Down the M4 - Abse

Down the M4 is a poem by Abse about going back to Wales down the M4 as this is the main road to Wales from England. From within the first stanza we get the sense of emphasis through the word 'Me!'. The exclamation mark could convey the idea that Abse is surprised about having to go back to Wales and this may be negative surprise. There is evidence that he is going back to Wales for negative news through the word 'afraid' as he may be afraid of what he is going to be told once he gets there. We also get the semantic field of death and ageing through this stanza. Abse describes how his aunts and uncles 'too, go into the hole, one by one'. This connotes this idea of death as we imagine them being buried. In the last part of stanza one we get the reinforcement that his mother is ageing and that she may be next to die through the quote 'The beautiful face of my mother is in its ninth decade'.

Within the second stanza the persona shares a memory of his mother's story about clocks, This adds emphasis to the fact that she is old. This is further reinforced through the quote 'Each visit she tells me the monotonous story of clocks'. This is a reflection of the mother's age, the fact that it is 'monotonous' suggests something rather boring. The fact that it is a clock as well suggests that life is precious as we go through it so quickly, Abse is commenting that time is a precious thing and this is conveyed through the metaphor of the clocks. Maybe Abse is also commenting that as we grow older ourselves and the world around us becomes a lot more mundane as we have served our own purpose already in life.

Within the third stanza the persona begins to remember the influence his grandmother has left to others, it's as if she is already dead.

Within the very last stanza of the poem the persona then links ideas to the title of this poem. He talks about his journey to South Wales. The fact that the persona comments 'I'm driving down the M4' reinforces to us that the persona is driving and this gives us a link to the title. The bridges also 'leap over me, then shrink in my side mirror'. This acts as a metaphor for life itself, that you can be alive one minute and then next minute you have literally shrunk and you are dead. The persona also comments that 'Ystalyfera is farther than smoke and God further than all distance known'. The ironic thing is that you can't past smoke as smoke can engulf us all, this may act as a metaphor that the son is fighting a loosing battle in hoping that his mother stays alive. The persona also comments 'I whistle no hymn but an old Yiddish tune my mother knows'. This shows that the persona chooses a tune that his mother knows. This conveys the emotions he is feeling towards her right now and conveys the view that she is on his mind while he is driving back. The poem ends sadly through the quote 'It wont keep'. This shows that the tune won't always be around. His mother will go and he will too so the tune won't be around any longer.

This poems main themes is about a journey, old age and death. It can be linked to Here by Larkin. Here shows a journey of thoughts and what he sees around him. In this poem, the persona is travelling back to South Wales and is thinking about the reason why he has to go back. It shows isolation and be alone with thoughts. It differs from Here however as the journey isn't
the central idea to this poem - yet it is in Here. Here shows what the world around the persona is like. The persona in this poem looks around him but doesn't take as much in. This poem also has close links with Ambulances and Take One Home for the Kiddies through the ideas of the value of life and the meaning of death and how close the two are with one another. This could also link to Mr Bleaney through the ideas of persons becoming useless when they have no purpose. The poem also reminds me of Reference Back because it is a poem about old age and not being able to be young again. The difference being is that in this poem the elderly are looking forward whereas in Reference Back the elderly are looking back into the past and yearning for it again.