A Rose For Boland s Fond Memory - 1207 Words

Eavan Boland’s ‘Fond Memory’ is a poem which is used to explore the poets past, acting as a vehicle for returning to the days of her childhood. This poem is written with the intent to confront a past memory and creates a relationship between Boland as a young girl and the woman she was when she wrote this. Through the use of literary techniques we become a part of the journey that Boland undertakes in order to go back to her child self and speak about her memories. This is a very personal poem as Boland is sharing part of her life with us. The personal element to the poem allows a relationship to be formed with the reader as she engages with our emotions. The relationship between the poet and the reader creates a stronger image of the young lonely girl that Boland is writing about. The use of imagery in ‘Fond memory’ is reflective of what it was like as a young Irish girl growing up in London. The separation between Boland and the other children is represented through the negative imagery that she uses to describe them, ‘all the children wore darned worsted,’ reflecting her dislike towards them. It is interesting that the same negative imagery isn’t used when she describes herself, ‘I dressed in wool as well’ the descriptions are separate so the reader views them as two separate identities, mirroring how Boland was viewed at the time. By emphasising the hostility that she felt as a child, Boland is also revealing that as an adult she still harbours resentment towards the