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Characters · 2
The Grandfather
The Grandfather is a silent, towering figure in Andrew Waterhouse's extended metaphor poem "Climbing My Grandfather."
character
The Speaker (Grandchild)
The Speaker is the unnamed grandchild and the sole narrator of Andrew Waterhouse's free-verse poem "Climbing My Grandfather."
character
Key quotes · 6
“I decide to do it free, without a rope or net.”
This opening line is from Andrew Waterhouse's poem "Climbing My Grandfather," where the speaker uses the metaphor of a free-solo mountain climb to depict the gentle, careful act of exploring his grandfather's aging body.
The poetic speaker (implied Andrew Waterhouse)
“Finding the overhanging shirt, I rest for a while, watching clouds and birds.”
"Climbing my Grandfather" is a well-known poem by British poet Andrew Waterhouse, published in his debut collection In (2000).
The speaker (implied poet/grandchild)
“His eyes are closed. I have reached the summit.”
This closing couplet is from Andrew Waterhouse's poem "Climbing My Grandfather," which uses an extended metaphor to describe the speaker scaling his grandfather's body like a mountain.
The speaker / narrator
“I feel the slow pulse of his good heart.”
"I feel the slow pulse of his good heart" is the closing line of Climbing My Grandfather by Andrew Waterhouse, a contemporary British poem that uses a free-verse extended metaphor.
The grandchild speaker (implied)
“I settle in the soft and wrinkled skin below his ear, and sleep.”
"Climbing My Grandfather" is a poem by Andrew Waterhouse, found in his debut collection In (2000).
The poem's speaker (implied child/grandchild)
“like warm ice, his hand is smooth and old.”
This line is from Andrew Waterhouse's poem Climbing My Grandfather, which uses a free-verse extended metaphor where the speaker imagines "climbing" his grandfather's body like he's scaling a mountain.
Poetic speaker (implied child/grandchild)
Symbols · 4
The Grandfather's Body as Landscape
In Andrew Waterhouse's poem "Climbing My Grandfather," the speaker compares his grandfather's body to a vast and enduring landscape, much like a mountaineer exploring new terrain.
The Mountain / Climbing
In Andrew Waterhouse's poem Climbing My Grandfather, the mountain and the act of climbing represent the speaker's profound, exploratory love for his grandfather and the journey of truly understanding another person.
The Summit
In Andrew Waterhouse's poem Climbing My Grandfather, the summit symbolizes a deep, personal understanding of another person — in this case, a grandfather's entire life, character, and experiences.
Warmth and Texture
In Andrew Waterhouse's free-verse poem "Climbing My Grandfather," warmth and texture embody the grandfather's living, nurturing presence and highlight the speaker's deep connection with him.
Literary devices · 12
Extended Metaphor
The poem revolves around a central metaphor: the speaker views his grandfather's body as a mountain.
Conceit
Waterhouse's central idea—depicting the grandfather as a mountain—is developed with a precise and almost logical consistency.
Imagery
Sensory imagery fills the poem.
Free Verse
The poem is written in free verse, lacking a fixed rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.
Enjambment
Enjambment creates a sense of ongoing upward movement in the poem.
Apostrophe
The poem speaks directly to the grandfather, using second-person phrases like 'your hand,' 'your firm shoulder,' 'your good heart,' and 'the scent of you.'
Symbolism
The act of climbing holds significant symbolic meaning.
Metaphor
Beyond the main theme, local metaphors add depth to specific moments.
Motif
The motif of warmth appears consistently throughout the poem.
Volta
A quiet volta happens as the speaker approaches the grandfather's face and ear.
Juxtaposition
Waterhouse contrasts the rugged language of outdoor adventure—words like 'ledge,' 'traverse,' 'screed,' and 'summit'—with the gentle, domestic reality of an old man's body.
Line Break
Waterhouse thoughtfully employs line breaks to convey physical hesitation and discovery.
Vocabulary · 11
cracked
Split or broken along the surface in an irregular pattern, the way old leather dries out and develops lines and gaps over time.
adjective · Chapter 1
waistcoat
A sleeveless, button-up garment worn over a shirt and under a jacket, common in older men's formal or working dress; what Americans call a vest.
noun · Chapter 1
ledge
A narrow, flat shelf of rock sticking out from a cliff face that a climber can grip or stand on; here used for a scar or missing finger that offers a handhold.
noun · Chapter 1
scar
A permanent mark left on skin after a wound has healed; in this poem it doubles as a physical ridge the speaker uses like a climbing hold.
noun · Chapter 1
stubble
The short, rough bristles of hair left on a man's face when he has not shaved for a day or two, creating a coarse, scratchy texture.
noun · Chapter 1
gritty
Rough and grainy in texture, like coarse sand or sandstone, so that it catches and scrapes against whatever touches it.
adjective · Chapter 1
crevice
A narrow crack or gap in a rock face; climbers use crevices as footholds or sheltered resting spots out of the wind.
noun · Chapter 1
ascent
The act of climbing upward; the full journey from the base to the top of something, whether a mountain or, here, a person's body.
noun · Chapter 1
pulse
The steady, rhythmic beat felt or heard as the heart pumps blood through the body, sensed here as a slow, deep throb beneath the surface.
noun · Chapter 1
summit
The very highest point of a mountain or, in this poem, the top of the grandfather's head, where the speaker's climb finally ends.
noun · Chapter 1
old stone
Rock that has been warmed by long exposure to sunlight, used here to describe the comforting, solid warmth of the grandfather's fingers.
phrase · Chapter 1