Term
| "I noticed our hands that had somehow swum the distance between us" |
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Definition
By describing the hands as having "swum the distance" between them, this makes a connection between the couple and the swans, suggesting they too have made a connection for life. |
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Term
| "we skirted the lake, silent and apart" |
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Definition
"Skirted" suggests avoidance. The lake works on a literal level, they are walking around the edges of it, and also a metaphor for the issue they are avoiding. |
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Term
| ''They mate for life, you said as they left" |
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Definition
The direct speech breaks the silence between the couple and reminds them that they are meant to be together. |
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Term
| "the waterlogged earth, gulping for breath at our feet" |
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Definition
The rain has caused the ground to become "waterlogged" and difficult to walk through. The ground represents the state of the relationship, which has also come through a storm. It represents the way their communication has become difficult. It is "gulping for breath", which suggests crying or an effort to speak. |
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Term
| "like a pair of wings settling after flight" |
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Definition
The simile compares the couple’s hands to wings. The image reminds us of the swans’ wings and reminds us of the swans’ inclination to mate for life. The word "pair" implies that the two people belong together and their "settling" suggests that a fight has come to an end. |
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