Q) How does Carol Ann Duffy make the poem a sentimental one for you?

Mind map:-

Introduction:-
Hooked quote-
The poem ‘A Child’s Sleep’ is an emotional one as it shows the delicate and serene sleep of a child.
The poem is about a mother gazing at her child while she is asleep, the poem shows the tranquil and
peaceful scenery of a child sleeping. The poem is of a calm nature which allures the readers towards
it, the indefinite article in the title makes the poem universally relatable. Carol Ann Duffy uses the
theme of motherly affection, effective use of symbolism and use of imagery to make this poem a
sentimental one.

Para 1-Theme of motherly affection:-

Evidence 1 - ‘hearing her breathe’:-
●        The writer doesn’t describe the physical observations of the child, instead she describes what
she could hear.
●        The mother even likes the smallest parts of the child’s sleep, when the child is breathing, the
mother is liking that sound also.
●        The mother is compulsive about her child’s sleep.
●        Alliteration is used in ‘hearing her breathe,’ it is used in the poem to show the peaceful and soft
breathing sound that the child is making while sleeping.
●        The mother is totally in love with the sleep of the child and she finds peace by looking at her
sleep.
●        The mother just wanted to stare at her sleeping child and not leave the room.
Evidence 2 - ‘heart of such woods’:-
●        ‘Heart of such woods,’ here the child is metaphorically being compared to ‘heart’ as well as the
‘woods.’
●        Heart is a very important part of the body and wood is a very important part of Earth.
●        Carol Ann Duffy believes that the child is the ‘Heart,’ it is the living thing that keeps the other
organs of the body alive.
●        Heart is the symbol of love and liveliness whereas wood is a natural symbol and it symbolizes
wisdom, it is considered to be the most valuable material all around the world.
Evidence 3 - ‘I spoke her name, a pebble dropped’:-
●        ‘I spoke her name, a pebble dropped,’ this clearly shows that the mother loves her child dearly.
●        Her love compels her to call out to her child.
●        When the child stirs, the mother gets to know that the love between them is mutual.
 
Para 2-Effective use of symbolism:-
Evidence 1 - ‘spirit that lives’:-
●        The baby child was the ‘spirit that lives,’ this means that the child’s soul is very pure.
●        It shows that the child is something that is beyond the physical province and the child is
something celestial.
●        While the child was sleeping, she was away from the chaos and confusion of the world, as the
quote says, the child was like a ‘spirit’ when she was sleeping.
●        The child was the ‘spirit’ for the mother as she found peace by only looking at her and listening
to her breathe.
Evidence 2 - ‘perfumed with flowers’:-
●        ‘Perfumed with flowers,’ this represents that the place in which her daughter is sleeping, smelled
like flowers.
●        ‘Flowers’ symbolize loveliness and dignity.
●        The child is smelling like flowers.
●        It represents the child sleeping in a very peaceful environment which has a very pleasing smell.
Evidence 3 - ‘without time, without history’:-
●        ‘Without time, without history,’ this shows that the child was newly born.
●        This quote symbolizes that the children live in this present and they do not worry about the
future.
●        This highlights the fact that children have very few responsibilities and worries as compared to
the adults.

Para 3-Imagery:-
Evidence 1 - ‘I could not enter there, I could not leave’:-
●        The mother ‘could not enter there’ nor ‘could leave,’ this shows how the mother didn’t want to
disturb the child’s sleep by entering the room, but at the same time, she didn’t want to leave the side
of the child.
●        The mother had a gentle attitude towards her daughter and she was very affectionate about her
child.
●        The mother and the child are an inseparable pair.
Evidence 2 - ‘dark, peaceful, sacred’:-
●        ‘Dark, peaceful, sacred,’ this suggests that the child has not witnessed the darkness of the
world, this is compared to the peace she is experiencing.
●        The word ‘peaceful signifies the nature of the child or the way the child slept was very charming.
●        The child’s sleep is considered to be sacred as she was not physically present in the world and
she is in another realm.
Evidence 3 - ‘a pebble dropped in the still night’:-
●        ‘A pebble dropped in the still night,’ this suggests that the night becomes quiet.
●        The word ‘still’ also shows the surroundings of the child while she is asleep.
●        The word ‘still’ also suggests that the child slept in a calm way.

Conclusion:-
The poem is about a mother gazing and admiring her child while she is sleeping. The writer of the
poem ‘A Child’s Sleep’ makes the poem a sentimental one by throwing light upon the theme of
motherly affection, the effective use of symbolism and by the use of imagery.