The poem "Brothers" describes an afternoon spent by an older brother with his younger brother and friend. While the older brother feels annoyed by his younger sibling at the time, the poem reflects on this moment from an adult perspective with regret for not treating his brother more kindly. Through descriptive imagery and dialogue, the three stages of the afternoon are recounted, from setting out together to the brothers' eventual separation at the end of the day when the younger brother misses his bus. Written in free verse without rhyme, the poem explores the inevitable distancing of siblings due to differences in age.

1. BROTHERS
ANDREW FORSTER
GCSE Poetry Revision
‘Relationships’ Cluster

2. READING
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOUErvEEz18

3. CONTENT
• The poem is autobiographical – Forster is the older brother and
the poem is a direct address to his younger brother.
• The poem Brothers is about a boy spending an afternoon with
his younger brother and his friend, and explores the
relationship between siblings. It is written from an adult
perspective but considers the feelings of the older brother who
thinks of his younger brother as an inconvenience.
• The poet expresses disdain and frustration toward his irritating
younger brother, but later shows that he regrets his behaviour
and wishes he had treated his sibling more kindly.

4. LANGUAGE
• The poem uses colloquial language with a strong
nostalgic and almost photographic feel. Casual language
is used in a way that reflects the innocence and youth of
childhood.
• The entire poem is like a snapshot of a moment in time
the poet experienced with his brother.

5. LANGUAGE
• The aspiration to be older and do “what grown-ups do” is apparent
through the poem. In the first stanza, the older children discuss
football and are dismissive of the younger boy as if they are wiser.
• In line 9 the speaker sees age as an advantage: “His smile, like mine,
said I was nine and he was ten”. The speaker is reflecting the naively
superior feelings of the older boys. The shared smile also hints at
their close friendship, an intimacy which is craved by the younger
brother but will be denied him because of the “distance” between the
brothers.
• The childhood feeling of superiority is later regretted by the speaker,
however. “Looking back” is used both literally to refer to the older boy
checking on the progress of his younger brother to find his bus fare,
as well as metaphorically suggesting a look back through time.

6. IMAGERY
• The opening metaphor sets the tone for the relationship between the two
brothers: “Saddled” suggests the negative feelings the speaker has for
his brother, as if he is an inconvenience, restricting the freedom of the
speaker.
• The feelings of the characters in the poem are revealed through the
choice of verbs. In the first stanza the speaker and his friend “ambled”,
“talking” as they went, whereas the younger brother “skipped” and was
“spouting six-year-old views”. The enthusiastic spirit of the younger
brother reflects his pride and excitement at being with the older brother
he clearly worships. This continues in the second stanza: “sighed” and
“stroll” contrast with “windmilled”, a metaphor full of the energy. The older
children lack the outward enthusiasm of the younger boy, but then they
are “doing what grown-ups do”.
• The third stanza makes it clear that the older boys are still children,
despite how they would like to be seen by the world: they “chased
Olympic Gold” when running for the bus, a metaphor for competitive
natures that they cannot help but reveal.
• The voice of the speaker suggests throughout that he is feeling
resentment towards the “ridiculous tank-top” of the younger brother and
his “six-year-old views”.

7. LANGUAGE & IMAGERY
Alliteration - “spouting six-year-old” (line 5) – harsh sounds;
reflects the abrasive emotions towards little brother.
Metaphor - “Olympic Gold” (line 11)
Metaphor – ‘threadbare’ - means worn-out and exposed; relates
to their tiredness of one another
Metaphor – “Looking back ...towards the gate...I ran on,
unable to close the distance I’d set in motion.” (line 14)
Innocence – “skipped” (line 4), “windmilled home” (line 8)
Juxtaposition – “strolling” (adult) vs “windmilled” (childish);
trying to emphasise the perceived difference between how
‘grown-up’ Andrew thinks he is, and how immature his brother
is. Note: poet then says he was 10 and the ‘little’ brother was 9;
so Andrew is poking fun at himself because of course, the age
difference is nearly nothing.

8. STRUCTURE
• The poem does not use rhyme or have a strict pattern to its rhythm
(free verse). This is typical of modern poetry. It reads more like real
conversation – relates to child-like communication; lack of order. Also,
the honest/conversational tone reveals the apologetic nature.
• There are three stanzas; they recount three stages of the afternoon.
The first stanza sets the scene, showing the relationship between the
speaker and his brother as well as the speaker and his friend. The
second stanza presents the disruption to plans for the afternoon
(because the younger brother doesn't have his bus fare). The final
stanza concludes the story, revealing the separation of the brothers.
• The opening two have 5 lines each, but the last stanza has only 4
lines. This is to reflect the poet’s incomplete and still developing
relationship with his brother.

9. MESSAGE/MEANING
• The friendship in the poem is important, and yet the final image
suggests the loss that the speaker feels at not being closer to
his brother. “"I ran on, unable to close the distance I'd set in
motion"”. It seems that the younger boy will miss the bus and
so be separated from the brother he wants to be like and be
with. The older boy is probably relieved not to be “"saddled"”
with him any more. However, “"looking back"” at the image of
brothers separated by a distance - in age and time - is a cause
for sadness.
• Brothers is about the inevitability of the boys' distant
relationship; in the poem they are physically separated, and in
life they are metaphorically separated by time. Because he is
three years older than his brother the speaker is “"unable to
close the distance I'd set in motion"”. As he ages friendship
with his contemporaries will take precedence over his
relationship with his younger sibling.