1. STRUCTURE
1.1. broken regularity of the structure may suggest sadness the memory causes
1.2. rhyming couplets could indicate bond between mother and son
1.3. "so"
1.3.1. final stanza opens with this discourse marker
1.3.2. contrasts the present with the past
1.3.2.1. contrasts the brash singer with the gentle music of his memory
2. FORM
2.1. adapted sonnet
2.1.1. may suggest the love for his mother
3. TITLE
3.1. the focal point
3.2. the memory
4. MOTHER
4.1. "softly a woman"
4.1.1. gradually the woman fades into view as his mother
4.1.2. "a woman" depersonalises the memory at first
4.1.3. creates a sense of mystery and wonder at the start of the poem
4.2. "smiles as she sings"
4.2.1. soft, sibilant phrasing
4.2.2. suggests softness and lightness of a happy memory
5. SETTING
5.1. "vista of years"
5.1.1. panoramic view
5.1.2. creates a sense of the distance between the memory and the present
5.1.3. suggests that there are different views of different parts of his life
5.2. "winter outside"
5.2.1. contrast with the warmth of the family parlour
6. SOUNDS
6.1. contrast between "booming" and "tinkling"
6.1.1. between man and child
6.2. "insidious mastery of song"
6.2.1. music "betrays" him & causes him to become emotional about the past
6.3. contrast between "booming" and "tinkling"
7. CHILD
7.1. sits under the piano
7.1.1. suggests protection and vulnerability
7.2. "pressing her feet"
7.2.1. touching image of child participating in the making of music
8. MEMORY AND FEELINGS
8.1. "The glamour of childish days"
8.1.1. he is emotionally weakened by his memories
8.1.2. nostalgia affects him
8.1.3. the memory is a metaphorical flood that drowns him
8.1.3.1. does suggest rebirth: he can arise as a changed man
8.1.4. he is engulfed in sorrow