Compare the effectiveness of the ending of Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare with the effectiveness of the endings of one poem by Simon Armitage, one poem by Carol Ann Duffy and one other poem from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank. (36

the sadistic, malevolent psyche of Salome. This contrasts against ‘Mother’. The mutilated man beheaded has no future; whereas in ‘Mother’, Armitage has the ‘endless sky’, a metaphor of the different possibilities for him. Similarly, both men had their futures affected by women. In ‘Salome’, she tragically got rid of the ‘good-looking’ man’s future. Whereas in ‘Mother’, his mother tried to cling on to him, not wanting him to grow-up and have his own future. Another poem which is going to get rid of a person’s future is ‘The Laboratory’; she is going to poison her ex-lover’s partner. Her destructive behaviour is shown by her excitement. The repetition of ‘gorge gold’ emphasises her exhilaration and quickens the pace of the poem. ‘Gorge’ shows how much she is willing to pay for the poison as it’s so valuable to her.Structure is also used effectively in each poem and contributes to the ending’s ability to be remembered. In ‘Sonnet 130’, most of the poem features alternate lines rhyming. However, the ending has a rhyming couplet. Despite the poem being in one stanza (sonnet form), it sets the ending away from the rest of the poem and provides a concluding tone. This is further shown by the indentation of the two lines. The fact that the rest of the poem is comparing her to descriptions of other women and the conclusion is just focussed solely on her, shows that she can’t be compared to anyone else and she cannot be categorised as just a women; she is ‘rare’. Similarly, rhyme is used in ‘Mother’ to also provide a concluding effect. The rhyming of ‘sky’/’fly’ emphasises his freedom, optimism and excitement. Excitement is also shown in ‘The Laboratory’. The caesura provides a quickened, excited rhythm whilst the hyphen and enjambments lead to brief pauses. This leads to a jaunty effect which reinforces the reader’s idea that the speaker is mentally unstable. However, it also contributes to the climax of the poem where she simply says ‘next moment I dance at the King’s’. This implies that she will soon be there, poison in hand, to kill the woman. This contrasts with Salome’s casual, ill-humoured response to murder. The caesura creates pauses for effect and to create tension as well as a jaunty rhythm. However, the poem comes to an abrupt end with just a simple statement ‘was his head on a platter’. This shows Salome’s varying emotions and unstable behaviour.The different tones of the endings also play a part in their effectiveness. In ‘Salome’, the cold, matter-of-fact tone is memorable and confusing; there is a decapitated head lying next to her, yet she displays no emotions except possible excitement as her eyes ‘glitter’. The poem’s ending also provides a solution to the ambiguity of the beginning of the poem – ‘I’ve done it before’ – which is shocking and unexpected. Whereas, the excited tone of ‘The Laboratory’ is equally disturbing; she must be extremely upset and jealous to contemplate murder, let alone be excited for it. ‘Sonnet 130’’s ending’s tone is also shocking. The beginning of the poem seemed rude and offensive; however, the tone shifts to a more romantic one as he implies that he loves her because of her differences and she deserves the truth. In conclusion, I think all the endings are effective as they all left memorable, individual impressions on me which set the poems apart from others. I think having a distinctive ending is critical part of the poem as it leaves an original, thought-provoking and positive impression on the reader.