For Heidi with blue hair

When you dyed your hair blue

(or, at least ultramarine

for the clipped sides, with a crest

of jet-black spikes on top)

you were sent home from school

because, as the headmistress put it,

although dyed hair was not

specifically forbidden, yours

was, apart from anything else,

not done in the school colours.

Tears in the kitchen, telephone-calls

to school from your freedom-loving father:

‘She’s not a punk in her behaviour;

it’s just a style.’ (You wiped your eyes,

also not in a school colour.)

‘She discussed it with me first -

we checked the rules.’ ‘And anyway, Dad,

it cost twenty-five dollars.

Tel them it won’t wash out -

not even if I wanted to try.

It would have been unfair to mention

your mother’s death, but that

shimmered behind the arguments.

The school had nothing else against you;

the teachers twittered and gave in.

Next day your black friend had hers done

in grey, white and flaxen yellow -

the school colours precisely:

an act of solidarity, a witty

tease. The battle was already won.

Analysis

Introduction

For Heidi with blue hair is a poem written during the 1980s. The poem presents the readers with a central image of a child being sent home from school for dying her hair blue. The poem can be seen as one in a narrative form since the poem is being described like a story, with several dialogues used. Using different literary devices and imagery, Adcock manages to transform such a minor event and convey the different issues faced in adolescence’s life such as friendship, solidarity, school life, home life, family relationship, independence.

Themes in the poem

The poem deals with independence and individuality in human beings. The main character- Heidi, in the poem has obviously grown up, and has developed her own thoughts and personality, and this can be seen in the headmistress’s tone, being unused to students dyeing their hair ‘blue’. The poem successfully shows how important relationships between parents and children are, as without her father’s help she would not have achieved her independence. Her father is recognised as a “freedom-loving father”, showing the support he gives to Heidi, which is not very usual among parents. From the poem we can also see Heidi’s strong determination in achieving what she wants, as she is strong minded. The poem uses some imagery, and a metaphor is used “shimmered behind the arguments”, demonstrating how they were all aware of the depressing news of her mother’s death, and that it was a major problem that she was going through. Despite this the poet regains Heidi’s justice and strongly states his firm and that by dyeing her hair blue was not to rebel against her mother’s death, “It would have been unfair to mention your mother’s death, but that shimmered behind the arguments.” The poet however, manages to evoke the reader’s feelings, such as to feel what Heidi is going through, having to face her mother’s death, “The school had nothing against you; the teachers twittered and gave in.” From this we can see that the death of her mother may have caused the school to back out of pity.

Heidi’s impression to the reader

Heidi strikes as a wild and rebellious girl initially. The first stanza of the poem describes in detail her hair, which is dyed "ultramarine for the clipped sides, with a crest of jet-black spikes on top". Ultramarine is a shocking blue colour that stands out completely and her hairstyle is outlandish, definitely not what one would expect from a typical student. The convention is an ordinary hairdo, for example a ponytail, without spikes or dyed hair. Heidi's hairstyle shows the rebellious and wild side to her character since she should very well have known that ultramarine is too extreme a colour to be acceptable by the school or societal norms. Her spiked hair is also unconventional for a student. Despite the school's pressure against having it, she showed no fear of going against it, thus showing her rebellious way.

Heidi also gives the impression of being a stubborn girl. The poet wrote in stanza four of the poem that when Heidi's father called the school to speak up for Heidi and told them that "we (Heidi and her father) checked the rules", Heidi told him that "anyway, Dad, it cost twenty-five dollars. Tell them it won't wash out - not even if I wanted to try". These show that even after Heidi was sent home from school because of her dyed ultramarine hair, she was still unrepentant of what she had done and did not feel that she was in the wrong. She cared little about conforming to rules, as could be seen from the word "anyway" which suggests that she did not want to give in to the school's request for conformity. Heidi was insistent on keeping the hair colour and hairstyle by providing reasons like it costs a lot and that it would not wash out. Hence, despite the school's opposition, Heidi remained unafraid and would not change, showing her stubborn side.

At the end of the poem, the impression of Heidi has changed to one that is more sympathetic. In stanza three, the poet portrayed a chaotic scene in the kitchen after Heidi was sent home from school, with "tears in the kitchen". The effect of this stanza evokes sympathy from the reader.

Sources

Poem

Introduction

Heidi's impression

Themes

Photo

Aldana Saccomanno and Jorge Lin Kang