the texture of his skin, comparing it to "warm ice". He finds a scar on his arm and carefully uses the stitches as footholds. After resting on his shoulder, he continues up his neck to his smiling mouth.
Waterhouse's intention
- The oxymoron [contradictory terms] "warm ice" captures the grandfather's complex nature: he is aged and perhaps weathered on the outside, but still full of life and warmth.
- The careful, gentle movement over the "glassy ridge of a scar" shows respect for the grandfather's history and life experiences, suggesting that true knowledge of a person involves understanding their past pains.
Lines 20-29
"Refreshed, I cross the screed cheek,
to stare into his brown eyes, watch a pupil
slowly open and close. Then up over
the forehead, the wrinkles well-spaced
and easy, to his thick hair (soft and white
at this altitude), reaching for the summit,
where gasping for breath I can only lie
watching clouds and birds circle,
feeling his heat, knowing
the slow pulse of his good heart."
Translation
The speaker continues across his grandfather's face, looking into his eyes and climbing over his forehead and hair. Reaching the "summit" (the top of his head), the speaker lies down exhausted, feeling the warmth of his grandfather's body and sensing his steady heartbeat.
Waterhouse's intention
- Reaching the "summit" represents the achievement of true intimacy and understanding. The focus shifts from physical climbing to quiet observation.
- The final lines, focusing on "heat" and "the slow pulse of his good heart," end the poem with a powerful sense of the grandfather's living presence. This celebrates life and the comfort found in close family connection.
Writer's methods
In Climbing My Grandfather, Waterhouse blends form, structure and language to enact the poem's central theme. The physical act of reading the poem is designed to mirror the physical act of climbing, immersing the reader in the speaker's journey towards intimacy.
Form
The poem is written in a single, unbroken stanza. This form physically represents the continuous, sustained effort required for both a mountain climb and for building a deep relationship.
| Theme | Evidence | Poet's intention |
|---|---|---|
| Sustained effort | The poem is one long stanza, with no breaks. | To make the reader experience the climb as a single, continuous journey. This mirrors the idea that relationships require constant effort and cannot be paused. |
| Natural flow | The poem uses free verse, with no consistent rhyme scheme or rhythm. | To create a natural, conversational tone. This suggests that the bond between the grandson and grandfather is organic and unforced, challenging the idea that male affection must be rigid or formal. |
| Vulnerability | The speaker climbs "free, without a rope or net". | This establishes from the start that the journey requires trust and a willingness to be emotionally open. The form supports this by flowing without the "safety" of traditional poetic structures. |
Structure
The poem's structure follows a clear vertical progression, moving from the grandfather's feet to his head. This journey mirrors the process of gradually getting to know someone on a deeper level.
| Theme | Evidence | Poet's intention |
|---|---|---|
| Gradual discovery | The poem moves upwards from "brogues" at the bottom to the "summit" of his head. | To show that intimacy is built slowly and methodically. True understanding isn't instant; it is earned by paying attention to details along the way. |
| Living connection | The poem is written in the present tense ("I decide", "I discover"). | To create a sense of immediacy, making the relationship feel active and alive. The grandfather is not a distant memory but a vibrant, present figure. |
| Pace and reflection | Enjambment [line runs to next] and caesurae [pauses mid-line] are used to control the pace, slowing it down towards the end. | To mirror the climber pausing to rest or take in the view. The slowing pace at the "summit" encourages the reader to reflect on the intimacy that has been achieved. |
Language
Waterhouse uses a specific semantic field of mountaineering alongside intimate, sensory details. This combination turns the grandfather into a majestic landscape while keeping the portrayal warm and personal.
| Theme | Evidence | Poet's intention |
|---|---|---|
| Respect and admiration | The semantic field [group of words with a shared theme] of climbing includes words like "scramble", "traverse", "ridge", and "summit". | To elevate the grandfather, presenting his aged body as something monumental and worthy of respect, rather than frail. It reframes ageing as a form of natural majesty. |
| Intimacy and affection | Sensory imagery describes the grandfather's physical details: "warm ice", "loose skin", "smiling mouth", and "feeling his heat". | To emphasise the physical closeness and tenderness of the relationship. This challenges traditional norms of masculine emotional distance by celebrating tactile affection between male relatives. |
| History and experience | Details like "dusty and cracked" brogues, an "earth stained hand" and a "glassy ridge of a scar" are noted. | To show that getting to know someone means appreciating their entire life story, including their hardships and labour. The grandfather's body is presented as a map of his life. |
What to compare it to
When comparing poems, focus on the methods poets use to explore similar themes. Look for connections and contrasts in their use of form, structure and language to convey their different messages about relationships.
Suggested comparisons
- Climbing My Grandfather and Follower - Both poems explore male family relationships and admiration, but while Waterhouse focuses on achieving intimacy, Heaney explores the changing dynamics and potential burdens of these bonds.
- Climbing My Grandfather and Mother, Any Distance - Both use an extended metaphor of physical distance to explore a parent-child relationship at a key life moment, but one moves towards connection while the other moves towards separation.
Climbing My Grandfather and Follower
Comparison in a nutshell
Both poems use an extended metaphor based on a physical activity to show a younger man's admiration for an older male relative. However, they conclude differently, with Waterhouse celebrating achieved intimacy and Heaney reflecting on a role reversal that brings complication.
Similarities
Point
Both poets use an extended metaphor to express deep respect for the skill, strength, and experience of an older male family member.
Evidence and explanation
| Climbing My Grandfather | Follower |
|---|---|
| Waterhouse uses the metaphor of the grandfather as a mountain, with "good purchase" and a "summit", to portray him as a majestic and solid figure worthy of admiration. | Similarly, Heaney portrays his father as an expert navigator, with shoulders "globed like a full sail strung", suggesting he is powerful and masterful in his domain of the farm. |
| The grandson's careful progress, "pushing into the weave" and placing feet "gently", shows a deep respect for his grandfather's body and history. | Likewise, the young Heaney's admiration is clear as he describes his father as an "expert" who could map "the furrow exactly", showing respect for his agricultural skill. |
Differences
Point
The two poems present a different trajectory of the relationship over time; Waterhouse's poem moves towards connection, while Heaney's describes a move from admiration to a complicated dependency.
Evidence and explanation
| Climbing My Grandfather | Follower |
|---|---|
| The speaker actively moves towards his grandfather, a journey that ends in warmth and shared presence at the "summit". The relationship is presented as a successful, ongoing connection. | In contrast, Heaney's poem ends with a reversal. It is now his father "who keeps stumbling / Behind me, and will not go away", suggesting the relationship has become a burden or an irritation. |
Endings comparison
Point
The endings of the poems create contrasting emotional effects: Climbing My Grandfather ends with a feeling of peaceful, life-affirming connection, whereas Follower concludes with a sense of frustration and cyclical burden.
Evidence and explanation
| Climbing My Grandfather | Follower |
|---|---|
| The final image is one of serene intimacy: "feeling his heat, knowing / the slow pulse of his good heart." This celebrates the grandfather's living presence and the security of their bond. | Conversely, Follower ends on a note of unresolved tension. The final phrase "will not go away" creates an ambiguous and slightly negative tone, leaving the reader to question the nature of familial duty. |
Climbing My Grandfather and Mother, Any Distance
Comparison in a nutshell
Both poems use an extended metaphor related to measurement and space to explore the changing dynamics of a family relationship. Waterhouse's poem depicts a journey to close a gap, while Armitage's poem explores the tension of creating one.
Similarities
Point
Both poets use an extended metaphor linked to a physical measurement or journey to represent the emotional connection within the family.
Evidence and explanation
| Climbing My Grandfather | Mother, Any Distance |
|---|---|
| Waterhouse uses the metaphor of climbing a mountain to represent the process of getting to know a grandfather, with the physical journey upwards symbolising growing emotional intimacy. | Similarly, Armitage uses the metaphor of a tape measure to represent the bond between mother and son. The tape "unreeling / years between us" shows how their connection stretches but doesn't break. |
| Both poems use the present tense ("I decide", "I discover") to create a sense of immediacy, placing the reader directly within a pivotal moment of the relationship. | Likewise, Armitage uses the present tense ("You come to help me", "I space-walk") to give the feeling that this moment of moving out is happening right now, heightening its emotional weight. |
Differences
Point
The direction of movement in each poem is opposite, reflecting different purposes: Waterhouse's speaker moves towards his grandfather to build intimacy, whereas Armitage's speaker moves away from his mother to gain independence.
Evidence and explanation
| Climbing My Grandfather | Mother, Any Distance |
|---|---|
| The speaker's goal is to "reach... the summit", decreasing the distance between himself and his grandfather to achieve closeness. The poem celebrates connection. | In contrast, Armitage's speaker is "leaving / up the stairs", increasing the distance. The tape measure stretches "to breaking point", highlighting the tension between connection and the need for separation. |
Endings comparison
Point
The poems conclude with different emotional states: Climbing My Grandfather ends in security and certainty, while Mother, Any Distance ends in hopeful uncertainty about the future.
Evidence and explanation
| Climbing My Grandfather | Mother, Any Distance |
|---|---|
| The ending is one of peaceful resolution and comfort. The speaker is "feeling his heat" and the "slow pulse of his good heart", which conveys a sense of safety and achieved intimacy. | Conversely, the ending of Mother, Any Distance is open-ended and looks towards an unknown future. The final line, "to fall or fly", captures the simultaneous fear and excitement of independence. |