The threat of death presented in: Havisham, Hitcher, Laboratory, On my first Sonne

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Compare how death or the threat of death is presented in the poems you have studied.

Havisham

Hitcher

Laboratory
On my first Sonne

Throughout the poems: "Havisham", "Hitcher", "Laboratory" and "On my first Sonne", death is presented in several different ways. In "Havisham", "Lab" and "Hitcher", the threat of death is primarily conveyed in a malicious, spiteful way- concerning jealousy or bitterness. However in "Sonne", death is viewed upon as possibly a gift from god, something as natural as fate or even punishment. Each poem of which use similarities or differences of language, structure or even theme.

In "Havisham" it is clear how the speaker shows deep hatred for this person she once (possibly still) loved by the use of the oxymoron: "Beloved sweetheart bastard." There is a large contrast between the words sweetheart and bastard as sweetheart implies a deep strong affection for one whereas bastard conveys the idea of someone you may hate and despise. The combination of these words may imply that although she's hated the one she loved for all these years, she still feels some affection for him because she and only hated him as she could not have him. Alternatively, she may hate him because he still holds this bond that she can't break with him.

Hugely different to "Havisham", the father figure in "Sonne" seems to show no regrets but actually thinks he should be happy with the situation which has been strongly influenced by his religion. The poet refers to a powerful word- "envie", which strongly produces the idea that the father figure is in confusion as at first he was upset reflecting on his "sinne" but now going through thoughts on whether he should be happy to experience something that others may never get the chance to. There are two connotations where he is confused on feeling bad when some people don't even have the opportunity to have a child where the other is that some people don't get to go to heaven; this is where he believes his son has gone as he has had no chance to "age" which possesses connotations to corrupt people and also "scap'd" worlds of "fleshes rage". The words fleshes rage imply how he has missed out of war where flesh refers to human and rage to conflict. And at this stage. his father seeing his child's death as lucky as he is innocent and pure.

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On the other hand in "Havisham" this hate has grown the desire for his dead which she claims to have "prayed for" "so hard" that she had "dark green pebbles for eyes." The word "pray" usually suggests a ritual performed everyday to thank god however, in this context it shows how miss Havisham has spent her life wishing for death to the man who left her to and extent so that her eyes fill up with hatred hence "green pebbles for eyes". This feeling is created by the word "pebble" which is lifeless and hard possibly suggesting how hard ...

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