Compare and contrast how the writers of "My Last Duchess" and "Remember" portray different views of love
Compare and contrast how the writers of "My Last Duchess" and "Remember" portray different views of love. Love has as many expressions as people who experience it. For some it is a romantic life-enhancing one, for others it is a negative painful experience. In the poems "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning and "Remember" by Christina Rossetti were are offered two widely different views of love. One is a gentle, romantic, poignant message, the other a cynical sadistic monologue. Both are also linked by the separation by death: one implies murder, the other an impending more gentle natural death. The poem "Remember" is a petrachan sonnet of 14 lines. Sonnet form was a poetic device usually used to express emotions and feelings of love, suggesting that this poem will be more romantic than "My Last Duchess". The octet (first 8 lines) presents the problem, in this case the narrator's fear of impending death and the rupture between the two lovers: "Remember me when I am gone away ... / When you can no more hold me by the hand." The Sestet (final 6 lines) presents the solution to that problem, and a final more optimistic future. "My Last Duchess" is in the form of a dramatic monologue. This is a poem of one long stanza in which the Duke, through the language that he uses to describe his former wife, reveals his own character and attitude towards love. It is written in rhyming
Analysis of I Am, by John Clare
Analysis of I Am, by John Clare The poem 'I Am' by John Clare is written in the form ABABCC, except for the first verse, which is ABABAB and it is written in iambic pentameter. The structure of the three stanzas seems to be based on time, the first stanza is what is happening, he is 'live' the second is what is about to happen, what he is going 'into' and the third is what he thinks or wants to happen, what "I long for". There is a great use of punctuation, yet there are only two sentences, making the poem seem continuous, troubled and searching and without definite closure. The title of the poem is repeated four times in the first verse, but then it is not written again at all. In fact, after the first stanza, there are only five references to the writer. This suggests that the fist stanza is the most personal the one that is based most strongly on the writer. The 'I' from the poem is reflecting on his past, his life, and what is going on around him, what his life has become. The stanza seems to have a lost air, a feeling of being forgotten and unwanted, "My friends forsake me like a memory lost". Love is mentioned, but it is the throes of love, so John Clare does not still seem to be in love, but in the shadows of love. The use of the phrase 'self-consumer of my woes' is a very interesting one, as means that the pain that the writer is inflicted with is brought
The poet Robert Browning of 'Porphyria's Lover' and the writer of 'First Love', John Clare, both delve into the complexity of love in many ways, some similar and others contrasting.
Explore and explain the similarities and differences between the way each poet deals with the theme of love in 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'First Love'. How do you account for these differences? The poet Robert Browning of 'Porphyria's Lover' and the writer of 'First Love', John Clare, both delve into the complexity of love in many ways, some similar and others contrasting. The most apparent similarity is that both poems are written in the style of a monologue. Throughout these poems the reader is enlightened only to the man's perspective; therefore as a reader, we never encounter the woman's emotions and can only guess by analyzing the text of what these could be. Throughout the monologues both lovers' characteristics are revealed. In 'First Love' the reader encounters a man who is unthreatening and we experience the innocence of him falling in love for the first time. This contrasts with 'Porphyria's Lover' where the reader is subject to the mind of a lover who has a jealous and obsessive nature. The reader is immediately aware of this lover's obsessive character in the opening line. The poet Robert Browning uses the imagery of a storm to imitate the lover's emotions. The violence of the storm 'tore the elm tops down for spite', warns the reader that his emotions are indeed negative and volatile. The use of personification is present when describing the storm. This is shown
"My Last Duchess" and "To His Coy Mistress" Compare the presentation of the men in these two poems.
"My Last Duchess" and "To His Coy Mistress" Compare the presentation of the men in these two poems. The two characters in these two poems have a certain attitude towards women, which is that they both see women as objects but in different ways. The Duke in "My Last Duchess" is an arrogant, disrespectful man, who cares more about status and wealth then love. He is a megalomaniac, who is jealous about his ex-wife not giving only him her attention. The speaker in "To His Coy Mistress" seems like a respectful man, who is articulate, this is important because it is his main strength which he uses to lure her to him. He uses his skill to flatter her, but we then learn that he only wants her for pleasure rather than love; he puts up a false persona of love as another technique to lure her. He is also worried about death and the end of his time. Both these characters are trying to persuade someone. In the Duke's case, it's the envoy and in the speaker's case, the woman. They are also similar because they are talking about a woman, but are different in how they approach this. In addition their wanted outcome is different. Both these men see women as objects, the Duke as an object he can control and look at, and the speaker as a sex object. "My Last Duchess is about a Duke, who is hoping to marry the Count's daughter, and is with his envoy talking about his ex-wife. "To His Coy
Comparison Of Love Poetry:Remember by Christina Rossetti, How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and When We Two Parted by Lord Byron
Comparison Of Love Poetry: Remember by Christina Rossetti, How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and When We Two Parted by Lord Byron The three poems, Remember by Christina Rossetti; How Do I love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and When We Two Parted by Lord Byron, each explore love and loss in their own unique ways. Remember is, as expected from the title, a solemn lament which is a farewell sonnet to her treasured one. How Do I Love Thee? is again a sonnet of love but is of a love that is present and hopefully will remain forever. The third poem that will be examined is When We Two Parted which tells of a lost secret love that has left a scar on Lord Byron's life. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's impressive How Do I Love Thee? is, as you might suppose, a poem describing the extent of the author's love of her partner. It is one of her "Sonnets from the Portuguese" which were written in her Italian days at the Casa Guidi. Like many of them How Do I Love Thee? takes the form of a patriarchal sonnet which is the most common sonnet form and is for the most part the more appropriate form for love poetry over the English or Shakespearian sonnet or the Spenserian sonnet. Using sonnet form, you would expect the change in tone after the first octet but in this the change is less pronounced with a subtle change to a graver side of love. Though it is so understated it
Compare The Treatment In The Poems 'Sonnet 18' And 'The Sun Rising'.
Compare The Treatment In The Poems 'Sonnet 18' And 'The Sun Rising' In 'The Sun Rising' by John Donne, the poet is awakened by the sun's rays streaming through the curtains into his bedroom, where he lies with his lover. Wishing to prolong (to lengthen in duration) the pleasure of lying in, cuddled beside her, he tells the Sun not to disturb the peace of the bedroom. The fact that the Sun's other duties are, amongst others, to wake "late schoolboys" and "call country ants to harvest offices" suggests that the day is already well established, and the poet must soon accept to part from his lover's embrace. But love, he argues, is not ruled by time or the natural order, and is quite independent of them, and therefore he is annoyed that the Sun should meddle in the affairs of lovers and cause this parting: "Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime, Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time." Indeed, in the second and third stanzas, Donne questions the natural order, and claims that the love between himself and his girl is superior to the Sun's, and all other rulers', power: He can "eclipse and cloud" the Sun's beams "with a wink", and his lover's eyes will blind the Sun, so beautiful are they. In short, he concludes, the lovers' embrace is the real centre of the Sun, and only they two are important in the world: "Since thy duties be To warm the world, that's done
A Comparison of two poetries - Like a Flame and The Thickness of Ice
A Comparison of two poetries - Like a Flame and The Thickness of Ice In this essay I am going to analyse two different poems. I am going to analyse the subject matter, language, rhyme / rhythm, form, ideas and attitudes and the overall tone of each. The two poems that I will be analysing in this essay are "Like a Flame" by Grace Nichols and "The Thickness of Ice" by Liz Loxley. "Like a Flame" is a modern poem written in the 20th Century. The title "Like a Flame" is implying that the atmosphere is very hot and is full of youthful spirit around it. The poem is about one girl falling in love with a man. It is written in their first meeting, giving her first feelings between being a girl and becoming a woman. The whole poem has no rhyming pattern, but some structure is evident. The first four verses, which have three lines in each, they set the scene as well as the mood. It uses the suggestion in the words "ripening cane" to describe herself grow up quickly, already of riper years. His eyes attracted her when she first met that man. As the second verse "my eyes make four with this man." But the third and fourth verses are written she only laughs and feels so confused. She doesn't know she is falling in love because she does not understand the feeling of love. The last four verses of the poem reveal the girl has some sweet feelings when she starts to talk with that man. And it
Using a selection of pre-twentieth century verse, compare and contrast the ways in which different poets approach the themes of love and loss.
Task: Using a selection of pre-twentieth century verse, compare and contrast the ways in which different poets approach the themes of love and loss. "When We Two Parted" written by Lord Byron, "Remember" written by Christina Rossetti and "My Last Duchess" written by Robert Browning are three pre-twentieth century poems about the ups and downs of love. "When We Two Parted" is a poem about Lord Byron's own secret relationship that failed secretly and tragically when he called it off, yet he feels heartbroken when she finds someone else, breaking their promise to wait for each other. "Remember" also describes how the plans of lovers can go wrong. Rossetti tries to prepare her lover for her impending death. She asks only that he "remembers" her. Likewise, "My Last Duchess" includes the theme of death, as a paranoid Duke tells the story of how and why he killed his wife. While the poems vary in terms of style and techniques, all three poets tackle the issue of love and loss. "When We Two Parted" is a first person narrated poem written for a specific audience. Byron uses the poem as a means by which to send his ex-lover a message in secret. In the poem he reflects upon the break up as he speaks in the past tense. He tells us that they met in "secret", which could mean there relationship was ethically unacceptable; this is what may have caused the break up. Byron says that their
Analysis of "The Sick Rose"Written by William Blake.
Analysis of "The Sick Rose" Written by William Blake. O rose, thou art sick! The invisible worm That flies in the night, In the howling storm, Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy, And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy. In this essay, I chose to write a bout "The Sick Rose", which is a short poem written by William Blake, focusing on the metaphorical language and the symbolism used in it. Though this poem is difficult, I like its deeper meaning and the symbolism. I think that Blake succeeds in giving us a very brilliant work in a few lines. This short poem is a narrative poem made up of two stanzas; each stanza has four lines, rhyming a b c b. The language of it is pretty easy though it is written in 18th century English. The poet uses the present tense to indicate that what he is talking about might happen anytime and anywhere. The tone in the poem is sad. It is set at night, in the "howling storm." It has a double meaning. It is full of figurative language. The whole poem is a metaphor. It seems to be about a rose that has been destroyed at night by a worm, and this is the surface meaning of the poem, but it also can be seen as a tale of a rape. In the first line, the poet addresses the rose; I think that he anthropomorphizes the rose as a beautiful girl by doing this. This rose is already in a state of decay and the sickness of the rose, which is a
How do 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'The sisters' explore the themes of love, jealousy and madness?
How do 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'The sisters' explore the themes of love, jealousy and madness? The two poems are both stories of love and then murder, and a complex linking of the two. 'Porphyria's lover' is a poem about two lovers, who can not be a couple, due to maybe social status, or other partners, when the woman declares his love for the man, he strangles her in an attempt to preserve the moment. 'The sisters' is a poem about two sisters and an earl, the earl falls in love with one of the sisters, but the other one becomes incredibly jealous, so when the first sister dies, she makes the earl fall in love with her, until she has a chance to kill him and get revenge for choosing her sister first. Both poems involve love and quite brutal murders. The beginning of 'Porphyria's lover' sets the scene for the rest of the poem. It begins with a description of the weather, it mentions the rain and the 'sullen' wind, but then it talks about it 'tearing the elm tops down for spite' this is personification of the weather, creating an angry, troubled effect, this can be related to the speakers own feelings, his depression and his building bitterness, it also shows his propensity to violence, which comes to a climax when he kills his lover. The beginning of the poem is quite dark and depressing when the speaker is alone in the cottage, however when the woman enters, she has the
