Unfamiliar Texts: Kitchen Stool

The passage ‘Kitchen Stool’ begins with telling the reader what she uses the stool for, but as the poem progresses the poet reveals the history and meaning the stool has to her.

The poet starts off by describing the uses she has for the stool, like reaching high places to retrieve things. Throughout the first paragraph, she lists the uses with no commas so we read it fast and without thought. This gives the impression that she is listing off reasons without thought. The second and third paragraph also give conventional uses for the stool. It’s “handy”. At this point, we think that the kitchen stool is just a common stool.

In the forth paragraph we learn of the stools history and significance. The stool had been in her possession for ten years, before that it had belonged to her grandmother and mother. Not only does the stool have generational significance but it was also gifted to her as a set containing a matching table and another stool. The poet explains that years ago she got “very very angry” and smashed the other stool. By using a second ‘very’ I think it implies a deeper meaning, maybe breaking the stool symbolises the relationship with her mother. She refuses to her mum as “mother” in the poem, which it the formal term of mum. the formal term is usually only used with negative intentions because it is a colder expression compared to ‘mum’. The table was given to her sister but then she moved on and gave it away, leaving the poet with the stool.

At the beginning we where introduced to a standard stool but by the end we have gotten a very deep look into her family life. The set of furniture represents the relationship with her family. We get a story of how her family fell apart. The passage ends with “but the stool is still here… I don’t suppose I’ll be getting rid of it any time soon” The stool is the only remaining piece of the set and the poet is the only remaining member of her family.