Miniver Cheevy Analysis
The speaker describes Miniver Cheevy’s conflict which is Miniver’s resistance to the real world and reality and his longing for the past or medieval times. This is expressed through the many phrases of medieval knights, armor, and clothing as well as Miniver’s reaction or attitude towards them. Miniver “loved the days of old / when swords were bright and steeds were prancing,” “missed the mediæval grace / Of iron clothing,” “dreamed Thebes and Camelot / And Priam’s neighbors.” Loved, dreamed and missed all imply that Miniver wishes he could live in that time period. In the quote above, Thebes, Camelot, and Priam’s neighbors are mentioned and are all places and subjects that Miniver pulls from other literary works or stories. These stories
are set in romantic and heroic settings with romantic and heroic characters causing Miniver to have this idealistic picture of the time period and causes him to be dissatisfied with his life in reality.
The speaker describes the early morning tradition of brushing hair that she, her daughter, and her mother all share and take part in. Her shift in focus from brushing her daughter’s hair to her own mother brushing her hair to her daughter brushing the grandmother’s hair enhances the idea that this is a habit taught to and practiced by each generation of this family. “Wet and fragrant,” and “drawn up tight as piano wires,” help characterize the daughter and mother and differentiate between the two because these words imply the youthfulness and innocence of the daughter and the organized and stressful life the mother leads. This is the literal meaning of the poem but there is a deeper meaning woven throughout creating an allegory. This bond between generations also demonstrates the inevitability of change brought on by maturity and death. “Downcast,” and “tick,” are sorrowful words describing the grandmother’s and daughter’s face as well as the timing ticking for both of them. However, when related to growing up and the inescapable death that follows, the daughter has more time than the grandmother, making these traditions and memories bittersweet.
are set in romantic and heroic settings with romantic and heroic characters causing Miniver to have this idealistic picture of the time period and causes him to be dissatisfied with his life in reality.
The speaker describes the early morning tradition of brushing hair that she, her daughter, and her mother all share and take part in. Her shift in focus from brushing her daughter’s hair to her own mother brushing her hair to her daughter brushing the grandmother’s hair enhances the idea that this is a habit taught to and practiced by each generation of this family. “Wet and fragrant,” and “drawn up tight as piano wires,” help characterize the daughter and mother and differentiate between the two because these words imply the youthfulness and innocence of the daughter and the organized and stressful life the mother leads. This is the literal meaning of the poem but there is a deeper meaning woven throughout creating an allegory. This bond between generations also demonstrates the inevitability of change brought on by maturity and death. “Downcast,” and “tick,” are sorrowful words describing the grandmother’s and daughter’s face as well as the timing ticking for both of them. However, when related to growing up and the inescapable death that follows, the daughter has more time than the grandmother, making these traditions and memories bittersweet.