‘Nettles’ by Vernon Scannell
LO: To explore how Scannell uses
imagery and metaphor to convey his
feelings about parenthood
Vernon Scannell
• This poem is about a father protecting his son.
• It’s about the dangers of a dark, menacing world
in which nobody and nothing can be saved.
• Nature will attack you, be cut down, grow back
and fight you again… just like the military will
hunt you down and find you if you leave without
consent.
• Scannell is protecting his son from a world he
hates and fears.
Vernon Scannell
• Sees war in everything
• Was a dark character, 85 when he
died.
• Lived through 2nd World War and the
Cold War.
• Joined the army aged 18.
• He was addicted to desertion, leaving
the army without consent twice.
• He was sent to a psychiatric hospital
the 2nd time.
• He had 2 children (1 was handicapped
and died as a young child, the other
died in a bike crash as an adult.)
Watch the YouTube clip to listen to the
poem
Possession
Emotive
Oxymoron – emphasises contrast
between image of stinging nettles
with security of bed.
Full stop forced reader
to slow down
My son aged three fell in the nettle bed. A
‘Bed’ seemed a curious name for those green spears, B
That regiment of spite behind the shed:
Metaphor – bayonets
It was no place for rest. With sobs and tears
linked to military/
violence
Inverted commas
suggest
contemplation.
personifies – like a battalion of soldiers
Sibilance linked to emphasise
the soothing of his injured
son
Alliteration
emphasises small
blisters
2nd quatrain – language more
tender and protective
The boy came seeking comfort and I saw A
White blisters beaded on his tender skin. B
We soothed him till his pain was not so raw. A
At last he offered us a watery grin, B
Father anxious for
his son to no
longer feel pain
Oxymoronic image – merging
laughter of comfort with relief of
pain. Reflects changing moods of
children
Shows he’s vulnerable
Dark, violent image
Protective images
3rd quatrain – language changes to being very regimented
And then I took my billhook, honed the blade A
And went outside and slashed in fury with it B
Till not a nettle in that fierce parade A
Stood upright any more. And then I lit B
Personification helps to portray
military images used when
destroying nettles
Military references
Anger towards nettles / feeling that he is
chopping away at bad memories of the
past.
4th quatrain offers clue to his resentment towards military
Metaphor burning the wounded/ dead. Ultimate end
reinforced by sounds of consonance
Lost at war
A funeral pyre to burn the fallen dead, A
But in two weeks the busy sun and rain B
Had called up tall recruits behind the shed: A
My son would often feel sharp wounds again. B
New recruits to replace those
who have died
Natural forces
Surreptitious/ furtive
Last line = negative image. Maybe about loss of
his son or about pointlessness of trying to protect
your children.
Links back to the beginning/ emotive/ possessive
Clue to deep rooted hatred
towards the military
My son aged three fell in the nettle bed.
‘Bed’ seemed a curious name for those green spears,
That regiment of spite behind the shed:
It was no place for rest. With sobs and tears
The boy came seeking comfort and I saw
White blisters beaded on his tender skin.
We soothed him till his pain was not so raw.
At last he offered us a watery grin,
And then I took by billhook, honed the blade
And went outside and slashed in fury with it
Till not a nettle in that fierce parade
Stood upright any more. And then I lit
A funeral pyre to burn the fallen dead
But in two weeks the busy sun and rain
Had called up tall recruits behind the shed:
My son would often feel sharp wounds again.
Metaphors
linked to
military
references
Theme: war/ violence/ danger (in
nature and the everyday world)
Language
• Metaphors are linked to the
military/ war/ painful
images.
• Anger – there’s danger in all
things. Negative poem.
Physical hurts trigger
memories of mental scars
• Protective – natural rhyme
in poem reflects a nursery
rhyme sung to comfort a
child.
Structure
• Simple ABAB rhyme scheme
• Iambic pentameter
• 4 quatrains
• Simple melodic rhyme
scheme reinforcing sense of
nursery rhyme for child.
Compare to: another poem that shows
anger and strength of those feelings
How does Scannell use imagery and
metaphor to convey his feelings about
parenthood?
In your answer explain why Scannell
has chosen to use military images to
explore ideas about parenthood in this
poem.