Both ‘Eden Rock’ and ‘Walking away’ present moments of separation to communicate ideas about letting go of a loved one. However, in ‘Eden Rock’ this is presented from the viewpoint of a child, whereas in ‘Walking away’ it is presented from the viewpoint of a father.

In ‘Eden Rock’, Charles Causley presents the memory as traumatic from the viewpoint of the child. He is separated from his parents because of the ‘drifted stream’, which acts like a wall. Causley uses a verb to show the potential danger of the moving ‘stream’, and how it can bring fear to the child as it isn’t easy to access the other side. The effect also relates to the idea of separation as the ‘stream’ is keeping the family at a distance, not allowing the family to be together. Whereas, in ‘Walking away’, Cecil Day-Lewis presents the memory as traumatic from the viewpoint of the father. Throughout the poem, he discusses a variety of moments of when separation occurs, like the ‘first game of football’. Day-Lewis uses a noun to show that his son is playing with other children, which is the first step of separation. The effect relates to the idea of letting go of a loved one as the child has started to take part in activities, without the involvement of his father.

In ‘Eden Rock’, Causley presents the separation as sudden. He hears his parents call from ‘the other bank’, which shows that they are not together, despite it being a family event. They use the pronouns ‘they’ and ‘me’ to show the distance between the child and his parents. Normally, a young child would be frightened if they was separated from their parents however, he wanders away from them without noticing, which is a sign of letting go of a loved one. In comparison, in ‘Walking away’, Day-Lewis presents the separation as gradual. He describes a figure ‘eddying away’. In this quote, he uses a verb to show that the relationship between the father and the child is slowly fading away and isn’t as strong as it previously was. The effect relates to the idea of letting go as the father is forced to allow his son to grow up naturally, which will be the cause of why they drift away from each other.

In ‘Eden Rock’, Causley shows one single moment of separation. He mentions that ‘they are waiting’ for him somewhere. This proves that his parents have gained trust for him, even though he is of a young age. He is using a verb to show that this is an extremely sad moment as the son realises his parents are ‘waiting’, but have no intentions of rushing to include him in the family occasion. The effect relates to the idea of letting go of loved ones as it proves that the child has grown to become more independent and doesn’t need to rely on his parents as much. On the other hand, in ‘Walking away’, Day-Lewis shows multiple moments of separation. For example, he describes the memories of his son ‘walking away’ from him and looking for him ‘behind the scatter of boys’. He uses a verb to show that the child willingly leaves him without any force, which shows that the child has become much more independent. Also, he uses preposition to show that the child has made a group of friends and they have started to act as a barrier between the father and child. As friendships are things that naturally develop, the father is forced to accept the change in their relationship as it is something which is out of his control. The effect relates to the idea of separation as the child is not as interested in spending time with his father, due to the sudden change in his social life at school and football.

In ‘Eden Rock’, Causley presents the separation as inevitable. He describes moments which he remembered like the sky whitening as if it had been ‘lit by three suns’ and when his mother’s hair ‘takes on the light’. Both of these quotes relate to the idea of death. The poet uses a simile to show just how bright the sky is. The immense whiteness creates a sense of purity, which presents the other side of the stream as heavenly. He also uses religious imagery to show that his mother’s appearance is similar to an angel. The parents are both relaxed throughout the poem, whereas the child is suffering on the other side out of panic, as he wants to be in his parent’s company. The child wishes to travel across the stream however, he is fearful of this too as he may drift away, which will send him further away from his parents. This gives us a sense that his parents have passed away and are currently in heaven, which is why the stream is used a wall, as he can no longer be in their company. This is the inevitability of death. In ‘Walking away’, Day-Lewis shows that separation is through choice. Throughout the poem he discusses moments in his child’s life, which have occurred naturally and he has been forced to accept. Therefore, he decides to believe that ‘love is proved in the letting go’. He uses a noun to show that love is out of control and that a relationship between a parent and child will always drift apart, in order for the child to grow up.

In conclusion, both poets present moments of separation. They’re both used to show that separation is inevitable. ‘Eden Rock’ shows this through death however, ‘Walking away’ shows this through choice. The separation occurs very quickly, through one specific moment in ‘Eden Rock’ , whereas in ‘Walking away’, it gradually happens through a series of events.