English Literature - poetry anthology

What is Song: Love Armed about?

The tyranny and merciless power of love (extended metaphor of love as a sadistic (enjoys putting pain on others) tyrant, alluding to Cupid in his imposing adult form), and Behn’s personal experience with love (Volta in stanza 2).

“Love in fantastic triumph sat”

“Fantastic” suggests that love’s authority is flamboyant and deceptive.

“Triumph” establishes a conquering tone, starting a semantic field of war-like imagery which is maintained throughout the whole poem.

“Sat” personifies love as a victorious commander on his throne.

“Strange tyrannic power he showed:”

“Strange” seems to suggest that love is an illegitimate ruler, the caesura “:” heightens this as it implies thought or questioning.

“From thee his pride and cruelty”

Her lover is proud and cruel and those characteristics are reflected in love itself. Suggests a parallel between love as a concept and one specific lover. Also note how “thee” directly addresses the reader, heightening the sense of blame and signifying a shift to personal experience.

“Every killing dart from thee”

Blame is put on her lover, as the lover provides the instruments with which Behn is harmed. Death is emphasised as the line ends the anaphora (from me, from thee).

Pentameter?

The 16 lines are written in iambic tetrameter (da-DUM), making it easy for the reader to observe the poems themes right away.

Context

Written in 1676

Opens Aphra Behns play “Abdelazer” - a tale of lust and vengance.

Behn was openly bisexual and presented love as a harmful creature, so it challenges romantic ideals.

What is “A Different History” about?

Bhatt reflects on the power of language as both a tool for oppression and a for hope. She describes India, where nature and literature is sacred, and contrasts it with British colonialism. The “oppressors tongue” can be used as a weapon, but the oppressor can also lose control of the language if “grandchildren grow to love that strange language”.

“Great Pan is not dead; he simply emigrated'“

Mixes classical myth with East Asian culture.

“Pan” - greek god of nature, classical allusion.

“he simply emigrated” - playful tone, and irony, in suggesting Pan moved to India

“Snakes or monkeys”

Hindu sacred animals

“It is a sin… It is a sin… It is a sin…”

Tone switch between talking about Western culture to Eastern. Anaphora creates an instructive feel, like Bhatt is teaching us about her culture. Meditative feel.

“After the soul has been cropped with a long scythe reaching out”

India being harvested of its soul, like beautiful free forestry being controlled as a farm. “Long scythe” seems to allude to the long reach of the British empire.

Structure?

Free verse - reflecting meditative tone.

No rigid meter - shows the fluidity of cultural experience.

2 stanzas - first floaty and gentle, vividly describing wild India. second violent, accusative and dark.

Context

Written in 1988

Bhatt describes her poetry as Indian-English, rather than using the traditional term Anglo-Indian

This poem is particularly personal to Bhatt, as she describes the Gujarati language as “the deepest layer of her identity.

What is “The Chimney-Sweeper” about

The corrupting influence of organized religion on society. It specifically suggests that the Church encroaches on the freedoms and joys of childhood and, indeed, robs children of their youth.

“A little black thing amongst the snow”

“Little” - emphasises the former innocence and current vulnerability of the child.

“Black” - Soot covered body shows physical suffering and indicates he’s been made impure by society. Especially stark when contrasted with purity of white snow. Perhaps foreshadows the 2 sided nature of religion (like ying yang).

Also, delicate consonance on l, th, and b sounds reminds reader the child is delicate and small.

“Thy”

Archaic, shows biblical tone.

“Clothed me in the clothes of death” and “taught me to sing the notes of woe”

Parallels traditional childhood but is sadistic and cruel. e.g youd expect parents to clothe their children.

“And are gone to praise God and his priest and king, who make up a heaven of our misery”

Child speaker accuses parents of hypocrisy - their ignore their religious institution of the church being built on the suffering of children like himself.

“Heaven of our misery” - the wealthy and the church create a comfortable, or “heavenly” life for themselves whilst profiting from the poor.

Structure?

3 quatrains - simple appearance on paper masks complexity of ideas within.

Loose meter, sing song feel like a nursery rhyme.

Context?

Released in 1794

From Blake’s songs of experience, which parralels the Chimeny Sweeper in songs of innocence providing a more experienced perspective, making it all the more touching.

Radical, prophetous and rebellious.