How does Robert Browning tell the story in 'The Patriot'
How does Browning tell the story in the Patriot? ‘The Patriot’ by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue about one man’s downfall from being loved to being hated. The title is a definite article which specifically indicates that The Patriot is one person; however the subtitle is an indefinite article ‘An Old Story’ which suggests that this is something that can happen to anyone and does time and time again. The first stanza sets the scene of the poem creating a contrasting setting. The stanza starts with, ‘it was roses, roses, all the way’ this use of imagery is used to paint a picture of positivity, as roses were often used to symbolise love. This first line also indicates a retrospective narrative which suggests that something significant has happened which has changed the situation. Browning describes how the ‘house-roofs seemed to heave and sway’ which suggests that the poem begins in a busy town which is heaving with people living in poverty which would have been common during the Victorian period, this therefore gives an insight as to when the play was set. The narrator also mentions how the ‘church-spires flames’ this introduces the religious element whilst using the word ‘flamed’ to suggest it is hot weather; this is Browning’s use of pathetic fallacy. Browning uses dialogue in the second stanza to convey the relationship the narrator
Critical Commentary on Engineers Corner by Wendy Cope
NJeri Muhia Literature Ms. Muthama Critical Commentary on Engineer’s Corner by Wendy Cope Artists are always acclaimed for the works that they produce; however, there are other professions, such as doctors, mechanics, engineers how contribute greatly to the world we live in. The Engineer’s corner is a satirical piece which emphasizes on how life as an artist is overrated, as well as recognizing the underestimation of other professions that lend more to society and its development, such as the Engineer. Cope effectively uses tools of irony, rhetoric, tone as well as rhyme to convey this message. The use of irony and rhetoric in the poem really builds on the mockery that Cope uses to emphasis the great undermining of the Engineer- representation of other working class jobs in the poem. Cope constructs a parallel world where it is the engineer who is ‘sure to need another job’ and that they would have to ‘burn the midnight oil to earn a crust’, and that little boys would prefer poems to ‘the bike… and the train’. The reader recognizes that Cope has switched the lifestyles of these two professions, and through this effective use of irony, the reader is able to feel the sharp bite of Cope’s sarcasm. This is effective as it truly exemplifies the differences of the life of the poet against an established engineer, clearly identifying the Engineer, the
Discuss the Importance of Place in "The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner".
The importance of places in the telling of the narratives in ‘The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’. ________________ It could be argued that Coleridge uses symbolism of the different compass points as a base for the telling of the narratives in ‘The Ancient Mariner’. The setting of the wedding is important as it represents love, family and ultimately safety, symbolised by the North compass point. The fact that The Ancient Mariner’s narrative begins with the ship leaving the safety of the north, a place proven to contain the safety of human society by the joyful description of the wedding, could be used by Coleridge to indicate how the sailors journey will not be protected by the safety of land. ‘The ship was cheered’ could imply that that sailors and the mariner were leaving their loved ones and thus leaving the safety of family relationships. The use of the wedding could also highlight the human misconceptions of how religion should be followed. Whereas the Hermits narrative could be seen as an indicator of how a pure connection with spiritual beings can be achieved, the description of how the wedding ritual portrays the ceremony as a man-made religious act which contrasts with the actions of the spiritual world which seem to suggest that the truest form of connection to ‘God’ is through living harmoniously with nature. The immediate change of setting from
Billy Collins poem The Lanyard is not only a nostalgic recollection of a childhood event, but a testament to the unconditional, selfish love of a mother.
Lanyards and Mothers’ Love Billy Collins’ poem “The Lanyard” is not only a nostalgic recollection of a childhood event, but a testament to the unconditional, selfish love of a mother. “The Lanyard” is such a moving poem, despite its simple subject matter, because it teaches readers that one seemingly inconsequential moment from the past can, years later, have such a meaningful impact on the way one views the world or the people around him. Collins’, through the diction, format, and point of view that he uses in his poem, is able to take such a universal- the message of the strength of a mother’s love and man’s inability to ever truly recompense his mother for the sacrifices she had made- and turns it into something poignant and fresh. Collins’ diction, especially his repletion of certain words or ideas, is import to the poem as it helps to get across his message and alert readers to deeper themes at play in his work. For example, the word “lanyard,” aside from being the title of the poem, is used numerous times within the text itself. The repetition of this particular word is an attempt to highlight the contrast between Collins’ gift to his mother, a simple hand-made lanyard, and his mother’s eternal sacrifice. There is also a good deal of parallelism used in this poem, particularly in the third stanza. Collins’ confides: “She gave me life ad
Critical Analysis on 'Do not go gentle into that good night' by Dylan Thomas
Write a critical commentary on the poem Do not go gentle I into that good night by Dylan Thomas Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light THE ACTUAL ESSAY The helplessness and inevitability of death is something that all mankind will come to face. However, it does not mean that life is not worth fighting for. In Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night, Dylan Thomas demonstrates that even in old age, death should not be simply accepted, but rather fought and challenged with the fortitude of life. Moreover, Thomas acknowledges that life is short, and
Comment on the language and tone of Hardy' poem "Afterwards" considering how it presents the narrators concern for his place in peoples memories after his death.
Comment closely on the language and tone of the following poem (Afterwards), considering how it presents the narrator’s concern for his place in people’s memories after his death. WHEN the Present has latched its postern behind my tremulous stay, And the May month flaps its glad green leaves like wings, Delicate-filmed as new-spun silk, will the neighbours say, "He was a man who used to notice such things"? If it be in the dusk when, like an eyelid's soundless blink, The dewfall-hawk comes crossing the shades to alight Upon the wind-warped upland thorn, a gazer may think, "To him this must have been a familiar sight." If I pass during some nocturnal blackness, mothy and warm, When the hedgehog travels furtively over the lawn, One may say, "He strove that such innocent creatures should come to no harm, But he could do little for them; and now he is gone." If, when hearing that I have been stilled at last, they stand at the door, Watching the full-starred heavens that winter sees, Will this thought rise on those who will meet my face no more, "He was one who had an eye for such mysteries"? And will any say when my bell of quittance is heard in the gloom, And a crossing breeze cuts a pause in its out-rollings, Till they rise again, as they were a new bell's boom, "He hears it not now, but used to notice such things"? The narrator's concern for his
How does Coleridge tell the story in part 4 of Rime of the Ancient Mariner
How does Coleridge tell the story in part 4? Úna Richards 26/03/2013 Part 4 begins with another attempt from the Wedding Guest to get away, shown through the direct speech of the Wedding Guest, ‘I FEAR thee, ancient Mariner!’ The direct speech is also used to remind us that the Mariner is telling a story within the poem. The capitalisation of the word, ‘fear’, is used to echo the honest and fearful reaction of both the Wedding Guest and the reader, following the tragic event that has occurred in the previous part. The first stanza is used to re-acquaint us with the characters in Coleridge’s poem and we are reminded that the Mariner appears to possess all of the features of a dead person, ‘long, and lank, and brown’, but is still alive, reaffirming his liminal state; he is somewhere inbetween life and death. In stanza 2, the ‘glittering eye’ motif is echoed, reminding us of the Mariner’s appearance, the singular eye implies that he not fully there, whilst ‘glittering’ possesses connotations of witchery, furthering the idea that the Mariner is a supernatural creature. In stanzas 3 and 4, Coleridge largely focuses on the isolation of the Mariner. In the 3rd stanza, we see the poet use a lot of repetition in order to communicate the true extent of isolation and his misery, ‘Alone, alone, all all alone, Alone on a wide, wide sea!’ The
How does Coleridge tell the story in part 1 of Rime of the Ancient Mariner?
How does Coleridge tell the story in part 1? Úna Richards 04/04/2013 As part 1 is the first of all parts in Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner, we are introduced to the characters in the poem and Coleridge establishes the setting of the poem. ‘It is an ancient Mariner…he stoppeth one of three.’ The impersonal pronoun of ‘it’ suggests that this Mariner may not be human, however there is a change in pronoun with ‘he’, implying a liminal state of the Mariner; he is somewhere in between being supernatural and mortality, reinforced by the word, ‘ancient’. Coleridge’s use of archaic language is used to take the reader back in time to a bygone era, as well as acting as an indicator of setting. The Wedding Guest describes the Mariner in an other-worldly way, having a ‘long grey beard and glittering eye’; both the beard and the singular glittering eye possess connotations of wizardry and reinforce the idea that the Mariner may be a supernatural being. Coleridge creates a number of contrasts between the 1st and 2nd stanzas. The 2nd stanza is used to represent a ‘normal’ world, a world that the Mariner can never be a part of. In the stanza, ‘the Bridegroom’s doors are opened wide’, the word, ‘wide’, is juxtaposed by the Mariner’s unnatural obstruction to the Guest in the previous
Comment closely on the following poem (The Self-Unseeing by Thomas Hardy), paying particular attention to its presentation of memories.
The Self-Unseeing portrays Hardy reminiscing over his childhood life with his parents. In the first stanza, the setting - their old house - is described in a way that conveys a sense of age and weariness, through such words and phrases as ‘ancient’ (emphasizing the age), ‘footworn and hollowed and thin’ (alluding to the emptiness which has overtaken it through the passage of time after it has been abandoned), ‘former’ (revealing the extent of change in the house, eg. by the door no longer being there), and ‘dead feet’ (those of his parents). At this point in the poem Hardy speaks in the present tense from the outside of the house, in order to convey its emptiness to the reader. The second stanza ignores these aspects of the house, instead focusing on his memories of his parents, which contrast with the first stanza by filling the house with life and action. A happier mood is created here, through a sense of warmth created by the fire, and his mother’s smile, which, along with his father’s playing the violin (‘bowing it higher and higher’), shows the happiness he felt while living with his parents. The musical effect of the violin is also complemented by that of the smooth-flowing ‘abab‘ rhyme scheme. The present tense verbs ‘smiling’ and ‘bowing’ imply that these memories were vivid, as if by introducing the setting to the reader he is
Thomas Hardy- the Walk Analysis
Njeri Muhia Mrs. Muthama 20th October 2011 Critical Analysis of The Walk by Thomas Hardy Grief is a complicated thing, and Thomas Hardy clearly depicts the varying and contrasting emotions that overcome him when it comes to dealing with the death of his wife Emma. The Emma series encapsulates how Hardy felt for his late wife, her passing, and his involvement in her death. The Walk definitely varies as compared to the rest of the poems in the Emma series; there is a contradiction in the construction, illustration of Emma, and the general tone as well as a change in attitude when considering the ‘difference’ and change in his life after the passing of Emma, though includes some of his stylistic elements. The construction of the poem is greatly different as compared to the other Emma poems, however some elements of Hardy’s style are still captured in the poem. Firstly, most of the poems in the Emma series are presented in three or more stanzas. There is swift interchanging of tenses that is present and key in most of his poems, like in Your Last Drive where in the first stanza alone, Hardy is ‘here, by the moorway’, is thinking about the ‘lights ahead that lit [Emma’s] face’ and how they ‘never again would beam on [her]”. The change in tenses clearly illustrates Hardy’s grapples with Time and the future, however in The Walk, the first stanza is all
