a wife in london Flashcards
who wrote the poem?
Thomas Hardy
when was the poem composed?
2 months after the start of the Boer War (1899)
what type of person was Hardy?
a pacifist
is it positive or negative about war?
negative
what does the poem illuminate?
illuminates the absurdity and tragedy that go hand-in-hand with violent conflict
what is the poem a message of?
a message of war’s hopelessness- war cuts life short- needlessly affecting not just those immediately involved, but those back home as well
what type of words are used?
light and simple words- the effect is heavy and real
what does the opening reveal?
it reveals it will tell a tragedy- rest of a wife in London follows this simple, yet effective form of syntax
what is significant about the title?
the determiner “a”- shows how it is a universal experience for many wives in London- highlights the impact of war as it can happen to anyone
what is significant about the noun “wife”?
a passive word- her helplessness may show mankind’s inability to stop itself from going to war
there is another passive word in the poem- “sits”- highlights her helplessness
what image does the first stanza create?
a simple yet beautiful picture- image of a young wife sitting alone in the dark, cold city of London
“she sits…
in the tawny vapour”
what is “tawny vapour” an example of and what does it link to?
an example of pathetic fallacy
setting suggests that decisions to go to war take place in a moral fog- war makes morality unclear
what was “tawny vapour”?
a fog specific to London at the time- consisted of factory emissions and chimneys
“tawny vapour” is more manmade than natural- suggests war is more man-made than natural- tawny vapour creates a feeling of murkiness- hard to see clearly
“the street lamp…
glimmers cold”
what is significant about “the street lamp glimmers cold”?
foreshadowing- her “light” will fade soon
the street lamp should be hot, not cold
should be shining- not glimmering
“a messenger’s…
knock cracks smartly”
what is important about the “messenger’s knock”?
the silent cold of London is interrupted
what is important about the “cracks smartly”?
he is about to bring pain
“flashed news..
is in her hand”
“of meaning…
it dazes to understand”
“though shaped…
so shortly
He- has fallen- in the far South Land…
what does the “though shaped so shortly” mean?
the letter is extremely short- shows the universal experience for all the wives- the letters are impersonal and generic
what is significant about “he- has fallen- in the far South Land”…
euphemistic “fallen”- masks the horrible death he has endured
what is significant about using the word “he”?
his identity is not revealed- again, the universal experience
what is part 2 called?
the irony
“‘tis the morrow…
the fog hangs thicker”
what does “the fog hangs thicker” mean?
the wife feels the pain more
what does the second part allow for the reader?
allows the devastating news to sink in for the reader
what dos the 3rd stanza portray?
a letter arrives from her husband one day after he dies- heightens the tragedy- like the letter came from the grave
“by the…
firelight flicker”
what does “by the firelight flicker” mean?
the light is flickering from the hope of the letter- her hope is flickering as she realises he died being in love with her and having hope
what does the final stanza convey about the hopelessness of war?
the mismatch in content and timing between the telegram and letter develops the poem’s central message of war’s hopelessness
“fresh- firm…
- penned in highest feather”
what does “fresh- firm” mean?
the description of the lines symbolises the pain in the woman’s heart- just like the letter, the pain is “fresh” and “firm”
“page-full…
of his hoped return”
what does his “hoped return” convey?
the irony- he was already dead by the time she received the letter- his hoped return
“in the…
summer weather”
what does “in the summer weather” mean?
summer- season of new life, light and hope
it is deeply ironic as we can infer he died before Summer- hopeless
seems these words were written beyond the grave
“and of new love…
that they would learn”
what does the final line do for the reader?
readers can experience the heart ache the women would have felt
can also grasp the frailty of life and the futility of death
what does “the fog hangs thicker” also convey about her as a widow now?
her new identity as a widow has sunk in
“hoped returns” also conveys what?
this young and strong man was certain he would arrive home
the man had confidence in his love- even though he faced perilous conditions, he knew he would arrive home and be with his wife
this was snatched from a man so confident- heightens the sting of death- death was not expected by the man or his wife
the phrase “He has fallen” shows what?
the unemotional language- it shows the disconnect between the unfeeling bureaucracy of war and the all too real tragedy it brings upon people
what is the structure like?
5 lines per stanza
the equal stanzas show her grief and mourning will constantly be in her life
what does “in highest feather” mean?
her pain is at the “highest point”- in comparison to the letter being in highest humour/ form
what does the rhyme scheme show?
the rhyme scheme is clear- showing a sense of inevitability of death in war
what tense does Hardy use?
the present tense- to create a sense that this is a story unfolding before us- making it more dramatic and emotional
