A wife in London, by Thomas Hardy Flashcards
Which war was this poem based around?
Second Boer war in South Africa
Conflict was over the huge gold reserves in The Transvaal
Who is the voice in the poem?
A wife of a soldier who has died in battle
What is the poem about?
Grief and love
How is pathetic fallacy used?
‘She sits in tawny vapour’
‘fog hangs thicker’
–> ominous atmosphere
–> reader knows something bad is going to happen
How is there irony in the poem?
after she learns that her husband is dead, she receives a letter from her husband in which he speaks of his excitement of when he will next see her and the thing which the will do
How is the poem structured?
The poem is divided into two events covering two days: ‘The Tragedy’ and ‘The Irony’
There is a clear rhyme scheme in each verse, creating a sense of inevitability to these tragic event
Hardy uses the present tense to create a sense that this is a story unfolding in front of us, making it more dramatic and emotional.
Title
The use of ‘A wife’ implies that this was a common experience for may wives across London
What does the structure of two halves suggest?
showing it is like chapters in a tragic story
the two halves could suggest her life has been split into two
Analysis on ‘She sits in tawny vapour’
The adjective ‘tawny’ suggests a dull, brown, foggy London
What does ‘City lanes have uprolled’ describe?
describes the mist rolling up the streets
poor houses all very close together
What does ‘whose webby fold’ show?
this spider web imagery evokes the feeling of poverty, entrapment and anxiety
as a widow she will be further trapped
What does the simile in the first stanza imply?
that the light of her life is going out, perhaps with her hopes for the future
What happens in the second stanza?
‘Flashed news’
She receives a message to tell her that her husband has died. The news is speedy and difficult to take in. She struggles to comprehend the tragic news which she has just been told
‘He–has fallen–in the far South Land…’ analysis
The speaker uses the ‘euphemism’ fallen rather than died – maybe trying to divert the horror.
The dashes indicates the short sharp breaking
sounds, perhaps this was how she read the letter. It may also suggest how her life is now broken
Analyse ‘The postman nears and goes’
The phrase ‘nears and goes’ emphasises the normality of the post man’s round. Perhaps this also reinforces the normality of the causalities and bereavements in war.
How is ‘Fresh–firm–’ ironic?
Further irony because he is no longer fresh and firm, just like their loves, hopes and dreams.
What does ‘In the summer weather’ indicate?
indicates what they would do upon his return - simple pleasures
Final line
‘And of new love that they would learn’
The final line heightens the tragedy of his death because they will never get to rekindle their relationship.
Perhaps Hardy leaves it here because it is more powerful then describing the widow’s grief.
