A wife in London Flashcards
who wrote A Wife In London?
Thomas Hardy
why did Hardy write a Wife in London?
- he strongly opposed war
-wrote to criticise the Boer war
-thought war was useless
meaning and context of A wife in London
London is presented as an unsettling space and meaningless
-uses this poem to criticise the Boer war and the devastating impact it had on the people left behind as well as the soldiers
-he focuses on a personal tragedy to emphasise the sense of loss
-by not naming the war, Hardy perhaps implies that the British public doesn’t truly care about it.
analyse the use of pathetic fallacy in “tawny vapour” and “webby folds”.
tawny vapour- creates an ominous sense of tragedy to come. The description implies that London is covered in gloom
webby folds- fog used to create the image of a spiders web and implies that perhaps the wife is trapped by the fog around
analyse the use of a simile in “like a warning taper”.
adds to the sense of gloom
-the taper/candle is symbolic of light, happiness and hope. the image implies that these positive aspects of the wife’s life are slowly being extinguished
Hardy uses dashes in the line “ he-has fallen-in the far south land”, analyse this.
the dashes create a sense of shock and horror at hearing the news of his death. This technique suggests that the wife struggles to accept it.
-the word “fallen” is a euphemism suggesting that she cannot cope with the harsh reality of death
describe and analyse the form and structure of A wife in London?
split into 2 halves- The Tragedy and The Irony- to emphasise the wife’s double suffering, firstly on hearing about her husbands death and then secondly on reading a letter about their future together
-Hardy uses ABBAB rhyme scheme, which creates a sense of inevitability to the tragedy
finish the quotation, “a messenger’s knock…
cracks smartly’
analyse the quotation, “a messengers knock cracks smartly”
the messenger is an anonymous figure, which emphasises the isolating, disconnecting sense of life in a city
-the three monosyllables at the end mimics the sound of knocking. which is further emphasised by the repeated hard ‘C’ sounds which emphasise how disruptive the tone is
finish the quotation, “flashed..
news’
analyse the quotation, “flashed news”
flashed- implies how brief and shocking the news of her husbands death is. it implies that modern life in the city is hard to grasp- tragic news is delivered in a “flash”.- implies London lacks personal connection and this is no comfort in difficult times of war
finish the quotation, “the fog hangs thicker”
the fog symbolises the weight of the grief the wife feels. The word “hang” creates a sense of doom and dejection as if both the fog and wife have given up.
Thicker- implies a sense of confusion and obscurity
finish the quotation “Fresh-…
firm’
analyse the quotation, “fresh-firm”
the description of the husbands handwriting as “fresh-firm” heightens the sense of irony because he is dead and no longer “fresh” or able to hold “firm” opinions
-emphasises what the wife has lost
-could be describing her pain
what is the final line of A wife in London?
of new love
analyse the final line, “of new love”
-emphasises the tragedy of the husbands death because there is no longer hope for “new love”. it implies the future is bleak and without love
-“new love” seems positive- as if he hopes they would be able to reconnect and rekindle their relationship upon his return- but now that is impossible
