Fleur: Poetry and Unexpected Visit

With close reference to three poems, discuss the ways in which Adcock explores different aspects of change.
Three poems
- Unexpected Visit
- For Andrew
- Weathering
- The language of these poems is as sharp as prose and as breathless as the last words of a novel, which solve an unbearable suspense. Fleur Adcock is never game for happy endings, but her poems do cultivate a sense of ending, which sometimes – as in this case – softens the snarling lines.
Unexpected Visit
- The poem is simple. The overall theme of the poem is the poet’s annoyance? With what seems to be a conventionally beautiful garden and situation. Reading along the poem, Adcock describes magnificent and beautiful things in a manner that degrades them. Taking something beautiful and giving it a dull outlook. She doesn’t like the grandeur – the conventionality
- There is a sense of helplessness throughout the poem wherein the position the poet is in is not something they prefer or choose to be in. They are stuck in this situation that has been thrown at the poet and they have to deal with it whether they like it or not. ‘I do not want to be here’ ‘Having chosen nothing else..’ illustrates that. It feels like the poem is symbolistic of her life wherein she is at some transitional phase and a turn has been thrust upon her which she doesn’t quite like or prefer even though it might be good for her. She tries to hide in any familiar parts of her life till she has the courage and energy to deal with these changes.
- Changes /transitions of situations etc IN life
For Andrew –
- Fleur seems to be talking to a/her child about death. It seems as though while explaining mortality to her son, towards the end she herself believes and hopes on her son being immortal in essence. She has as much hopeful imagination/delusion as her child.
- Point to note – Andrew is Fleur’s second son in real life.
- Change of the state OF life – life/death
- Death happens to children as well as grown ups, though.