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M EMENTOS, 1 W D Snodgrass MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 2 Slide 3 memento [m m nt ] n pl -tos, -toes 1. something that reminds one of past events; souvenir MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 4 Sorting out letters and piles of my old Canceled checks, old clippings, and yellow note cards That meant something once, MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 5 I happened to find Your picture. That picture. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 6 I stopped there cold, Like a man raking piles of dead leaves in his yard Who has turned up a severed hand. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 7 Still, that first second, I was glad: you stand Just as you stood shy, delicate, slender, In that long gown of green lace netting and daisies That you wore to our first dance. The sight of you stunned Us all. Well, our needs were different, then, And our ideals came easy. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 8 Then through the war and those two long years Overseas, the Japanese dead in their shacks Among dishes, dolls, and lost shoes; I carried This glimpse of you, there, to choke down my fear, Prove it had been, that it might come back. That was before we got married. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 9 Before we drained out one another s force With lies, self-denial, unspoken regret MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 10 And the sick eyes that blame; before the divorce And the treachery. Say it: before we met. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 11 Still, I put back your picture. Someday, in due course, I will find that it s still there. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 12 The poet is rummaging through old documents when he comes across a picture of his wife, but at a time when they were still dating. He is initially shocked upon seeing it but then it brings back a sense of nostalgia because it was this picture which had helped him through the fearful war years. He is also reminded of the dreadful days of their marriage, when affection disappeared and their relationship ended in divorce. Nevertheless, he keeps the picture and knows that one day he will look at it again. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 13 Sorting out letters and piles of my old Canceled checks, old clippings, and yellow note cards canceled = cancelled check = cheque. Articles of interest from newspapers or magazines which the poet had cut out and kept The note cards were so old that they had become yellow with age These souvenirs had some meaning to the speaker some emotional attachment That meant something once, MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 14 I happened to find Your picture. That picture. The italics of the word That prove that this was a picture of some significance. This is a photograph of his ex- wife. It is a picture that brought back long forgotten memories. The poet cleverly places the phrase Your picture at the beginning of the new line. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 15 I stopped there cold, Like a man raking piles of dead leaves in his yard Who has turned up a severed hand. The poet uses a disturbing image: He wants us to feel his shock he gives the reader something to relate to. Hand - cut off MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 16 Still, that first second, I was glad: you stand Just as you stood shy, delicate, slender, In that long gown of green lace netting and daisies That you wore to our first dance. The sight of you stunned Us all. The poet uses images of beauty to describe the woman. Note the apostrophe the poet addresses her directly MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 17 Well, our needs were different, then, Young people do not have many needs. They did not have all the responsibilities and commitment of later life. Needs of young people are very different from those of married couples. Their lifestyles tend to be more simple. They can adapt to hardship more easily. When one has few possessions to lose, one can afford to be idealistic And our ideals came easy MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 18 The poet refers to World War II, more specifically to the period when the Americans were fighting the Japanese after Pearl Harbour. Then through the war and those two long years Overseas, the Japanese dead in their shacks Among dishes, dolls, and lost shoes; Here we learn of the significance of the photograph Emphasises the length of time It was a difficult time but also a time in which they probably changed grew apart. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 19 I carried This glimpse of you, there, to choke down my fear, Prove it had been, that it might come back. The picture enabled the poet to think of other things than war and killing. It enabled him to talk to his fellow soldiers of the good times and the fun times he had had back at home before he had been drafted into the navy. The TONE is one of sarcasm or bitterness. The picture reminded the poet of the good times, the happy times. But all that changed once he returned home and got married. That was before we got married. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 20 Before we drained out one another s force With lies, self-denial, unspoken regret It proves that he does not blame her entirely for what happened between them. He is realistic they were both responsible for the divorce. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 21 And the sick eyes that blame; before the divorce And the treachery. Say it: before we met. The speaker lists the things that caused the break-up. The tone is bitter: the speaker implies that they both believe that their lives would have been better if they had not met. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH Slide 22 Still, I put back your picture. Someday, in due course, I will find that it s still there. Despite all the painful memories of the marriage, the photograph nevertheless brings back nostalgic memories of his life before and during the war, when the woman was still the person he loved and who meant a great deal to him. MADE BY RONEL MYBURGH