The title of this poem (The Affliction of Margaret) and the fact that the speaker is a mother makes it clear that the speaker in this poem isn’t the poet, and most probably an imaginary character. She begins by speaking to the missing son, asking him what he is doing and where he is. She says that it has been seven years without response from him. (At this stage it again could show a lack of respect for the mother, therefore a bad family life.) Then she describes what a model child he was and thinks about how, in the past, she used to worry that he would neglect her. She believes that her son is lost, or in prison, maybe in a far off desert, unable to return. Margaret contemplates the fact that he might be dead. (In a way it would be a relief for her, because then she could put her mind at rest.) As it goes on she realises that he cannot be dead, for ghostly spirits bring back messages from the dead, so maybe he just doesn’t want to return. She resigns herself to this fact, and the poem ends with her pleading for her son to return, or at least to give her a sign of his wellbeing. The Affliction of Margaret is very much like the poem The Song of the Old Mother. Both of them contain a sad mother, and both show, I believe a lack of respect. In Butler-Yeats’s poem, the speaker believes that her children don’t respect her for what she does around the house and in Wordsworth’s poem. I believe that the mother thinks that her son doesn’t respect her and that’s why he hasn’t returned.
The poem Ulysses is another dramatic monologue. The speaker is a well-known mythical character. In the first stanza of the poem, Ulysses sums up his reasons for wanting to travel – for he has little to do, his wife is old (family life, bad), his people unresponsive and brutal. “They know not me”- they do not recognize his authority or his true feelings. Before Ulysses went off to fight in the war he was happy with his family, and his kingdom, but after having so much adventure, he wants more, he doesn’t want to sit around his kingdom doing nothing, he wants to be out there fighting monsters and such. In the second stanza he is reliving his glory days and finally decides he wants to go on one last great adventure, to discover unexplored land. Because every minute he stays his life is wasting away. Although he may not love his kingdom any more or many other things he still loves his son, Telemachus. Ulysses thinks he will be a far better ruler - he is thoughtful and prudent, and has the patience (which Ulysses lacks) to change the people gradually. Telemachus has a strong sense of duty and will not neglect to worship the gods of his household. And he leaves the kingdom in his son’s hands saying that “he works his work, I mine.” So the third stanza shows that there is still love in this family, even though Ulysses has been away for so long.
The fourth section sees Ulysses make ready to set sail. He speaks affectionately to inspire the loyal sailors who have travelled with him before, and who have chosen, as “free hearts”, to join in the last adventure. This will be “some work of noble note”, something appropriate to “men that strove with Gods”. His goal is to sail west and find a new world. From his speech it is clear that Ulysses has had more of a family life with his ship mates, whom he all respects. Ulysses knows that this will be the last trip he ever makes with them. He tells them to sail west until he dies (which makes it a rather sad poem.)
All of the poems I have analysed share one common theme, respect either lack of or lots of, but mainly a lack of respect, all three of the poems also show a bad family life for the speakers of the poems.
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