Object Lessons: Key Quotes

“Object Lessons”: Key Quotes

“It was winter. The dead leaves still clung to the branches”: Boland opens the poem with a depiction of a bleak season, symbolising death and decay. These strong images also frame the speaker’s memories of their youth.
“a kettle I watched”: The commonplace item of a kettle here is a gateway to the speaker’s past, reinforcing Boland’s exploration of personal history through mundane objects.
“I saw myself as a hero of the resistance”: The speaker’s ambition and youthful optimism are clear here, suggesting a contrast with her later disillusionment.

“In the mirrors of our lives”: Boland uses the concept of mirrors metaphorically to express how personal reflections on the past inform our present self-understanding.
“Has my adult double”: This quote shows the dual existence of the speaker’s identity – a youthful version of herself and her present adult persona. It highlights Boland’s exploration of self through memory.
“Language…in the things we lose we find them again”: Here, Boland acknowledges the value of personal narratives in preserving memory and conveying emotion. The cyclic nature of loss and rediscovery is a recurring motif in her work.

“an old calendar”: The obsolete calendar symbolises times past and memories anchored in a specific time and place.
“kettle” & “key”: These everyday objects gain potent symbolic significance in their ability to conjure vivid memories of the past.
“I looked into the cold mirror of my wedding day”: The mirror, apart from reflecting one’s physical appearance, represents reflection on personal history and self-understanding. The ‘cold’ adds an element of emotional detachment and unvarnished reality.