Simon Armitage's Symbols

In the poem ‘Mother, any distance greater than a single span’, Simon Armitage has used symbolism to support the idea of a mother holding her child back and not wanting to let go. My first point will be his symbol of a tape measure as the years of the child growing older, followed an anchor as the mother and a kite as the child. This shows us that although things are changing, it is still important to keep a strong relationship so that you always have someone to support you. No matter how distant you become from one to another, blood will always be thicker.
The first symbol that stands out to me is the tape measure. He first mentions the tape measure by saying “you at the zero end, me with the spool of tape” then later on says “unreeling years …show more content…
Armitage mentions this in a short line of its own “Anchor.” This is telling us that the mother is like an anchor, which is holding her son down, and not wanting to let go. Another line “I can still feel you pinch, the last one hundredth of an inch,” also supports this. This is telling us that although she is only holding on by a thread or a pinch, she is still determined to keep that connection. I can relate to this because occasionally I want to go and do things, but my mother will not let me because she is still holding on, and will not let me go. This teaches me that at times it may feel like your mother is being an anchor, but it could be for the greater good. This is because although they might not be ready to let go, you might not be …show more content…
Armitage first mentions this in another short sentence of its own “Kite.” This is supporting the idea of the child being the kite and that the child wants to go and find out if he can fly. This symbol shows that the child wants to go in a different direction than his mother and choose his own paths. This is important because it tells us that the child feels that he is ready to go. Armitage later goes on to say, “To fall, or fly.” This is supporting the idea of the anchor holding him down, which is his mother, but She is holding him down just in case he falls. This teaches us that they both need to trust each other so that they can let go and see if he can fly. If the child falls, he will just have to pick himself up. I can relate to this because I am nearly at the stage to leave home, which means that my relationship with my mother will change and we will need to be able to let go as