In order to answer an essay question on any poem, it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:
- The poem in a nutshell
- A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
- A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Louisa Adjoa Parker’s intention and message
“The Jewellery Maker" in a nutshell
“The Jewellery Maker” is a poem written by the British poet Louisa Adjoa Parker. Parker is of Ghanaian and English heritage, and this poem, like much of her poetry, examines individual lives and relationships, particularly in relation to cultural identity.
“The Jewellery Maker" breakdown
Lines 1–2
“Each day after sunrise he walks to the workshop
- like his father before him, and his father too -”
Translation
- The first lines introduce a story: the daily life of a man who works in a workshop
- The man is not named, suggesting he is an average person, but he is the jewellery maker of the poem’s title
- The narrator tells readers the man has followed in his ancestors’ footsteps and does the same work as they did
Parker’s intention
- Parker conveys the theme of belonging by depicting the routine of a man’s life
- The continuous nature of family bonds is illustrated as the man continues the family business
- His anonymity contributes to the theme of cultural identity; the man makes up one part of his family heritage:
- It also implies, perhaps, his limited agency and marginalised identity
Lines 3–6
“the slap of sandalled feet on heat-baked stone,
the smell of blossom, a plate-blue sky. He greets
his neighbours with a smile. In the distance
a wild dog barks. ”
Translation
- The narrator describes the man’s experience as he walks to his workshop
- His environment is described as simple and rural:
- His “sandalled feet” present his world as rustic
- She draws attention to the rural environment: a “wild dog barks”
- The narrator also draws attention to the habitual nature of the man’s routine as he greets the neighbours
Parker’s intention
- Parker’s imagery evokes the sensual nature of the man’s life and environment
- This presents the joy and pleasure found in a simpler life connected to one’s cultural heritage
- It also implies a hidden tension through the juxtaposition of the friendly neighbours and the wild dog barking:
- This juxtaposition may undermine the seemingly peaceful setting
Lines 7–8
“He sits straight-backed, lays out pointed tools
the way a surgeon might - neat as soldiers.”
Translation
- The narrator describes the serious way the man attends to his work
- He is compared to a surgeon to imply his care and skill as he makes jewellery
- The man is described as self-disciplined as his tools are “neat as soldiers”
Parker’s intention
- Parker draws attention to the man’s discipline:
- This may allude to his sense of honour and pride working in the family business
- It also suggests he values his skills
Lines 9–12
“He likes hot metal, the smell, the way it yields
to his touch. Under deft fingers gold butterflies dance;
flowers bloom; silvery moons wax and wane,
then wax again; bright dragonflies flap two pairs of wings.”
Translation
- The narrator comments on the man’s love for his work with vibrant images related to the beauty of nature
- These lines describe the objects he moulds the metal into: butterflies, dragonflies, flowers and moons
- The adjective “deft” presents the man as skillful
- The caesura draws attention to each image
Parker’s intention
- The poet conveys again the sensual nature of the jewellery maker’s life:
- The jewellery he makes is beautiful and seems to come alive:
- The butterflies “dance”, the flowers “bloom”, wings “flap” and the moon changes
- It is implied the man also feels a sense of control when he makes jewellery:
- The metal “yields/to his touch”
Lines 13–16
“He likes the tiny loops and curls - he’d decorate
his house in this, drape his wife in fine-spun gold;
her skin wrinkled by sun, in simple cotton dress,
her only jewellery a plain gold band, worn thin.”
Translation
- The narrator expresses the man’s thoughts and desires:
- He loves the beautiful jewellery he makes, but wishes he could decorate his house and wife in it
- These lines describe the man’s wife and his frustration at what he cannot offer her:
- She is described as natural, simple and humble
- She has only one piece of old jewellery (perhaps a wedding ring)
Parker’s intention
- Parker draws attention to the imbalances in the man’s life
- He is unable to afford to use his talent making jewellery to decorate his own home:
- This again suggests underlying tension in the outwardly peaceful scene
- His wife is not able to enjoy the fruits of his labour beyond basic needs:
- Although Parker does suggest a close bond between them nonetheless
Lines 17–19
“He imagines the women who will wear
what he has made, clear-eyed, bird-boned, unlined skin
warming the metal his hands caress.”
Translation
- The omniscient narrator tells readers the man imagines the wealthier women who buy the jewellery he makes
- They are described as very different to his wife - more refined and less weathered by life
Parker’s intention
- Parker ends the poem raising significant differences between the man’s life and those in wealthier environments
- The description of the women (“bird-boned” and with “unlined skin”) alludes to European women and wealth
- Parker concludes the poem presenting imbalances regarding opportunity
- The poem highlights discrepancies between certain individuals in traditional, rural communities and others from urban backgrounds