INHERITANCE –EAVAN BOLAND

Inheritance is by Eavan Boland and explores the idea of what parents pass down to their
children whether it be materialistic or an intangible quality such as motherhood. We studied it
as 1 of 4 poems out of the Poems of the Decade anthology relating to ‘Relationships’, this
may be what the exam question asks about, or it could be something different – we just don’t
know! That’s why you have to prepare for every eventuality, hopefully this post will help…

STRUCTURE

The poem has a very loose structure and is made up of 8 stanzas of various lengths (some of
which are couplets) and there is no rhyme, this makes the poem seem rather disjointed at
times.

 Boland choose to put the words “be theirs” on a separate line in the second stanza.
This isolation of the line suggests worries for the future of the poetic voice’s children. She
feels like her children will be left aloe with nothing from her.
 The loose structure reflects the personal nature as if she’s speaking to herself – it is
open verse, a thought process. She is admitting that they have nothing of financial worth to
leave behind.
 The poet starts with the idea of wondering, which sets the tone for the poem’s quiet,
introverted quality. This is not a poem of dramatic gesture or noisy declamation.
LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES

 Concrete nouns, “silver and the fluid light left after silk – were never given here”, the
concrete nouns create a sense that the speaker thinks that materialistic value is more
important to her children and this is what she worries about leaving behind.
 Names of places (proper nouns) – “Three Rock Mountain” this gives the poem some
context and allows us to understand how the things she considers worth passing down are
landscapes of great beauty and she is sad that this is not hers to give (she only wants the
best for her daughters)
 Personal pronouns – “I have wondering what I have to leave behind” this again
reinforces the fact that this poem is very personal and the feelings are very much that of the
poetic voice, this provokes sympathy from the audience because it is very relatable for
them.
IMAGERY

 The worth of the things that she mentions are very expensive, contrasting with the
“lace bobbin” and the “oat straw pillow” showing their financial situation. The
juxtaposition of the concrete nouns in the poem demonstrates how she really feels like she
has nothing of worth. A lace bobbin seems worth even less when compared to silver and
silk, thus emphasising the fact she doesn’t think she owns anything of worth.
TONE

 She feels as though she has nothing of value and this hopelessness creates a very sad
tone, “I leaned so little from them: the lace bobbin with it’s braided mesh, it’s oat-straw
pillow and the wheat-coloured shawl”
 There is also a strong political message behind the poem, that women were not left
things behind in wills when people died and she feels this was unfair, that her daughters
will have nothing. It relates to the Married Women’s Property Act if 1870. There is no
mention of men or sons, perhaps because throughout history they have always been given
the priority in inheritance. “The ground I stood on was never really mine” – we can infer
that this is because it was owed by a man and not hers to give.
 Positive tone after the realisation at the end.
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CONCLUSION

 Last line realisation. In the last couple of stanzas, the poetic voice tells the reader if a
time when one of her children was ill. She had motherly instinct and cared for the child
until they were well again “I knew the secrets of health and air…I must have learned that
somewhere” These are the only lines that rhyme showing how the uncertainty goes way at
the end and she is able to see that it is only because of society pressures that people feel
they have to leave valuables to their loved ones, but teaching them important skills, as she
learned from her mother, is far more important.
This is a poem about the pressures put on us from society but also the oppression of women’s
rights throughout history and the realisation that material possessions don’t matter once we’re
gone.

Summary:
Boland's poem deals with the oppression of women in Ireland in the 1970's. During these times
women's rights were completely stripped from them and couldn't do things like drink in a pub or sit
on a jury. Therefore, the poem is written by women for women as there is not a single male mention
in the whole poem. The poem draws upon what a mother in this time can pass onto their daughters.
The emphasis of the poem is what a mother has to leave for her children. Although traditionally
material goods are passed on, Boland is highlighting how some women are not in the position to do
so. Therefore, emotional lessons are passed on that have been picked up from other women. This
poem is particularly relevant in a modern society, where feminism is still gaining a lot of momentum.
Boland is raising the profile of an event in women's history that a modern audience may not be
aware of. So, she is highlighting that we have made progression since them, but more still needs to
be made.

KEY THEMES
Luxurious semantic field- "gifts", "silver","silk". This semantic field demonstrates the extent of
women's oppression. They see possessions as luxuries because they were not allowed to own
Identity
anything of their own to pass onto their children. This highlights the social injustice within the
contemporary
Past period. The oppression of women is supported by a feminist criticism as it shows how
the patriarchy strip women of ownership, making them entirely dependent on men.
Gender
Sibilance and Assonance- the sibilance from "generations", "silver" "silk" in stanza 2 creates a soft
gentleSociety
rhythm. This is broken by the assonance in stanza three with "island", "inland", "distances".
This shows how women desire for items to pass to their children, is broken by the harsh reality of
Language
the society they live in.
Motherhood
Pathetic fallacy- "blueness in the hours before rain". This emphasises the feelings of the legacy of
women. This is because the "rain", blurs vision and it shows how the consequences of the society
women live is very dreary and bleak. Therefore their vision has been blurred because women don't
feel they have an identity.
Pronouns- personal pronouns with the use of "I" make the reader instantly feel closer to the
narrator. By drawing on personal experiences emphasised by specific geographical setting such as
"Three Rock Mountain". This evokes sympathy from the reader because the whole poem is a raw
honest confession of how helpless the mother feels. Despite the personal tone it's a universal voice
of women. Therefore Boland's using her platform to speak for those women who are still being
oppressed and can not speak out against it.
Structure
Volta- "But then again". After this caesura in stanza 6, the tone of poem turns to strength and
courage in contrast to the defeated tone before hand. It also shows the adaption women have to
make in order to pass something on their children emotionally rather than physically.
Enjambement- in stanza 4 the enjambement of the entire stanza emphasises women desperation.
There is no definitive end to any of the lines into stance except the last one. This highlights how
there is no certainty in the women's lives and no foreseeable end to their adversity.
Form
Fluid form- there poem does not follow any traditional structure. Demonstrates how there is no
structure to motherhood and how adaptations have to be made.
Varied line length- no regularity to line length. This represents how broken the mother feels for not
having anything former daughter to inherit. Also could represent how different cultures, societies
and mother pass things onto their children in different ways.

Potential Comparisons
Genetics
Effects
On Her Blindness
Material
‘Inheritance’
Although only a single word, it has wide range of connotations which immediately go about
informing a reader of the likely subject of this poem. They are likely to correctly assume that
the poem deals with the subject of inheritance, but the lack of additional detail provided
encourages a reader to begin to think with the same mindset that the poem explores –
specifically the concept of what can be inherited? This idea is supported by the opening line
of the poem, which helps the reader continue this thought process with the initial
confirmation, and is likely to make them more receptive to ideas in the rest of the poem.
Poem Structure
A notable element of the structure of this poem is the range in line lengths, with lengths up to
fifteen words or as short as three. This helps to show a very varied rhythm and pace
because of the somewhat confusing contribution to the layout of the poem, encouraging a
reader to feel confusion, but also recognise that this varied layout and structure can be seen
as showing the varied way in which society, culture and parents all pass on different things
as part of an inheritance.
Working in conjunction with the varied line length technique is enjambment and varied
stanza lengths, which are also very important for creating an uneven structure and rhythm
that demonstrates the varied nature of life and inheritances. To a certain extent the length of
stanzas feels cynical because the poem opens and closes with two-line stanzas. However,
there are still breaks to this cycle with a two-line third stanza and three-line seventh stanza.
In any other poem this would be the key factor which makes it feel varied, but the shifts in
line length overshadows these changes, so it acts as a supporting factor rather than a
defining factor. The flow of lines across stanzas through enjambment is also particularly
noticeable for the shorter lines, where the flow is much more apparent, which could be
interpreted as showing the cycles and flows of life and society.
The lack of rhyme scheme in this poem can be interpreted as demonstrating a lack of control
and ownership, making a reader feel powerless to spot patterns in the text, and therefore
mirroring the ideas of inherited items and knowledge often being uncontrollable, or at least
unpredictable. Many poems will have a set rhyme scheme to show similarity, persistence
and expectation, so the lack of a rhyme scheme in ‘Inheritance’ can be seen to show the
opposite.
Poetic Techniques
The use of pronouns and determiners is a key part of this poem because it helps to show
personal connections and experiences, highlighting their importance to the concept of
inheritance. Specifically, the frequent use of “I” demonstrates the extent of the personal
connection and how the narrator’s own experiences have shaped how they see the world
today and what they wish to pass on to their children. While there is a use of “them” to
describe the narrator’s children, they are also referred to with the possessive
determiner “my”. Some readers may interpret this as showing ownership, however it is more
likely to be understood as a feeling of responsibility by having raised them.
Ideas of geography and history are also included to further highlight the personal nature of
the poem. For example, there is reference to the “Three Rock Mountain” which is just
outside of Dublin, supported by ideas of “island of waters”. This helps to place the poem
within a ‘homely’ setting as it is Boland’s home country. Similarly, references to historical
context are important such as traditional “silver” and “silk” which demonstrate the importance
of inheritance throughout history. There is also a general sense and understanding of shifts
in societal attitudes too, such as the description of the “ground” being stood on, and how it
was never really the narrator’s. This could be seen as a link to how up until 1870, anything a
married woman owned would become her husbands, who would then legally have control of
it, showing how previously women would have little ability to provide a specific inheritance.
It is also interesting to consider the change in tone that takes place at different stages
throughout the poem. It starts relatively wondering, before shifting to sadness and regret,
before returning to pride. This mix of emotions would once again help the poem to feel very
personal and therefore is likely to have a greater impact on a reader as they will feel the
situation is more realistic, and could potentially happen to them.
Important Lines
“It might not ever be theirs.”
Using “might” in this phrase is important because it adds a feeling of uncertainty to the
situation, showing the complete unknown of life after someone passes, and the inability to
know what is to come or how best to help in a situation. The link to ownership of property is
also notable as it is becoming a key issue among younger generations today.
“to make the nothing … into something”
The contradicting imagery and ideas of these lines in the fourth stanza is very important for
demonstrating the development of the rights of women, and how they have previously had to
rely on giving an inheritance from practically nothing – this could be seen as introducing the
idea of transferring knowledge and natural skills.
“I must have learned that somewhere.”
The idea of natural skills is fully considered at the end of the poem, with the imperative “I
must” at the beginning of the final sentence helping to provide a reassuring tone. However,
while reassuring and showing a deeper level of understanding, it could also be interpreted
that there is a sense of regret still present.
‘Inheritance’ Key Themes
Identity: The theme of identity is very important, as this is the idea that ‘Inheritance’ is built
around, both in terms of the poem and also the concept itself within society. The poem
explores the different forms of inheritance which could contribute to forming an identity,
whether that be land and setting or items or knowledge.
Gender: Motherhood as a part of gender is another key concept, as the poem specifically
looks at what a mother can pass on to her children. The absence of fathers could be
interpreted by some readers at helping to make the poem feel more delicate and emotive
(through traditional expectations).
Society and Culture: The geographical and historical references are an important way that
the societal conditions and factors are brought into the poem. This makes it feel more
important to a reader, and may encourage them to consider how society may affect them in
relation to inheritance.