Stabat Mater, Sam Hunt
Discuss some of the ways in which Hunt presents the relationship in this poem.
In the poem, Hunt curiously explores the way time alters relationships and perspectives,
warping dynamics and turning childish assumptions turn into adult realisations. He achieves
this through the admirable portrayal of his mother and the objective description of his
father, illustrating his mother’s sacrificial love and commemorating her accomplishments
and resilience.
To begin with, the poem is written in the form of a sonnet, revealing its autobiographical
undercurrent as it shows the love Hunt has for his parents. The poet adopts an objective
tone, creating a sense of detachment and distance, enhanced through the use of nameless
pronouns “she”, “he” and the formality conveyed through the arguably impartial, matter-of-
fact mood of the poem. Moreover, the fact that the title of the poem is in Latin, further
distances readers from the poem and makes it seem private, as if the poet’s family dynamic
is purposefully not meant to be understood from an outsider’s point of view. Additionally,
while the poem can be viewed as awkwardly pieced together, reflecting the dissonant and
untraditional relationship between his parents, as shown through the fragmented rhyme
scheme, it is stoically brought together by the poet’s mother. He thus praises her ability to
make an otherwise disjointed and dissonant situation work, reflecting and realising her
efforts many years later.
The poet continues to praise his mother through showing her commendable development
throughout her relationship. In the beginning of the poem, the use of fricative alliteration
(“for the first few years”) shows how she was initially feeble and hesitant towards “Mr
Hunt”. It could also depict how their initial relationship held pent up frustration and friction,
foreshadowing their inevitable differences as his mother matured his father grew older. As
the poem progresses, the poet employs repeated aspirate sounds (“how hard it had been to
call him…”) creating a laboured tone and effectively portraying the mother’s exasperation
through consonance. By doing this, it is made evident that the mother’s role had
transformed into one of a care giver and supporter, her love changed from romantic to
sacrificial for her husband or even perhaps her son. This subtly hints at an inversion of
gender stereotypes as well, and paints the mother in a newfound positive light, where the
poet idolises and respects her more now that he has grown to understand her hardships.
However, the fact that she later called her husband “every sort of name” and “(guided) him
as he roams old age”, demonstrates how she grew confident and was never pitied,
effortlessly managing to raise her son in a healthy environment. That being said, the use of
ellipses in the second stanza conveys a sense of guilt- the poet is arguably frustrated with
himself for not recognising his mother’s “game” sooner, but is also grateful and appreciative
towards her for her ability to pretend or conceal the more difficult aspects of her
relationship with her husband.
Discuss some of the ways in which Hunt presents the relationship in this poem.
In the poem, Hunt curiously explores the way time alters relationships and perspectives,
warping dynamics and turning childish assumptions turn into adult realisations. He achieves
this through the admirable portrayal of his mother and the objective description of his
father, illustrating his mother’s sacrificial love and commemorating her accomplishments
and resilience.
To begin with, the poem is written in the form of a sonnet, revealing its autobiographical
undercurrent as it shows the love Hunt has for his parents. The poet adopts an objective
tone, creating a sense of detachment and distance, enhanced through the use of nameless
pronouns “she”, “he” and the formality conveyed through the arguably impartial, matter-of-
fact mood of the poem. Moreover, the fact that the title of the poem is in Latin, further
distances readers from the poem and makes it seem private, as if the poet’s family dynamic
is purposefully not meant to be understood from an outsider’s point of view. Additionally,
while the poem can be viewed as awkwardly pieced together, reflecting the dissonant and
untraditional relationship between his parents, as shown through the fragmented rhyme
scheme, it is stoically brought together by the poet’s mother. He thus praises her ability to
make an otherwise disjointed and dissonant situation work, reflecting and realising her
efforts many years later.
The poet continues to praise his mother through showing her commendable development
throughout her relationship. In the beginning of the poem, the use of fricative alliteration
(“for the first few years”) shows how she was initially feeble and hesitant towards “Mr
Hunt”. It could also depict how their initial relationship held pent up frustration and friction,
foreshadowing their inevitable differences as his mother matured his father grew older. As
the poem progresses, the poet employs repeated aspirate sounds (“how hard it had been to
call him…”) creating a laboured tone and effectively portraying the mother’s exasperation
through consonance. By doing this, it is made evident that the mother’s role had
transformed into one of a care giver and supporter, her love changed from romantic to
sacrificial for her husband or even perhaps her son. This subtly hints at an inversion of
gender stereotypes as well, and paints the mother in a newfound positive light, where the
poet idolises and respects her more now that he has grown to understand her hardships.
However, the fact that she later called her husband “every sort of name” and “(guided) him
as he roams old age”, demonstrates how she grew confident and was never pitied,
effortlessly managing to raise her son in a healthy environment. That being said, the use of
ellipses in the second stanza conveys a sense of guilt- the poet is arguably frustrated with
himself for not recognising his mother’s “game” sooner, but is also grateful and appreciative
towards her for her ability to pretend or conceal the more difficult aspects of her
relationship with her husband.
