ENGLISH - POETRY.

Sonnet 29 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning 

Summary and Themes 

• The speaker expresses deep love and longing for her partner, highlighting the emotional turmoil caused by his absence. 

• Themes include romantic love, the longing for connection, nature reflecting emotional states, and the unity between lovers. 

Tone and Context 

• The tone is passionate and urgent, yet tender, conveying a sense of hopeful yearning. 

• Written during the Victorian era, the poem reflects Browning's boldness in expressing open passion, particularly in a time when women's emotions were often repressed. 

Key Quotes and Analysis 

• "I think of thee!—my thoughts do twine and bud.": The verbs suggest an organic growth of love, indicating a dynamic and intertwining relationship. 

• "About thee, till my heart is overgrown.": The adjective 'overgrown' implies an excessive longing that risks suffocating her identity, hinting at love's dual nature of beauty and burden. 

Structure and Form 

• The poem follows a Petrarchan sonnet structure (ABBAABBA CDCDCD), with an octave presenting the problem and a sestet offering a solution. 

• The volta at line 9 marks a shift from inner turmoil to an outward plea, mirroring the tension between mental obsession and physical need. 

Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley 

Summary and Themes 

• The speaker argues for the natural mingling of love, suggesting that his beloved should reciprocate his feelings. 

• Themes include romantic love, unity, and nature as a justification for emotional connections. 

Tone and Context 

• The tone is playful yet earnest, with an underlying longing that drives the speaker's persuasive argument. 

• Written during the Romantic era, the poem reflects Shelley’s obsession with nature and idealism, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things. 

Key Quotes and Analysis 

• "The fountains mingle with the river.": The verb 'mingle' suggests a natural and effortless unity, drawing the reader into the logic of love's inevitability. 

• "Nothing in the world is single.": This absolute phrasing amplifies the speaker's plea, suggesting that to be single is unnatural, almost a moral failing. 

Structure and Form 

• The poem consists of two stanzas, with the first presenting examples from nature and the second transitioning to a personal plea. 

• The use of anaphora with "And the..." creates a rhythmic pressure that mirrors nature's unity, aligning the speaker's voice with its pulse. 

When We Two Parted - Lord Byron 

Summary and Themes 

• The speaker mourns a secret love that has ended due to betrayal, reflecting on the joy of the past and the pain of the present. 

• Themes include loss, betrayal, unrequited love, and the silence that often accompanies heartbreak. 

Tone and Context 

• The tone is bitter and mournful, with a quiet anger that underscores the speaker's sorrow. 

• Written during the Romantic era, Byron's work often reflects his own scandalous love affairs and the emotional turmoil they caused. 

Key Quotes and Analysis 

• "In silence and tears.": The juxtaposition of silence and tears sets a heavy mood, indicating suppressed pain and raw grief. 

• "Half broken-hearted / To sever for years.": The hyphenated adjective 'half' suggests an incomplete emotional state, amplifying the speaker's torment. 

Structure and Form 

• The poem's structure emphasizes the weight of secrecy and the emotional impact of betrayal, with repetition framing the narrative of love's ruin. 

• The use of stark imagery and emotive language enhances the sense of loss and longing throughout the poem. 

Analysis of Byron's Poem 

Themes of Betrayal and Torment 

• The term 'Half' suggests an incomplete emotional state, indicating that love is not entirely extinguished, which intensifies the speaker's suffering. 

• The phrase 'Thy spirit deceive' employs a sharp verb that conveys deep emotional pain, reflecting the speaker's bitterness towards betrayal. 

• The blame is shifted outward, allowing readers to sense the speaker's resentment and emotional turmoil. 

• The echo of 'deceive' resonates with Romantic themes of betrayal, illustrating how the speaker's idealistic view of love has been shattered. 

• The structure of the poem mirrors the cyclical nature of heartbreak, emphasizing the inescapability of love's pain. 

• The poem's conclusion reflects a sense of entrapment, as the speaker is unable to escape the memories of love. 

Structure and Form 

• The poem consists of four stanzas, each representing different stages of emotional realization: past sorrow, growing coldness, public shame, and future pain. 

• The shift from memory to enduring wound creates a sense of being trapped in a cycle of heartbreak. 

• Enjambment in lines like 'Half broken-hearted / To sever...' mimics the emotional overflow and struggle to let go. 

• The final caesura, 'silence and tears,' serves as a full stop that seals the speaker's fate, emphasizing the finality of loss. 

• The poem is structured as a lyric poem with an ABAB rhyme scheme, creating a song-like quality that contrasts with the theme of despair. 

• The regular rhyme scheme reflects the inevitability of pain, suggesting that love has become a cage for the speaker. 

Contextual Influences 

• The poem is rooted in the Romantic era, where passion is often overshadowed by themes of betrayal and loss. 

• Byron's personal life, marked by notorious affairs, adds depth to the poem, particularly in the line 'Thy spirit deceive,' which may reference his own experiences. 

• The theme of silence in the poem reflects Byron's internal struggle and rebellion against societal expectations and public shame. 

Analysis of 'Neutral Tones' by Thomas Hardy 

Themes of Loss and Disillusionment 

• The poem captures a moment of love's demise, symbolized by a gray, lifeless memory by a pond, representing emotional desolation. 

• Key themes include loss, disillusionment, and the erosion of love over time, highlighting the inevitability of decay. 

• The tone is bleak and detached, reflecting a sense of cold resignation towards the end of a relationship. 

Language and Imagery 

• The phrase 'deadest thing' employs a superlative that chillingly conveys the absence of joy in the speaker's memories. 

• The metaphor 'starving sod' uses alliteration to emphasize the barrenness of both nature and the speaker's emotional state, suggesting a total collapse of their bond. 

• The term 'keen lessons' indicates that love is a harsh teacher, with wisdom born from painful experiences. 

Structure and Form 

• The poem is divided into four stanzas, each depicting different aspects of the speaker's memories and realizations about love. 

• Juxtaposition between 'sun was white' and 'grayish leaves' creates a stark contrast that enhances the sense of loss and despair. 

• The poem's ABBA rhyme scheme contributes to its mournful tone, creating a sense of claustrophobia that reflects the speaker's emotional state. 

Contextual Background 

• Hardy's pessimism reflects the late 19th-century sentiment where faith in love and God was waning, and nature was seen as indifferent. 

• The imagery of 'starving sod' encapsulates Hardy's bleak worldview, where love withers like the earth. 

• Hardy's personal experiences, particularly his strained marriage, inform the emotional depth of the poem, with lines like 'deadest thing' echoing his own regrets. 

Analysis of 'The Farmer’s Bride' by Charlotte Mew 

Themes of Isolation and Power Imbalance 

• The poem narrates the story of a farmer and his shy bride, exploring themes of unfulfilled love and the isolation that arises from power dynamics. 

• The tone is melancholic and tense, evoking mixed emotions of sympathy and unease towards the farmer's actions and the bride's plight. 

Language and Characterization 

• The term 'frightened fay' uses alliteration and metaphor to depict the bride as delicate and otherworldly, emphasizing her fragility. 

• The phrase 'sleeps up in the attic' suggests confinement and passivity, highlighting the growing distance between the couple. 

• The pronoun 'some other' implies a yearning for connection, underscoring the farmer's loneliness and unfulfilled desires. 

Structure and Narrative Flow 

• The poem unfolds in a narrative format, with distinct sections that reflect the progression of the farmer's feelings and actions towards his bride. 

• The pacing shifts from hopeful beginnings to a tense present, culminating in a sense of entrapment and despair. 

• Enjambment in lines like 'Too young maybe—but more’s to do / At harvest-time...' conveys the farmer's flustered justifications for his actions. 

Contextual Influences 

• Mew's work often reflects outsider perspectives, and this poem captures the complexities of love and power in early 20th-century society. 

• The farmer's perspective is unreliable, revealing his delusions and the bride's powerlessness, which amplifies the poem's emotional tension. 

Dramatic Monologue Analysis 

Overview of Dramatic Monologue 

• A dramatic monologue features a single speaker, providing a one-sided perspective that can be unreliable. 

• The farmer's voice in the poem reveals a complex interplay of sympathy and menace, showcasing his internal conflict. 

• The form effectively silences the female character, amplifying her powerlessness and the farmer's delusion. 

• This technique highlights the theme of control and the dynamics of gender roles in rural life. 

Rhyme and Structure 

• The poem employs couplets (AABB), creating a folksy, ballad-like rhythm that contrasts with the dark themes. 

• The simplicity of the rhyme scheme juxtaposes the complex emotional pain experienced by the characters. 

• This contrast serves to mask the underlying darkness of the rural tale, inviting deeper analysis of its themes. 

Contextual Background 

• Set in the early 20th century, the poem reflects the societal norms of rural life where marriage is often seen as a duty, with women in subordinate roles. 

• The phrase 'Chose a maid' suggests a transactional view of relationships, highlighting the woman's fear and defiance against societal expectations. 

• Mew's own life as an outsider with queer leanings informs her empathy for characters trapped in oppressive situations, as seen in the line 'Frightened fay'. 

• The poem critiques patriarchal structures, revealing the duality of love as both tender and tyrannical. 

Walking Away - Cecil Day-Lewis 

Summary and Themes 

• The poem captures a father's bittersweet reflection as he watches his son walk away to school, symbolizing independence and growth. 

• Central themes include familial love, separation, the passage of time, and the bittersweet nature of letting go. 

• The tone is tender and melancholic, reflecting a quiet acceptance of the inevitable changes in life. 

Key Quotes and Their Significance 

• "I can see / You walking away from me towards the school." - This line emphasizes the immediacy of the moment and the father's perspective on separation. 

• "Like a satellite wrenched from its orbit." - A metaphor that conveys the emotional distance and the violent nature of the separation. 

• "I have had worse partings, but none that so / Gnaws at my mind still." - This highlights the enduring pain of this particular parting, blending tenderness with torment. 

Language and Structure Analysis 

• The phrase 'Walking away' is a simple, active verb phrase that visualizes the moment of separation, emphasizing the inevitability of loss. 

• The metaphor 'satellite wrenched' conveys a sense of cosmic violence, illustrating the father's helplessness in the face of his son's independence. 

• The structure consists of four stanzas, each representing different aspects of the father's reflection, from specific memories to universal truths about parting. 

Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning 

Summary and Themes 

• The poem narrates a lover's chilling act of strangling Porphyria with her hair to preserve a moment of love, reflecting themes of obsessive love, power, and madness. 

• The tone is calm yet eerie, showcasing the lover's delusional mindset and chilling detachment from reality. 

Key Quotes and Their Analysis 

• "The rain set early in tonight." - Sets a foreboding atmosphere, hinting at the stormy emotions to come. 

• "That moment she was mine, mine, fair." - The repetition emphasizes possessiveness and the lover's manic fixation on ownership. 

• "And strangled her. No pain felt she." - This assertion reveals the lover's delusion and detachment from the reality of his actions. 

Language and Form 

• The poem is structured as a dramatic monologue, providing an unreliable perspective that invites the reader to judge the speaker's sanity. 

• The rhyme scheme (ABABB) creates a soothing rhythm that contrasts sharply with the grim content, enhancing the poem's unsettling nature. 

• Enjambment throughout the poem mimics the lover's spiraling justification for his actions, drawing the reader into his disturbed logic. 

Contextual Analysis 

Historical Context 

• Set in the Victorian era, the poem reflects the repressed desires and societal norms surrounding love and relationships. 

• The act of strangling Porphyria symbolizes an extreme escape from societal constraints, revealing the darker aspects of love. 

• Browning's exploration of psychological depth in his characters highlights the complexities of human emotions and relationships. 

Personal Insights 

• Browning's own experiences and observations of love and obsession inform the psychological depth of the poem. 

• The phrase 'Mine, mine' illustrates a personal obsession that transcends abstract notions of love, grounding the poem in real emotional turmoil. 

Poem Comparisons and Themes 

Overview of Poem Pairings 

• Pairing poems allows for deeper thematic exploration and contrasts. 

• Example pairings include: 'The Farmer’s Bride' (control) with 'Sonnet 29' (love’s flip side). 

• Aim to identify 3 similarities and 3 differences for each pairing to enhance understanding. 

Key Themes Across Poems 

• Common themes include love, loss, memory, and identity. 

• Each poem presents a unique perspective on these themes, influenced by the poet's background and context. 

• Understanding these themes aids in memorizing key quotes and analyses. 

Analysis of 'Eden Rock' by Charles Causley 

Summary and Themes 

• The poem depicts the speaker's vision of deceased parents inviting him to join them in a serene picnic setting. 

• Central themes include family, nostalgia, death, and memory, reflecting on the bonds that transcend life. 

Tone and Poet Background 

• The tone is gentle and dreamlike, evoking a sense of soft longing. 

• Charles Causley, a 20th-century Cornish poet, was shaped by personal loss and the impact of war. 

Key Quotes for Memorization 

• "They beckon to me from the other bank." 

• "My father, twenty-five, in the same suit." 

• "The sky whitens as if lit by three suns." 

• "I had not thought that it would be like this." 

Language Analysis (AO2) 

• 'Beckon': A gentle verb that conveys warmth and love, creating an inviting yet eerie effect. 

• 'Three suns': Surreal imagery suggesting a divine or otherworldly presence, hinting at unity in life stages. 

• 'Not thought': A phrase that conveys vulnerability and the shock of death, emphasizing the reshaping of memory. 

Structure and Form Analysis (AO2) 

• The poem consists of five stanzas, with the first three depicting a vivid past and the last two reflecting on the present. 

• Short lines create pauses that emphasize the weight of realization, mirroring life's abruptness. 

• Free verse form captures the fluidity of memory and emotion, allowing for a tender exploration of grief. 

Analysis of 'Letters from Yorkshire' by Maura Dooley 

Summary and Themes 

• The poem contrasts the speaker's mundane life with the vibrant world of a friend in Yorkshire through letters. 

• Themes of distance, connection, and everyday love are explored, highlighting the significance of small gestures. 

Tone and Poet Background 

• The tone is quiet and warm, reflecting subtle affection and appreciation for human bonds. 

• Maura Dooley is a contemporary poet who celebrates the beauty in everyday life and relationships. 

Key Quotes for Memorization 

• "In February, digging his garden." 

• "His knuckles singing." 

• "Pouring air and light into an envelope." 

• "Is your life more real than mine?" 

Language Analysis (AO2) 

• 'Knuckles singing': A metaphor that brings joy to labor, illustrating the vibrancy of life. 

• 'Air and light': Imagery that conveys the essence of connection through letters, suggesting warmth and intimacy. 

• 'More real': An introspective question that invites readers to ponder the nature of love and reality. 

Structure and Form Analysis (AO2) 

• The poem is structured in three stanzas, each contrasting the speaker's life with the friend's experiences. 

• Enjambment mimics the flow of letters, enhancing the sense of connection despite distance. 

• The free verse form reflects the casual, intimate nature of correspondence, emphasizing the authenticity of their bond. 

Analysis of 'Singh Song!' by Daljit Nagra 

Summary and Themes 

• The poem portrays a shopkeeper's playful love for his wife, balancing duty and desire in a lively narrative. 

• Themes include playful love, cultural identity, and the tension between duty and personal happiness. 

Tone and Poet Background 

• The tone is cheeky and lively, filled with affection and humor, showcasing a warm rebellion against tradition. 

• Daljit Nagra is a contemporary British-Punjabi poet who blends cultural elements with humor in his work. 

Key Quotes for Memorization 

• "I run dis shop, she run my life." 

• "My bride, she effing at my mum." 

• "Vee share in dis love nest." 

• "Customer call, shop shut tight." 

Language Analysis (AO2) 

• 'She run my life': An active verb that flips traditional power dynamics, showcasing a playful relationship. 

• 'Effing at my mum': Colloquial language that introduces humor and tension between modern love and tradition. 

• 'Love nest': A metaphor that creates a cozy image of their relationship amidst chaos. 

Structure and Form Analysis (AO2) 

• The poem features irregular stanzas and a refrain, reflecting the chaotic yet joyful nature of shop life and love. 

• Short lines create a sense of urgency and spontaneity, emphasizing the speaker's quick decisions driven by love. 

• The narrative lyric form celebrates the fusion of cultures and identities, highlighting the vibrancy of their love story.