My Last Duchess and Porphyria's Lover.

Robert Browning Poetry Lee Taylor My Last Duchess and Porphyria's Lover 'Discuss the male speakers attitudes to the women that they are remembering and how Browning uses language to convey these attitudes' Robert Browning was a poet who wrote poems between the Victorian period concerned with attitudes towards men and women and the way they were treated. Robert was an English poet born in London in 1882-1889 noted for his mastery of dramatic monologue. In his best works people from the past reveal their thoughts and lives as if speaking or thinking aloud. Robert Browning wrote about things the people in them days thought to be morally wrong like sex and violence. Robert aimed to question his readers emotionally and also question the readers morality. The poem 'My Last Duchess' was Published 1842 and the poem is based on the life of Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara in the sixteenth century. The Dukes first wife died after three years of marriage. The poem is written in the form of the Duke addressing another Count to negotiate marriage terms and he tells the Count how he wants her to behave. The poem is about a painting of the Dukes previous wife and how she behaves. Both of these poems where written in 1942 and they were about death. The poem 'Porphyria's Lover' is about a man who lives in the countryside and is visited by his

  • Word count: 1521
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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In this essay I am going to compare two metaphysical poems; 'To His Coy Mistress' by Andrew Marvell and 'The Flea' by John Dunne.

Comparison Of John Dunne and Andrew Marvell In this essay I am going to compare two metaphysical poems; 'To His Coy Mistress' by Andrew Marvell and 'The Flea' by John Dunne. Andrew Marvell and John Dunne are both called metaphysical poem writers. Andrew Marvell is known to be one of the greatest metaphysical poets, and John Dunne is known to be the father of metaphysical poetry. Metaphysical strictly means a type of philosophy. However, the word is used for this group of poets and was originally used by John Dryden in the seventeenth century. In this essay I am going to write what the two poems mean. The similarities of the two poems, the language, imagery and structure of the poems. I am also going to talk about the nature of the poems and the religious content in them. This will include talking about the three - fold structure of the poem, called a syllogism. It is all written in octosyllables and they the poems are written using the iambic tetrameter, this means that all lines are written with eight syllables. Both the poems have three stanzas. The poem will also include the nature in which love is described; the contrast within them, the grotesque images, the wit, irony and I will also include the characteristics of the poems. For Example: simile, metaphor, conceit, hyperbole and personification, which will be in the poems and will be described in the essay. Marvell

  • Word count: 1183
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Comparing the attitudes of men to women in 4 pre-1900 poems

"Compare and contrast the attitudes of men towards women in at least 4 poems you have read. Pay particular attention to content, form and language used" The four pre-1900 poems I have studied are: 'The Beggar Woman' by William King, To His Coy Mistress' by Andrew Marvell 'First Love" by John Clare and 'My Last Duchess' by Robert Browning. All these poems have strong themes of love and lust and each depicts the attitude of a man to a woman, although these differ significantly in each poem. In 'The Beggar Woman' by William King a gentleman rides away from his hunting friends to find a woman to sleep with, he finds a beggar woman who is surprisingly clean and attractive and asks if they "should retire a little way into the wood?" She follows whilst he is on horseback. He frequently asks her to "expose" but she tells him of an "unfrequented place" that sounds idyllic, on the pretence that she is worried for him that his riding company might show up should they be in too open a place. When they arrive there she tells him she is worried about the baby being injured if she is on her back, prompting him to ask if the baby could be tied to his back because he is becoming so impatient. When the baby is firmly tied to his back, she runs away, leaving him stuck with it. The man in this poem is shown as being very confident and sure of himself, "Then thinks the squire, I have the

  • Word count: 2571
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Comparison Between William Wordsworth's 'Upon Westminster Bridge' and William Blake's 'London'

English GCSE Coursework Poetry A Comparison Between William Wordsworth's 'Upon Westminster Bridge' and William Blake's 'London' The English Romantic period spanned between 1789 and 1824. This period was not so-called until the mid 19th century when readers began to see six different poets as part of the same movement. These poets were William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Shelly and John Keats. Some aspects of Romantic poetry were; there was an increasing interest in nature; there was an increased interest in landscape and scenery; human moods were connected to the moods of nature. Although the six poets cohered to create the English Romantic movement they were all extremely different with different styles. Blake is described as an artist, a lyric poet, a mystic and visionary and during the 19th century his works were not regarded as important as they are now and many people questioned Blake's sanity. Today in the 20th century he is regarded as an original and important poet. Wordsworth is without a doubt one of the greatest sonneteers of all time. Writing over 500 sonnets during his lifetime, he revived this form back into widespread use. Blake took more of a critical view of Wordsworth's poetry. Blake commented that 'Wordsworth's pantheistic natural piety made him a heathen philosopher at enmity against all true poetry' while

  • Word count: 1363
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and Contrast the two poems, 'London' and 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge'

Compare and Contrast the two poems, 'London' and 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' Both of the poets write about London in their poems. There is one big difference between the form and the structure 'Composed Upon Westminster Bridge' is written in the form of a sonnet where as the 'London' poem is just a four verse poem, each verse having four lines. Comparing the poems with one another I first picked up that they are equally written from first person perspectives which helps to express that these are the writer's real thoughts and feelings of the great city. Blake doesn't concentrate on the general scene: Like the buildings or the natural landscapes, He sees beyond all this and he thinks of the people who live there. He explains how everyone is sad and hopelessly depressed, he points out the prostitutes have no other means of earning money than to sell themselves and how the soldiers have to put their lives on the line whenever the king decides. He makes it interesting as he uses a lot of repetition in each stanza to emphasize his views, ''in every cry of every man, in every cry of infants fear, in every voice, in every ban''. Five uses of the word every in three lines symbolize that he wants a point to be put across to the reader. It draws more attention to what is different. In the phrase, he speaks of a black church saying God does not help people with their pointless

  • Word count: 628
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and contrast "The Rendezvous" by Stanley J. Thomas, "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell and "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" by William Shakespeare.

Compare & contrast G.C.S.E Literature Essay This essay will compare and contrast "The Rendezvous" by Stanley J. Thomas and "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell also "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" by William Shakespeare. "The Rendezvous" is about a man who is waiting for his woman but she does not turn up, however he believes she will turn up. "To His Coy Mistress" is about a man who is trying to persuade woman to have sex with him, but she doesn't want to. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" is about a man who talks about the beauty of his woman using nature to describe her beauty. The theme of love will be explored in this essay. The theme of love is in all three poems because it is saying how much the speaker loves the women who they love. The different type of love is beauty, lust and romantic love. One of the main similarities between the texts is the attitude to love and beauty. This is displayed in "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day". It is showing how much the speaker loves the women. ' Shall I compare thee to a summer's day ' This quote emphasises that a summer's day is bright and beautiful, just like you are perfect. It proves that she is beautiful because the speaker is comparing her to a summer's day. Similarly in "The Rendezvous" also shows beauty. It is similar to the first piece of text because it shows how much he loves

  • Word count: 1495
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Looking beyond tomorrow wondering if you'll stayI want you with me forever like I had you today

Always Looking beyond tomorrow wondering if you'll stay I want you with me forever like I had you today But tomorrow isn't promised as we shall all learn Not sure of which direction to take or where to turn Just remember that in my heart you will always be Deep in my heart and soul, if I look closely I'll see When I close my eyes shut every night to dream You're my everything that makes my heart beam Never let go of us, or everything we have shared I want you to know I loved you and I always cared In my heart, your name is engraved deep down Cause you're the smile on my face when I frown I treasure each moment we spend like its our last Because every minute that goes by happens so fast But I still see you in my mind where you'll always be Baby we're everlasting this love between you and me Mattie i love you, I always have and will continue to I'll never find anything like this, or anyone like you You've made my life perfect you make me feel whole The best thing in my life, with such a beautiful soul Did you forget? Who listened all those times, when you were feeling low? Who sat beside you in rough times and helped you where to go? Who cried when you cried, and helped away the tears? Who tried to stay next to you, and help you with your fears? Did you forget that I gave you my heart? After you left, my whole world came apart. Did you forget, all

  • Word count: 1272
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Throughout the 'Canterbury Tales' the theme of marriage occurs and generates discussion among the pilgrims. From your reading of 'The Miller's Tale', what do you think they might find interesting or provocative?

Julia Cloke 12JMW Throughout the 'Canterbury Tales' the theme of marriage occurs and generates discussion among the pilgrims. From your reading of 'The Miller's Tale', what do you think they might find interesting or provocative? In 'The Miller's Tale' the sanctity of marriage is played upon heavily, as during Chaucer's time all marriages were respected in the eyes of the Church and contained a very religious theme. We also see how jealously in a marriage can bring about conflicting ideas and actions, which can often lead to one person taking the other for granted. The whole foundation of marriage is questioned in 'The Miller's Tale' as Chaucer reveals both the good and bad in a married couple. Contrary to 'The Knight's Tale' which contains a story of courtly romance, of the ideal fantasy, 'The Miller's Tale' reveals to opposing side to marriage. Where as courtly love is all about wooing your future partner, showing off your airs and graces, the marriage in 'The Miller's Tale' is very much based on reality. Chaucer deliberately placed these two stories side by side to show just how contrasting they are and how one is based purely on fantasy, while the other is based on reality. Chaucer tries to show through the characters of Alisoun and John that marriage isn't the fairytale that it has been portrayed as for hundreds of years, but a relationship that contains both happy and

  • Word count: 1422
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Why did the murders attract so much attention in 1888? The notorious Jack the Ripper left many, if not all of east Londoners living in trepidation and fear

Why did the murders attract so much attention in 1888? The notorious Jack the Ripper left many, if not all of east Londoners living in trepidation and fear. Speculations began flying around like a flock of pigeons, and soon all of London was playing Chinese whispers. The printing machines were left hot from the many newspapers being printed, its head lines containing with big, bold writing; Jack the Ripper at it again. Well known for his terrible and gruesome attack on women, his mutilations of the body was certainly jaw dropping and utterly horrific. Yet with such an over crowded city and the population increase in the east end, how can one man grab the attention of thousands? Influenced In London 1888, it was a city of rags as well as the riches. The population was increasing due to the great business opportunities in London at the time. The poorer became even more poor than usual and women had no choice but to resort themselves to using their assets to their advantage. Prostitution became a well known self employment, as thousands of women deduced or forced out of starvation sunk as low as selling themselves. Here Jack the Ripper comes to the equation. With the 'network of narrow, dark and crooked lanes', Jack the Ripper attacked his first victim Marry Ann Nicholls on Friday 31st August. The intensity and 'effort' put into the murder shocked the local terribly. The

  • Word count: 1684
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Ode To Autumn", John Keatsa) This poem is an excellent portrayal of a term dismissed as being either "too cold" or "too windy" to be classed as a special term

"Ode To Autumn", John Keats a) This poem is an excellent portrayal of a term dismissed as being either "too cold" or "too windy" to be classed as a special term, as other poets would, and have, written about the ever-optimistic spring, whereas John Keats has here conveyed Autumn naturally and as beautifully as he sees it. The first stanza is a very descriptive piece, leaving the reader to wonder whether the poet is addressing the time of the year, or merely writing about it, i.e. there is no verb present to show who is doing what, just a varied collection of semantically similar adjectives, e.g. "mature" "ripe" "mellow". These all share the connotation of lateness, or ageing of an object, and these are a reflection of the title of the ode, as it is a term for the year later on in its cycle, and it is aged and is effective because of that. The second stanza directly addresses the autumn, and uses pronouns such as "thee" and "thy". These suggest a respect present between the poet and the Term, with a familiar feeling creeping in as he says "Thee sitting carelessly on a granary floor". This is an effective image, the poet seeing the term as being wheat or cereal on the floor, where it usually is at the time this poem is set. This personification is effective as it creates a homely atmosphere, bringing the autumn closer i.e. bringing it all around us and making us realise

  • Word count: 949
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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