In your essay, be sure to:

Support your argument with close reference to the language, imagery, and structure of the poem throughout.

• Analyse how Waterhouse develops the extended metaphor throughout the poem, following the speaker's "ascent" from the grandfather's boot to his face.
• Examine the specific sensory details and word choices Waterhouse makes at each stage of the climb, and argue how these selections unveil the speaker's emotional attitude toward his grandfather.
• Discuss how structural and formal choices (like the poem's single unbroken stanza and absence of punctuation) enhance the feeling of a continuous, unhurried journey of discovery.
• Evaluate the significance of the poem's conclusion — the speaker opting to "rest" near the grandfather's heart — and argue what this final image implies about the nature of their relationship.

Your essay should

• Identify and analyze the central extended metaphor (climbing a mountain/the grandfather's body)
• Examine at least three specific poetic techniques (e.g., tactile imagery, diction choices, enjambment, free verse structure)
• Present a clear argument about what the metaphor ultimately conveys regarding love, memory, or the passage of time
• Include embedded textual evidence to support each point

Assessment focus

Argumentation, close reading, use of evidence