Back to: Punjab Board Class 6th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction:
‘I’m Writing A Letter’ is a short poem written by Margaret Rhodes. It revolves around the persona detailing on how to send a letter as they write one for the person they care about most, their mother.
About the Poet:
Margaret Rhodes (1925-2016) was an eminent English poet hailing from London. Famous works of hers include ‘In Their Own Words’, ‘The Diamond Queen’, and ‘Britain’s Greatest Generation’.
Theme:
The theme of this letter-writing. The persona lovingly writes a letter to their mother and sends it through the post.
Structure:
This poem is divided into six stanzas consisting of four lines each. Each stanza follows the rhyme scheme ‘abcb’.
Stanza 1:
I’m writing a letter To send by the post; It is to the person I care for the most.
The poem begins on an explanatory note where the persona shares with the reader how they are going to send a letter by the post. This letter, they state, is addressed to the person whom they care about most.
Stanza 2:
I write the date clearly And put the address, And begin, “Dearest Mummy,” (Did anyone guess?)
Thus, the persona begins writing the letter. They write the date and address first. Then, they write the salutation as “Dearest Mummy”, revealing that the person they care about the most is their mother.
Stanza 3:
My pen travels slowly All down the sheet, Because I’m so anxious To keep it all neat.
The persona writes slowly. They do so as they are anxious to have it neatly written rather than hurriedly write it and mess it up.
Stanza 4:
I carefully blot it To dry up the ink – Such nice blotting-paper, The colour is pink!
As the persona writes the letter, they blot the paper to take off the excess ink present and avoid smudging. There is also a description of the blotting paper here, which was nice and pink in colour.
Stanza 5:
I turn the page over And on goes my pen, Till lastly, come kisses, There’s just room for ten!
The persona writes on, turning the page over. Once finished, the end the letter with ten kisses, stating that there was only space for ten. This indicates that the persona has had quite a lot to share with their mother and filled the page up completely.
Stanza 6:
The envelope is ready, I put the stamp on, And run to the post box, And now it has gone!
The letter done, they insert it in an envelope. Then, they put a stamp on top of it and run to the post box to put it in so it is duly delivered to their mother.
Conclusion:
This is a short and sweet poem. The persona delves into the nuances of how to write a letter as they write on for their beloved mother.
