“For Heidi With Blue Hair” was written by Fleur Adcock, a poet from New Zealand based in Britain. First published in 1986, the poem focuses on a conflict between Heidi, a British schoolgirl, and the repressive authority figures at her school. When Heidi comes to a school with a black and blue mohawk, the headmistress sends her home. In doing so, the headmistress reveals that her authority is arbitrary, capricious, and cruel. After all, the speaker suggests that Heidi’s mohawk isn’t intended to be rebellious or disobedient; instead, it’s a way of grieving her dead mother. The speaker thus endorses rebellion against—and satire of—the headmistress and her power.

• Read the full text of “For Heidi With Blue Hair”

• “For Heidi With Blue Hair” Summary

• “For Heidi With Blue Hair” Themes

  • 

    Rebellion and Control

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-30
  • 

    Grief and Solidarity

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-30

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “For Heidi With Blue Hair”

  • Lines 1-5

    When you dyed ...
    ... home from school

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 6-10

    because, as the ...
    ... the school colours.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 11-15

    Tears in the ...
    ... a school colour.)

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 16-20

    “She discussed it ...
    ... wanted to try.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 21-25

    It would have ...
    ... and gave in.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 26-30

    Next day your ...
    ... was already won.

    

    

    

    

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• “For Heidi With Blue Hair” Symbols

  • 

    Heidi's Hair

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-4: “When you dyed your hair blue / (or, at least ultramarine / for the clipped sides, with a crest / of jet-black spikes on top)”
    • Lines 19-20: “Tell them it won’t wash out – / not even if I wanted to try.”

• “For Heidi With Blue Hair” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • End-Stopped Line

    

    

    

    

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    Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “top)”
    • Line 6: “it,”
    • Line 9: “else,”
    • Line 10: “colours.”
    • Line 12: “father:”
    • Line 13: “behaviour;”
    • Line 14: “eyes,”
    • Line 15: “colour.)”
    • Line 16: “first –”
    • Line 17: “Dad,”
    • Line 18: “dollars.”
    • Line 19: “out –”
    • Line 20: “try.”
    • Line 23: “arguments.”
    • Line 24: “you;”
    • Line 25: “in.”
    • Line 27: “yellow –”
    • Line 28: “precisely:”
    • Line 30: “won.”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “blue / (or”
    • Lines 2-3: “ultramarine / for”
    • Lines 3-4: “crest / of”
    • Lines 4-5: “top) / you”
    • Lines 5-6: “school / because”
    • Lines 7-8: “not / specifically”
    • Lines 8-9: “yours / was”
    • Lines 11-12: “calls / to”
    • Lines 21-22: “mention / your”
    • Lines 22-23: “that / shimmered”
    • Lines 26-27: “done / in”
    • Lines 29-30: “witty / tease”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “or, at”
    • Line 3: “sides, with”
    • Line 6: “because, as”
    • Line 9: “was, apart”
    • Line 11: “kitchen, telephone”
    • Line 14: “style.” (You”
    • Line 17: “rules.” “And,” “anyway, Dad”
    • Line 22: “death, but”
    • Line 27: “grey, white”
    • Line 29: “solidarity, a”
    • Line 30: “tease. The”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “clipped,” “sides,” “crest”
    • Line 4: “spikes”
    • Line 5: “sent,” “school”
    • Line 11: “Tears,” “kitchen,” “telephone,” “calls”
    • Line 12: “school,” “from,” “freedom,” “father”
    • Line 14: “You,” “your”
    • Line 17: “And,” “anyway”
    • Line 18: “twenty”
    • Line 19: “Tell,” “won’t,” “wash”
    • Line 20: “wanted,” “try”
    • Line 21: “mention”
    • Line 22: “mother,” “’s”
    • Line 25: “teachers,” “twittered”
    • Line 26: “day,” “had,” “hers,” “done”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “you,” “blue”
    • Line 2: “least,” “ultramarine”
    • Line 3: “sides,” “crest”
    • Line 4: “jet,” “spikes,” “on,” “top”
    • Line 5: “you,” “school”
    • Line 12: “to,” “school”
    • Line 14: “style,” “eyes”
    • Line 16: “She,” “me”
    • Line 17: “we,” “And,” “anyway”
    • Line 26: “black”
    • Line 27: “flaxen”
    • Line 28: “precisely”
    • Line 29: “solidarity,” “witty”
    • Line 30: “tease,” “already”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “at,” “least,” “ultramarine”
    • Line 3: “clipped,” “sides,” “crest”
    • Line 4: “jet,” “black,” “spikes,” “top”
    • Line 5: “sent,” “school”
    • Line 7: “dyed”
    • Line 8: “forbidden”
    • Line 10: “school,” “colours”
    • Line 11: “Tears,” “kitchen,” “telephone,” “calls”
    • Line 12: “to,” “school,” “from,” “your,” “freedom,” “father”
    • Line 14: “it’s just,” “style”
    • Line 15: “school,” “colour”
    • Line 17: “And,” “anyway”
    • Line 18: “cost,” “twenty,” “dollars”
    • Line 19: “Tell,” “won’t,” “wash,” “out”
    • Line 20: “wanted,” “to,” “try”
    • Line 21: “mention”
    • Line 22: “mother’s”
    • Line 23: “shimmered,” “arguments”
    • Line 25: “teachers,” “twittered”
    • Line 26: “day,” “had,” “hers,” “done”
    • Line 28: “school,” “colours”
    • Line 29: “act,” “solidarity,” “witty”
    • Line 30: “tease,” “battle,” “was,” “won”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “with a crest / of jet-black spikes on top”
    • Lines 22-23: “but that / shimmered behind the arguments.”
    • Line 25: “the teachers twittered and gave in”

  • Parataxis

    

    

    

    

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    Where parataxis appears in the poem:

    • Lines 11-12: “Tears in the kitchen, telephone calls / to school from your freedom-loving father”
    • Lines 13-14: “She’s not a punk in her behaviour; / it’s just a style”
    • Lines 16-17: “She discussed it with me first – / we checked the rules”
    • Lines 24-25: “The school had nothing else against you; / the teachers twittered and gave in.”
    • Lines 28-30: “the school colours precisely: / an act of solidarity, a witty / tease.”

• “For Heidi With Blue Hair” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Ultramarine
  • Clipped Sides
  • Crest
  • Headmistress
  • Punk
  • Shimmered
  • Twittered
  • Flaxen Yellow
  • Solidarity
  • Tease
  • (Location in poem: Line 2: “ultramarine”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “For Heidi With Blue Hair”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “For Heidi With Blue Hair” Speaker

• “For Heidi With Blue Hair” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “For Heidi With Blue Hair”

• More “For Heidi With Blue Hair” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Britain in the 1980s — At the Guardian Newspaper, Jason Cowley runs through the history of Britain during the 1980s.

    • 37 Pictures Showing What Punk Britain Was Really Like — A photo essay, displaying punk styles and haircuts from the 1970s and 1980s, including a truly glorious mohawk (#36).

    • "For Heidi with Blue Hair" Read Aloud — Fleur Adcock recites her poem.

    • Fleur Adcock's Life Story — A brief biography of Fleur Adcock from the Poetry Foundation.

    • Punk, Politics and Youth Culture, 1976-84 — Professor Matthew Worley outlines the early history of punk rock and its importance for youth culture in the early 1980s.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Fleur Adcock

    • The Telephone Call

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