MATERIAL – ROS BARBER

Material is by Ros Barber and is about the changing role of a mother in the family unit. The
speaker contrast her mother with the way she looks after her children now. It is a personal
poem that concentrates on one woman’s experience of realising the importance of a mother
figure in a child’s life and the nostalgia surrounding this and things from the past. The poem
moves from this past into the present and a consideration of the narrator’s own role as a
mother and how this differs from the experience of earlier generations.

STRUCTURE

The poem has a very strong structure made up of 9 stanzas of 8 lines each. There is consistent
use of half rhyme to suggest the uncertainty felt by the poetic voice.

 Barber half rhymes words such as ‘cloth’ and ‘shops’ showing not only uncertainty
but also the informality of poetry in the modern day. Poetry used to rhyme, it was part of
the formality in which people lived in those days, echoing the message of the rest of the
poem to show how the role of the mother has changed.
 This is also some strict alternate line rhyme in the second stanza especially, ‘lace’ and
‘face’ – suggesting that although some things have changed, there are still some
similarities.
 Repetition in the line “step-together, step together, step-together”, this structure shows
how there was formality in the old days
LANGUAGE TECHNIQUES

 Proper nouns show how the people in her youth were very important to her
upbringing “George with his dodgy foot”, this is a very personal poem to her
 Concrete nouns creates more of a sense of nostalgia, “The fishmonger whose marble
slabbed”. Things are disappearing from her youth and this makes her sad as she sees the
world changing before her eyes.
 Rhyming triplet at the end ‘disposable/material/will’
IMAGERY

 Contrast between hanky and tissues show the change in the role of the mother to the
poetic voice. A hanky used to be made od durable material (relating to the title), were
given as gifts which often had a lot of thought put into them – embroidered with personal
initials. However now, people tend to use paper tissues which are disposable and weak.
They are often a rushed thought and can be bought anywhere. This juxtaposes how the
mother’s role has changed and that now, the poetic voice is not as present as she perhaps
should be to her children.
 There is the use of an extended metaphor of the hanky “My mother was the hanky
queen, when hanky meant a thing of cloth”. The extended metaphor allows the reader to
understand how the speaker feels that her mother was a constant figure in her life. She was
a gift, whereas tissues are disposable – how the role of the mother changes
 ‘Material’ as the title refers to the actual material the hanky is made from but also
how we are shaped by our mothers and shape our children in turn. The phrase ‘raw
 materials’ is important here, reminding us of the importance of nurture in creating
character.
TONE

 The tone throughout the poem is quite reminiscent and sad. She is nostalgic about her
youth and her mother. She ponders how everything now is materialistic and throw away,
perhaps she thinks that people take things for granted.
 There is also a sense of frustration with herself in the 8th stanza when the poetic voice
reflects on her own performance as a mother, “I raised neglected-looking kids, the kind
whose noses strangers clean” – she is not a constant mother figure for her children – raises
the question, is today’s parenting style lazy? Do we tend to stick children in front of the
television as a virtual babysitter? However the fact that she acknowledges this gives the
reader hope that she may change her ways.
 “marble that slabbed” could suggest a morgue and that her youth is dying away
creating a sad tone
CONCLUSION

 Emphasis on the last line is helped by the italics

 The rhyming triple also helps to do this because ‘material’ is tangible and a symbol of
care and love for the children
 We know that “[she misses] material handkerchiefs, their soft and hidden history” –
this provokes sympathy for the poetic voice and is probably quite a relatable situation for
many readers
As you can tell, there’s a lot more to this poem than first meets the eye and a lot of hidden
meanings, especially surrounding the extended metaphor. The reader may at first not like the
poetic voice for neglecting her children but she does realise her mistakes by the end and hint
that she will change her ways.

Analysis ‘Material’ is a poem by Ros Barber which considers the transition between

childhood and adulthood, and the narrator’s nostalgia for a less consumer-driven world
through the description of a traditional handkerchief.   Barber was born in America but raised
in England, and is an internationally renowned scholar of Christopher Marlowe who some
believe, including Barber, to be the true writer of Shakespeare’s work. Interestingly, a
handkerchief features prominently in both ‘Othello’ and this poem. The collection ‘Material’
and the poem itself were her response to the death of her mother in 2002, with further
background information available on Barber’s website.
‘Material’ The title of the poem helps to immediately give a reader an indication of what the
poem is about, although at the same time it remains relatively ambiguous due to the large
amount of possibilities for what might be explored in reference to ‘Material’. It is also
interesting to note how the title links directly to the end of the poem, helping to make the
poem come together as one and act as a key reminder of the poem’s message. The four
syllables of ‘Material’ also help to lengthen the title in speech but not in its presence on the
page, which is interesting for a reader because it could be seem as symbolic of the deeper
ideas presented in the poem.
Poem Structure There are regular verses throughout the poem with the exception of the
sixth stanza, which breaks from the typical eight line rule of the poem to have nine lines, and
is also the only example of enjambment across stanzas. This slightly disrupts the flow of the
poem, and therefore makes it more noticeable to a reader and marks the tonal shift of the
poem, as from this point onwards it has the feeling of sadness-tinged nostalgia due to the
changes in attitude which have occurred throughout society.
Each stanza (with the exception of the fifth) ends with an end-stopped line, which can be
interpreted as representing the traditional structure of society and the world in times gone by,
with the one break in this pattern representing a transition. In addition, all of the first lines of
the three final stanzas are only one line, with the lengthened pause creating a tone of
consideration and reflection which is not as apparent earlier on in the poem.
Unlike many other poets from the ‘Poems of the Decade’ collection, Barber also makes use
of the visual form of the poem with italic phrases to show names or phrases said by others,
helping to add further emphasis to them. This is very effective for the final two lines of the
poem, because it helps to act as a visual reference for a reader in order to remember the
message of the poem more successfully, with the reference to “daughter” making the poem
end on a very sentimental note. Another poem within the anthology which uses a similar
technique is ‘A Minor Role’.
Poetic Techniques
One of the more obvious poetic devices used in ‘Material’ is the symbolism of the
handkerchief. While it can be interpreted literally, it can also be understood to represent
many ideas and features of a past time in the poet’s childhood with their mother. The use of
symbolism means that readers can associate their own experiences and ideas with the
poem, helping to make the technique and poem as a whole much more memorable and
effective.
A sentimental tone is also established through the contraction of words, such as cardigan
being shortened to “cardi” in the second stanza. This brings a more natural speech and
rhythm to the poem, making it sound more story-like and therefore more personal. This has
connotations of personalisation, family life and sentiment, once again helping to make useful
long term possessions seem significant in comparison to a more materialistic world today.
Similarly, there is heavy use of personal pronouns to further emphasise the personal
connections and ideas.
Many references are very descriptive, with the imagery presented to a reader making them
feel that they are almost that person and able to remember these occasions, which is very
helpful in making a reader empathise with the narrator. This contributes significantly to
Barber’s aim of showing how consumable the world has become, with this imagery being
very helpful for those readers who may not have considered these ideas before.
Important Lines
“Nostalgia only makes me old.”
Being one of the shortest lines of the poem helps contrast this idea against the long, almost
rambling sentences of the previous stanza in a relatively abrupt way. It makes a reader
question why the narrator has been nostalgic up to this point, which in turn indicates that the
narrator feels old in relation to the huge changes in societal attitudes since their childhood.
Readers could also interpret that the narrator doesn’t want their children to grow up to a
similar situation, as supported by the following lines in the seventh stanza.
their soft and hidden history”
An object usually disregarded is given new significance in this line, with the alliteration of
“hidden history” identifying the importance that an object so simple (and family heirlooms
and possessions in general) have had over generations. Some readers may interpret this
line as also alluding to the idea of tradition, noticing how the tradition and significance of
many possessions such handkerchiefs have been diminished in recent years.
“tissues and uncertainty”
It becomes apparent in the final stanza of ‘Material’ that the ideas of consumerism that are
present throughout the poem are just the surface level of emotions that the narrator has,
shown through the sadness in relation to the death of their mother. Noting how she too no
longer used handkerchiefs, the idea of “uncertainty” is discussed, and that the most
important thing was to make the best of whatever situation pragmatically.
‘Material’ Key Themes
Childhood: Throughout ‘Material’ there is strong consideration of childhood and childhood
experiences, with the narrator looking at how situations have changed and developed over
time and everything that has been lost in that time.
Identity: Core principals of the mother and narrator are considered, with their actions and
opinions being used to build up the identity presented to the reader. There is also the
concept of societal identity which can be interpreted as being alluded to in the poem, and
how different objects or customs can be very important even if their physical value is low.
Past and Present: There is a clear transition of time in this poem, shown through the
language and imagery as readers move from the nostalgic past to the more uncertain
present, with considerations made for the future too. This would be quite noticeable to a
reader because of the speed of the transition, in a similar way to ‘The Fox in the National
Museum of Wales’.