BROTHERSANDREW FORSTER

GCSE Poetry Revision

‘Relationships’ Cluster

READING

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOUErvEEz18

CONTENT

• The poem is autobiographical – Forster is the older brother and

the poem is a direct address to his younger brother.

• The poem Brothers is about a boy spending an afternoon with

his younger brother and his friend, and explores the

relationship between siblings. It is written from an adult

perspective but considers the feelings of the older brother who

thinks of his younger brother as an inconvenience.

• The poet expresses disdain and frustration toward his irritating

younger brother, but later shows that he regrets his behaviour

and wishes he had treated his sibling more kindly.

LANGUAGE

• The poem uses colloquial language with a strong

nostalgic and almost photographic feel. Casual language

is used in a way that reflects the innocence and youth of

childhood.

• The entire poem is like a snapshot of a moment in time

the poet experienced with his brother.

LANGUAGE

• The aspiration to be older and do “what grown-ups do” is apparent through the poem. In the first stanza, the older children discuss football and are dismissive of the younger boy as if they are wiser.

• In line 9 the speaker sees age as an advantage: “His smile, like mine, said I was nine and he was ten”. The speaker is reflecting the naively superior feelings of the older boys. The shared smile also hints at their close friendship, an intimacy which is craved by the younger brother but will be denied him because of the “distance” between the brothers.

• The childhood feeling of superiority is later regretted by the speaker, however. “Looking back” is used both literally to refer to the older boy checking on the progress of his younger brother to find his bus fare, as well as metaphorically suggesting a look back through time.

IMAGERY

• The opening metaphor sets the tone for the relationship between the two brothers: “Saddled” suggests the negative feelings the speaker has for his brother, as if he is an inconvenience, restricting the freedom of the speaker.

• The feelings of the characters in the poem are revealed through the choice of verbs. In the first stanza the speaker and his friend “ambled”, “talking” as they went, whereas the younger brother “skipped” and was “spouting six-year-old views”. The enthusiastic spirit of the younger brother reflects his pride and excitement at being with the older brother he clearly worships. This continues in the second stanza: “sighed” and “stroll” contrast with “windmilled”, a metaphor full of the energy. The older children lack the outward enthusiasm of the younger boy, but then they are “doing what grown-ups do”.

• The third stanza makes it clear that the older boys are still children, despite how they would like to be seen by the world: they “chased Olympic Gold” when running for the bus, a metaphor for competitive natures that they cannot help but reveal.

• The voice of the speaker suggests throughout that he is feeling resentment towards the “ridiculous tank-top” of the younger brother and his “six-year-old views”.

LANGUAGE & IMAGERY

Alliteration - “spouting six-year-old” (line 5) – harsh sounds; reflects the abrasive emotions towards little brother.

Metaphor - “Olympic Gold” (line 11)

Metaphor – ‘threadbare’ - means worn-out and exposed; relates to their tiredness of one another

Metaphor – “Looking back ...towards the gate...I ran on, unable to close the distance I’d set in motion.” (line 14)

Innocence – “skipped” (line 4), “windmilled home” (line 8)

Juxtaposition – “strolling” (adult) vs “windmilled” (childish); trying to emphasise the perceived difference between how ‘grown-up’ Andrew thinks he is, and how immature his brother is. Note: poet then says he was 10 and the ‘little’ brother was 9; so Andrew is poking fun at himself because of course, the age difference is nearly nothing.

STRUCTURE

• The poem does not use rhyme or have a strict pattern to its rhythm (free verse). This is typical of modern poetry. It reads more like real conversation – relates to child-like communication; lack of order. Also, the honest/conversational tone reveals the apologetic nature.

• There are three stanzas; they recount three stages of the afternoon. The first stanza sets the scene, showing the relationship between the speaker and his brother as well as the speaker and his friend. The second stanza presents the disruption to plans for the afternoon (because the younger brother doesn't have his bus fare). The final stanza concludes the story, revealing the separation of the brothers.

• The opening two have 5 lines each, but the last stanza has only 4 lines. This is to reflect the poet’s incomplete and still developing relationship with his brother.

MESSAGE/MEANING

• The friendship in the poem is important, and yet the final image suggests the loss that the speaker feels at not being closer to his brother. “"I ran on, unable to close the distance I'd set in motion"”. It seems that the younger boy will miss the bus and so be separated from the brother he wants to be like and be with. The older boy is probably relieved not to be “"saddled"” with him any more. However, “"looking back"” at the image of brothers separated by a distance - in age and time - is a cause for sadness.

• Brothers is about the inevitability of the boys' distant relationship; in the poem they are physically separated, and in life they are metaphorically separated by time. Because he is three years older than his brother the speaker is “"unable to close the distance I'd set in motion"”. As he ages friendship with his contemporaries will take precedence over his relationship with his younger sibling.