A Wife In London Flashcards
What is it about
About a wife waiting for news about her husband who is fighting in the Boer war in South Africa
Who is the poet
Thomas Hardy
What are the themes
War Nature Weather Loss Love Death Life Conflict Grief Relationships
What is the structure
Written in present tense- we see it unfolding as she does too.
Regular rhyme and rhythm apart from the dashed that interrupt it- like her life was interrupted. Also interrupted thoughts
Poem is split into two sections. Tragedy and irony.
“He- has fallen- in the far South Land”
Pauses reflect the speech. South Africa- far away from the fog of London. Hard for her to picture the reality
“His hand, whom the worm now knows”
Handwriting.
Worms eating his body- the hand that wrote the letter
“Page- full of his hoped return”
What he hoped he would do when he returns home in the summer- weather
“Flashed news is in her hand”
Sudden and hard for her to take in
“And of new love that they would learn”
Poignant (sad) ending because is wont happen now.
Love between them- a baby/pregnancy.
What does the title show
Could be any wife whose husband is at war. Very specific place and reference to a specific war in this poem
