Poetry Analysis

Back to poet

My mother could not bear being blind,

Original Poetry

Translation

My mother could not bear being blind,

My mother couldn't handle being blind,

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

truthfully. It's something you shouldn't say.

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

You should hide that terrible

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

disabilities are hell; you often hear,

publicly from those who bear it

publicly from those who endure it

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

like a stoic, or somehow find joy

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

in the struggle. She turned to me, once,

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in a Paris restaurant, still unable to find

the food on the plate with her fork,

the food on her plate with her fork,

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

in a completely dark room) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

"It's living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

If I lost hope of a cure, I'd end

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

my life." I don't remember what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

but it must have been the usual comfort,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

inadequate: the trapped son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

She maintained her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

bumping into walls like a bumper car; her sense

My mother could not bear being blind,

alive with color, the ground regal

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

with fallen leaves. I told her this, forgetting,

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

as she sat too weak to move, staring

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

at nothing. "Oh yes, I know," she said,

publicly from those who bear it

"it's lovely out there." Dying has made her

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

no more blind, but now she can't

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

the food on the plate with her fork,

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

ablaze with colour, the ground royal

with leaf-fall. I told her this, forgetting,

as she sat too weak to move, staring

at nothing. “Oh yes, I know,” she said,

“it’s lovely out there.” Dying has made her

no more sightless, but now she can’t

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

Explanation

Adam Thorpe's poem 'On Her Blindness' is a poignant exploration of his mother's struggle with blindness and the emotional toll it takes on both her and her family. The poem begins with the stark admission that his mother found her blindness unbearable, a truth often hidden due to societal expectations of stoicism. The poem uses vivid imagery to convey the everyday challenges she faced, such as struggling to find food on her plate. Despite these difficulties, she maintained her dignity, even joking about her condition. The poem also reflects on the emotional burden carried by the speaker, who feels inadequate in providing comfort. The narrative shifts to a moment of reflection on the beauty of the world outside, which his mother acknowledges despite her inability to see it. The poem concludes with a meditation on death, suggesting that in death, his mother is no longer bound by the limitations of blindness, and it is left to the living to imagine her watching from beyond. The poem is rich with themes of suffering, dignity, and the complex dynamics of family relationships in the face of disability.

Word Dictionary14

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
bear	endure	to tolerate or withstand	bair
catastrophic	disastrous	causing great damage or suffering	cat-uh-strof-ik
handicaps	disabilities	physical or mental conditions that limit activities	han-di-caps
Roman	stoic person	someone who is very strong and unemotional	roh-man
dodgem	bumper car	an amusement park ride where cars bump into each other	doj-em
ablaze	brightly lit	shining brightly with light or color	uh-blayz
royal	majestic	having the status of a king or queen	roy-al
sop	consolation	something given to appease or comfort	saap
inadequate	insufficient	not enough or not good enough	in-ad-uh-kwit
dignity	self-respect	the state of being worthy of honor	dig-ni-tee
pretend	fake	to act as if something is true when it is not	pri-tend
coffin	casket	a box in which a dead body is buried	kof-in
sightless	blind	not able to see	sight-less
whispered	spoke softly	spoke in a quiet voice	whis-perd

Poet & Context

PoetAdam Thorpe

EraContemporary

Adam Thorpe is a contemporary British poet, novelist, and playwright. He is known for his rich and varied literary works that often explore themes of history, memory, and personal experience. Thorpe's writing is characterized by its emotional depth and attention to detail.

View on Wikipedia

WhenPublished in 2005

WhyThe poem 'On Her Blindness' by Adam Thorpe is a deeply personal reflection on the poet's mother's struggle with blindness. It explores themes of suffering, dignity, and the societal expectations of stoicism in the face of disability. The poem is a poignant commentary on the emotional realities of living with a disability and the challenges of communication between loved ones.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

sufferingdignityfamily dynamicsdisabilitydeath

Literary devices

imagery: vivid descriptions of blindness and its challengesalliteration: 'bear being blind' emphasizes the strugglemetaphor: 'bumping into walls like a dodgem' compares her movements to a bumper carenjambment: lines flow into one another, reflecting the ongoing strugglecontrast: between public perception and private reality of disability

Poetry Analysis

Back to poet

My mother could not bear being blind,

Original Poetry

Translation

My mother could not bear being blind,

My mother couldn't handle being blind,

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

truthfully. It's something you shouldn't say.

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

You should hide that terrible

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

disabilities are hell; you often hear,

publicly from those who bear it

publicly from those who endure it

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

like a stoic, or somehow find joy

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

in the struggle. She turned to me, once,

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in a Paris restaurant, still unable to find

the food on the plate with her fork,

the food on her plate with her fork,

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

in a completely dark room) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

"It's living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

If I lost hope of a cure, I'd end

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

my life." I don't remember what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

but it must have been the usual comfort,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

inadequate: the trapped son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

She maintained her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

bumping into walls like a bumper car; her sense

My mother could not bear being blind,

alive with color, the ground regal

to be honest. One shouldn’t say it.

with fallen leaves. I told her this, forgetting,

One should hide the fact that catastrophic

as she sat too weak to move, staring

handicaps are hell; one tends to hear,

at nothing. "Oh yes, I know," she said,

publicly from those who bear it

"it's lovely out there." Dying has made her

like a Roman, or somehow find joy

no more blind, but now she can't

in the fight. She turned to me, once,

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in a Paris restaurant, still not finding

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

the food on the plate with her fork,

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

or not so that it stayed on (try it

in a pitch-black room) and whispered,

“It’s living hell, to be honest Adam.

If I gave up hope of a cure, I’d bump

myself off.” I don’t recall what I replied,

but it must have been the usual sop,

inadequate: the locked-in son.

She kept her dignity, though, even when

bumping into walls like a dodgem; her sense

ablaze with colour, the ground royal

with leaf-fall. I told her this, forgetting,

as she sat too weak to move, staring

at nothing. “Oh yes, I know,” she said,

“it’s lovely out there.” Dying has made her

no more sightless, but now she can’t

pretend. Her eyelids were closed

in the coffin; it was up to us to believe

she was watching, somewhere, in the end.

Explanation

Word Dictionary14

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
bear	endure	to tolerate or withstand	bair
catastrophic	disastrous	causing great damage or suffering	cat-uh-strof-ik
handicaps	disabilities	physical or mental conditions that limit activities	han-di-caps
Roman	stoic person	someone who is very strong and unemotional	roh-man
dodgem	bumper car	an amusement park ride where cars bump into each other	doj-em
ablaze	brightly lit	shining brightly with light or color	uh-blayz
royal	majestic	having the status of a king or queen	roy-al
sop	consolation	something given to appease or comfort	saap
inadequate	insufficient	not enough or not good enough	in-ad-uh-kwit
dignity	self-respect	the state of being worthy of honor	dig-ni-tee
pretend	fake	to act as if something is true when it is not	pri-tend
coffin	casket	a box in which a dead body is buried	kof-in
sightless	blind	not able to see	sight-less
whispered	spoke softly	spoke in a quiet voice	whis-perd

Poet & Context

PoetAdam Thorpe

EraContemporary

View on Wikipedia

WhenPublished in 2005

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

sufferingdignityfamily dynamicsdisabilitydeath

Literary devices