Anthologies Flashcards
A first person speaker exploring an intense event
A dramatic monologue
14 line poem, usually about love
Sonnet
“Suddenly he awoke and was running- raw”
Bayonet charge- unprepared, confused and vulnerable, raw emotions? Raw skin, damaged and blistered by the clothing supposed to protect him
“In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations/was he the hand pointing that second?”
Bayonet charge-Blaming universe and higher powers- God(“stars”-navigation/government(“he”) was it his will to put him through this pain, rhetorical question shows he believes it’s pointless
“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera”
Trying to find motivation to carry on. They all start with all this motivation and by the end of it the lost isn’t important enough to list”etcetera”
Context for bayonet charge
Ted Hughes was speaking in third person “he”referring to any soldier. His father was in ww1, new advancements in technology and undertrained soldiers meant they were going over the top blindly
Bayonet charge structure
3 stanzas
1. Put in the centre of action “suddenly he awoke”
2.doubting why he’s there “in what cold clockwork of the stars”
3.victimised and lost hope “human dignity, etcetera”
Enjambment shows disconnection of soldiers, not in a strong formation, stumbling unprepared going over the top- a mess
“My last duchess” title
“That’s my last duchess painted on the wall”first line
Repetition of “my” shows aggressive possessive behaviour. He introduces her, she has no power immediately
“(Since none puts aside the curtain I have drawn for you but I)” My last duchess
Repetition of personal pronouns”I” shows constant need to show himself off and give himself credit. Curtain is a metaphor for his power over her, no one is allowed to see her without his permission, shows craving for power over her even after she has passed
“Her looks went everywhere” my last duchess
He thinks she doesn’t respect herself because she “stoops” to speak to “lower class” as well as other men. This makes him insecure and possessive
“As if she ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-year-old name with anybody’s gift”
Suggests he believes she should consider herself lucky to have his name as a “gift” shows arrogance. The verb “ranked” means he thought everything was a competition and always compared himself to others
Speaker in the poem?
Duke of Ferrara 1500s, thought to have murdered his wife
Structure in my last duchess
Rhyming couplets reflecting him making it appear as if he’s in control but the enjambment symbolises that he’s nit actually in control, his mind is an insecure mess that is undeniable through the enjambment smothering any sense of order in what he’s saying
Form of my last duchess?
Dramatic monologue, answers his own questions, dominating the conversation
“Exposure” title
Exposing them to the harsh elements which took the lives of many soldiers, exposing reality of war, you didn’t always die a hero, the weather was the main predator most of the time, exposing the unprepared army letting them die from the weather
“The merciless iced east winds that knive us…” exposure
Personification shows his cruel and literally murderous it was, the sibilance represents the sounds of the wind, the ellipsis suggests it’s never ending
“Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces” exposure
Alliteration symbolises the snow seeking them out. The snow is insidious and unavoidable, it kills people off in mass numbers and can’t be fought, everyone is a victim
“But nothing happens” exposure
Boring and actionless War, it’s not what it seems
“Suddenly he awoke”first line bayonet charge
Adverb- emphasises soldiers being unprepared and the confusion felt by soldier and reader
Awoke- War is like a nightmare
“Raw” repetition in first two lines bayonet charge
Shows difficulty expressing feelings of war-vulnerability
“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air” bayonet charge
Personification-violent imagery- nature is the victim and is under attack
“Patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest” bayonet charge
Simile, original patriotism turned to fear and panic. Centre of chest emphasises deep pure fear
In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations was he the hand pointing that second?” bayonet charge
“He” god? Does he want this for them? Stars- navigation, feel lost. Astrology- was this war destined? Nations-insignificance to authority. Cold clockwork- soldiers just a cog in a machine. Rhetorical question- pointlessness
“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera” bayonet charge
Criticises patriotic value, meaningless motivation, not worth listing. Means little or nothing when facing the heat of war
“His terror’s touchy dynamite” bayonet charge
Alliteration, metaphor showing fear of own ability to hurt people and become a killing machine
Why repetition of similes in bayonet charge?
6 similes shows war has to be compared to something else as it’s impossible to describe with words the sheer horror
Ted Hughes-bayonet charge context?
Dad in WW1
Liked animals and nature, lived in countryside
Liked astrology
Admired Wilfred Owen
Enjambment and seizura in bayonet charge?
Enjambment has disjointing effect, especially between verses. Mirroring soldiers chaos. Seizura twice in verse 2 allows the reader to stop and think
“My” My last duchess
Repetition of pronoun tells us he’s self obsessed and sees his ex wife as an object he owned, shows us his domestic power
“Fra Pandolf” My last duchess
“Fra” means brother(religious figure/monk) poet suggests they weren’t romantically involved at all, showing the Duke is just paranoid. Duke suggests they were flirting.
“(Since none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I)” my last duchess
Curtain represents the power he had over her while she was alive and also emphasise the fact that he still has an urge to keep her to himself and take control even when she’s dead. He’s insecure about her even when she’s dead.
“I” My last duchess
Shows he’s self obsessed and the Envoy never speaks, telling us he’s dominant in the conversation and he has a condescending, selfish nature
“Her looks went everywhere” my last duchess
Believes his wife’s opinion reflects him, shows weakness in dependency on his wife’s admiration. Jealous, paranoid. Insecurity is shown perhaps not power
“Which I have not” My last duchess
Duke claiming he couldn’t have sorted it out with her because he didn’t have speech skills, however, he’s able to provide this whole argument. He’s an unreliable narrator
“Will’t please you rise?” My last duchess
Framed as questions, but they were demands. Fact the Envoy’s stood shows he literally is lower in social standards and the Duke is a controlling superior
“Notice Neptune, though, Taming a sea horse, thought a rarity” my last duchess
Symbolises what he feels is the males’ role- taming women
My last Duchess structure- rhyming couplets, one long verse, enjambment
Rhyming couplets- tight control of syllables per line reflects tight control over duchess
One long verse- reflects his overpowering speech. Like a rant. Overwhelming character
Enjambment- smothers rhyme, reflects lack of actual control of emotions. Shown through him blurting about the murder
“Suddenly he awoke” bayonet charge
“Suddenly” emphasises confusion felt by soldiers and how unprepared they are. “Awoke”- War is like a nightmare and disconnects soldiers to reality. Repetition of “raw” in first two lines suggests difficulty in expressing emotion. Could also show vulnerability
“Bullets smacking the belly out of the air” bayonet charge
Violent imagery, personification suggests attack on nature and portraying nature as the victim. War has several detrimental effects
“The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye sweating like molten iron” bayonet charge
Simile tells us original patriotism has turned to fear and panic. Father in world war 1 suggests he’s telling us War isn’t worth the patriotism
“In what cold clockwork of the stars and the nations was he the hand pointing that second?” Bayonet charge
Rhetorical q shows pointlessness of war. “He”tells us he could be asking god why this is happening to them. Alliteration “cold clockwork” suggests soldiers are a cog in a machine and not treated like humans. “Stars” could suggest they are lost physically or mentally as they are used for navigation, could be linked to astrology because Ted Hughes was fascinated. “Nations” shows perceived insignificance to authority
“King, honour, human dignity, etcetera”bayonet charge
Criticises patriotic value of war, any reason to go to war means little or nothing when facing the heat of it. Motivation isn’t even worth listing
“His terror’s touchy dynamite” bayonet charge
Metaphor represents the fear of their own ability to harm people and become and killing machine
Bayonet charge structure
Enjambment has a disjointing effect, mirroring the soldier’s chaos
Seizures twice in second verse forces reader to stop and think. Makes it hard to read and understand, reflecting feelings of the soldier
Constant motif of sunlight- the emigree
Used to describe her childhood memories, suggesting happiness due to it bringing a sense of belonging. The idea of a white-ish sunlight tells us of the innocence of these memories, romanticising the reality of what she saw
“It may be at war, it may be sick with tyrants, but I am branded with an impression of sunlight” the emigree
Model conditional verb “may” coveys what she knows to be true but she’s reluctant to admit to herself or change her perception of her sunlight city. Describing the city as “sick” shows a mothering instinct to cafe for this place. “Branded” is quite aggressive, and shows belonging to the city no matter what war is going on
“That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar. Soon shall I have every molecule of it” The emigree
The simile “like a hollow doll” suggests Russian dolls, a children’s toy, this could mean the language she knows from when she was a child is underdeveloped. The adjective “hollow suggests the shallowness of the language as there is no depth and maturity applied to it as she hasn’t heard it when she was older. “Coloured” idea suggests the language being something beautiful, creative and valuable. The word “molecule”shows minuscule breadth of knowledge
Emigree structure
3 even stanzas full stopped. This gives us the impression of story telling as it’s easy to read and gradually fills in blanks of memories. Basic vocabulary, very visual, reflecting child like way
“It’s usual home” the prelude
At the beginning, he has power over where things belong. He can disturb nature and recognises it is wrong but takes joy in the dominance
“Small circles glittering idly in the moon” the prelude
His actions create beauty
“Proud of his skill” “with an unswerving line” the prelude
Very arrogant, juxtaposed later on in the poem. Shows he can use and abuse nature and manipulate it however he likes, he believes he can row perfectly in line. Boastful- takes pride in his ability
“Elfin pinnace” extract from the prelude
Metaphor of ‘Fairy boat’ makes the scene seem magical and shows his man made effects of the boat make it more beautiful.
“Lustily I dipped my oars into the silent lake” the prelude
The lake being “silent” represents the nature’s submissive nature to mankind. Nature has to allow human to enthusiastically take control
“Like a swan” the prelude
Simile, showing he’s just as good as nature and swans can be aggressive and powerful but also majestic. This is why nature comes to put him in his place
“A huge peak, black and huge” the prelude
“Black” mysterious and evil connotations. Repetition of “huge”depicts him as small in comparison and helpless. He has been overpowered instantly by nature, repetition can emphasise the awe
“As if with voluntary power instinct, upreared it’s head” the prelude
Shows man needs to be more humble “voluntary instinct” oxymoron shows that nature is always more powerful but can also choose to prove itself dominant
“Towered up between me and the stars” the prelude
“Towered” shows it’s threatening. “Stars” can be a mean for guidance or metaphor for God, telling us the power of the mountain males him feel like a confused lost child
“With trembling oars I turned” the prelude
Shows the impact of nature on humans, they’re helpless. Juxtaposes the “unswerving line” now he’s struggling to get away due to anxiety. Confidence turned into scarring experience
“Measured motion” the prelude
Alliteration amplifies that the mountain is calm and collected and can effortlessly overpower
“In grave and serious mood”the prelude
Grave may mean serious but could be used to as a reminder of human’s mortality whilst nature is forever- explored human emotions after the experience.
“There hung a darkness, call it solitude”the prelude
Dark emotions lured over him, carries the traumatic stress with him still
“A trouble to my dreams” the prelude
Describing the event as a nightmare and suggesting he’s unsettled and it’s affecting his sleep/normal human function
Remains context
Based on soldier that had ptsd from war
Remains structure
Begins mid action “on another occasion we get sent out” catches the reader off guard and unprepared, mirroring the soldiers uncertainty they face every day. Stanzas show chaotic
“Well myself and somebody else and somebody else” remains
Repetition emphasises that he wants guilt to be diffused among more than just him to relieve the guilt he feels
“Sort of inside out” remains
Deliberately vague to show he’s reluctant to remember what happened due to guilt
“His bloody life in my bloody hands” remains
“My”= responsibility. Ends in a state of despair. Literally covered in blood but also a word used to express anger
“Dream and he’s torn apart by a dozen rounds and the drink and the drugs won’t flush him out” remains
Lost control and using substance abuse to numb the pain of reliving what happened. Trapped in this guilty mindset and desperate to find a way out
Metaphors for life “maps” “buildings” “well used books””layer over layer” tissue
How far we are through our “books”, “buildings” have foundations to eventually reach a full height. Buildings eventually crumble and our lives are only temporary. “Maps” are a metaphor for our journey of life. Idea of layers means thus all makes up our identity. Represents power and the need for humans to document their lives
Fragility “smoothed and stroked” “thinned” “fall away on a sigh” tissue
Semantic field suggests conflict because we want thus power but we are fragile in reality. “Paid by credit card/ fly our lives away away like paper kites” this shows consumerism taking over our lives and has the power over us. Paper kite is flimsy and is controlled by the nature and has no control
Semantic field of light “light shines through” “sun shines through” “transparent” “daylight breaks” tissue
Poet us telling us to live our lives. Idea of all this paper “papers let the light shine through” allows us to live our lives
Structure in tissue?
Lack of rhyme and rhythm. Lots of enjambment reflects real life, nothing fits together perfectly. Shows our life flows naturally
Ozymandias intent in writing the poem and context?
A critique of king George the third, ramases the second or positions of power in general. Poet shows that art lasts and power doesn’t (romantic writer). Uses both Shakespearean style sonnet and Petrarchan(Italian) to reflect that power isn’t eternal and is always changing.
“I met a traveller” ozymandias
Immediately distances himself from the poem as he doesn’t want people to know he’s directly attacking/criticising. The poet was expelled from a prestigious university as he wrote in favour of atheism.
“Sunk” “shattered” “frown” “wrinkled” “sneer” ozymandias
Plethora of negative language tells us this is an attack on power and shows his views on power. Expresses dislike for attitudes of powerful people
“Cold command” ozymandias
Harsh alliteration reflects is aggressive, reflecting the mood and tone of the poem
“Boundless and bare” “the lone and level sands stretch far away” ozymandias
Emphasises emptiness in power and lack of support this powerful figure has now. Nature outlives them- they aren’t invincible
“Mocked” ozymandias
Double meaning, artist could be creating or making fun of the pharaoh when highlighting his bad features and qualities. Reflects ignorance of the powerful as the pharaoh doesn’t understand this and it represents what the poet is doing as well.
“King of Kings” ozymandias
A title previously given to Jesus shows it’s a religious critique
COTLB intent
Intent could be to support patriotism and bravery of the soldiers or a critique of the upper class(his engagement at one point was forbidden due to his poverty). It was written as a ballad, this suggests it has a meaningful message they want to be passed down to future generations.
COTLB use of dactylic dimeter
Tennyson uses this in order to allow to audience to feel present with them. The dactylic dimeter can reflect the sounds of the horses hooves beating. “Someone had blundered” is the only line that doesn’t follow thus rhythm and thus brings attention to it. He was appointed Poet Laurette in 1850, therefore he needed to be subtle about showing his disgust with the tragedy this actually was.
“Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why there’s but to do and die” COTLB
shows English value in blind obedience but Tennyson questions this. The leaders in war paid to be in that position and had no experience but the soldiers weren’t in a place to question.
“Wondered” COTLB
“Wondered” can suggest the world being in awe- positive. Or to question- negative. “Won” is positive and the phonetic link “ered” can be likened to the word error. This is repeated in “thundered” “shattered” “sundered” “blundered”.
War photographer structure and intent?
Written to highlight the ignorance and impassivity of the British public to matters what don’t directly affect them.
4 stanzas, each 6 lines, this reflects 4x6 photograph so the vivid imagery of suffering is captured into a photograph
Cyclical as he takes off to another country at the end of the poem
War photographer context?
Duffy’s friend was a war photographer and they spoke of feeling powerless as when they fought they had bright yellow media jackets and had to watch people being hurt whilst being protected themselves
“Solutions stopping in trays” war photographer
“solutions” are how he is developing his pictures, but also could represent that by seeing his photos, the problem of war would be solved.
“Spools of suffering set out in ordered rows” war photographer
metaphor, physical and emotional suffering. “Ordered rows” gravestones, mass death. Normality of Britain, organised.“Spools” endlessness, reels and reels, used as juxtaposition to the “ordered”“ Britain, Brits will never understand, spools juxtapose “in which his editor then picks out five or six” .“black and white agonies” is similar also
“All flesh is grass” death and destruction everywhere, carnage. Grass is a normal experience, very common. In war-torn countries seeing bits of body all over the place is normal. “Flesh” you can’t tear flesh apart without dying, flesh is worse than blood. intensifier “All” no one is safe. It’s a quote from the bible that means “all life is temporary.”
“The reader’s eyes prick with tears between the bath and the pre-lunch beers” war photographer
Internal rhyme, links the tears and beers, makes them getting over it seem really quick. Split second of emotions, forgotten instantly for first world luxuries. “Prick” the slightest bit of pain, more uncomfortable than painful.
Kamikaze context?
In WW2 Japanese soldiers were honoured through suicide missions, diving into enemy warships, ultimately killing the enemy as well as themselves. The poem consists of 4 generations: the mother tells her children of the story of her father and grandfather. The poem is used to reflect the enormous social pressure felt by soldiers sent on kamikaze
Kamikaze structure?
Structure is very tight and controlled, 6 lines in each stance. This could reflect the tight control the military and social pressure had on the soldiers. However, it has free verse and enjambment, suggesting the freedom the kamikaze soldier wanted to have and to contradict the tight policies in general
Positive imagery “embarked at sunrise” “land of the rising sun” “strung out like bunting” kamikaze
Could suggest the narrators love for their home and the power they felt they had. Bunting describes his dad’s fisher boats, this suggests what he’ll do will be celebrated and honoured
“dark shoals of fishes flashing silver as their beliefs swivelled towards the sun” kamikaze
creates a hissing sound through the tone. This reflects the energy and smooth movements of the fish which as a result reflects the natural wonder of the fish and nature in general. This also suggests that he doesn’t want to deprive himself or others of this beauty by crashing the plane. He’s having doubts. The sibilance is eerie
“arching in swathes like a huge flag” kamikaze
proposes the idea that the soldier is almost brainwashed to see everything the way the military sees things. Shows guilt he starts to feel. This becomes less and less throughout as he feels he should turn back and abort the mission despite the social consequences that may have on him.
“his brothers waiting on the shore built cairns of pearl-grey pebbles” kamikaze
In particular the use of “cairns” is a way of saying ‘pile of stones’ which is another way of talking about a grave. This imagery of death is reminding the pilot of what is at stake, it’s starting to scare him and it’s obstructing his view of every day things
Metaphor “a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous.” Kamikaze
creates an intense, threatening and powerful image. The first full stop of the whole poem occurs here, which represents the significance of this line and what the poet is trying to tell us. This also causes the reader to pause and think of why the tuna is being described as more powerful than the pilot himself. This could be linking back to the mission that he never managed to complete. It also is the realisation that human life is so minute and unimportant when contrasted with the vast array of nature and the strength of the power.
“my mother never spoke again” kamikaze
Suggests conflict her mother is feeling and she finds it difficult to express how she feels or comfort him. She may feel disappointed and let down. Proves how harsh the expectations were
Poppies context?
Based on a mother seeing her son go off the war. The dramatic monologue only focuses on her perspective, highlighting the importance of the people left behind when soldiers go off to war
Poppies structure?
This poem is a free verse. The fact that it is not ordered, reflects the chaos that would have been going on in the heads of the families of the soldiers. The uncertainty of what would have been happening to their children, husbands and other family members would have driven them to insanity. It is uncontrolled as is a scene of war, and not only does it represent the psychological effects but it also may suggest the actual scene of a war zone during WW1, it would have been complete destruction.
“spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade” poppies
Represents her pain. comparing her pain to her sons, this could insinuate that this is her way of feeling closer to him. In particular the word “spasms” represents pain. It suggests a lot of power and the idea that the power of her suffering is taking over her. The word “blockade” is an old word used in war zones. It means to isolate and block off the place of troops. This reinforces the idea that she’s comparing herself to her sons pain, she’s making herself close to him for comfort
“A yellow bias” poppies
pinning a poppy into her sons blazer. This action is usually something you do when you lose someone in the war, this suggests that she is already convinced of his death.
“I wanted to graze my nose across the tip of your nose” poppies
Shows her desire for her son again and that it physically hurts her to miss him. graze” is a word you use for a wound, when someone is hurt. It makes the reader think of something literally hurting themselves rather than a sign of affection. However there is contrasting vocabulary here. The word “graze” is implying suffering and wounds but the phrase “tip of your nose” is delicate and gentle, it’s showing a sign of love.
“I was brave” poppies
Poet wants to make it known and accepted that the families hurt is just as important. You’d expect to hear it from the son so it intrigues the reader
“The world overflowing like a treasure chest” poppies
Can represent the sons lack of awareness for the danger of war. He sees it as opportunity which upsets her. The caesura splits it and suggests the moment her heart breaks for him
Exposure context?
Wilfred Owen depicts his first hand experience of WW1. He was caught in a stake mate in freezing weather and the poem is used as propaganda. He was hospitalised in 1915 due to PTSD
Exposure structure?
Neat stanzas can reflect a right, respectful military style. However, this is overridden by the half-rhyme, which symbolises the chaos and lack of actual order
End of each stanza left with a rhetorical question or “But nothing happens” exposure
These both emphasise the idea of confusion, that nobody really knows what is going on. There are also examples of broken sentences and uses of ellipsis which could imply that something has been left un- said or in completed. This could suggest that the trauma was so bad for Owen that he can’t talk about it, and he has to stop.
“Our brains ache”exposure
Particularly powerful as it represents physical as well as psychological consistent pain people felt, especially with PTSD. It also portrays the indescribable boredom which in some ways was the worst aspect of it
“Merciless iced winds knive us” exposure
Personification is an example of hyperbole to explore theme of nature vs man. “Merciless”suggests nature over powers man and man is weak and helpless. “Knive” is aggressive
Semantic field of negativity in stanza 3 “the poignant dawn of misery begins to grow”
Shows how miserable he feels to be alive in another day of war. His depression and worsening mental health is growing as he feels disappointed to see another day
Semantic field of negativity in stanza 3 “war lasts, rain soaks and cloud sag stormy”
This is a rule of 3 and an example of pathetic fallacy. It also represents time and how long the days would have been. This also shows that the soldiers have had all that they can take. Sibilance is a harsh sound, representing eeriness of war
“dawn missing in the east her melancholy army” exposure
Each new dawn personified and seen as the bigger enemy than the soldiers. Shows how they are helplessly fighting the weather. The word “melancholy” means being tired, sad and not fighting fit. This is a reflection of how the soldiers would feel.
Storm on the island context?
Written by Seamus Heaney, the poem details a storm as a metaphor for the troubles in Ireland at the time, the IRA
Storm on the island structure?
The tone of the poem is very confident and secure at first, changing around line 11, to when nature takes control and the people are terrified
“We are prepared. We build our houses squat” storm on the island
is in iambic pentameter, to convey the villagers’ security and control in advance of nature’s attack. I think the 10 syllable line reflects the sturdy, strong structure of their houses. The use of a caesura causes two short sentences, which makes the claim of preparedness seem quite factual, as if there is no argument.
What to contrast with London?
Checking out me history, both express dislike for authority
Comparing remains and war photographer?
Remains “end of story except not really” and war photographer uses enjambment in “his hands which did not tremble then/ though see, to now” shows agreement in bringing psychological effects of war back with them PTSD is larger than the pain in war. The pain does end in war, it begins with the PTSD , represented in the fact his hands never trembled before
“Dem tell me” checking out me history
Repetition at the beginning of the poem portrays his attitude towards authority/media/white history and his dislike for being forced to listen to them and his mistrust in what they say. The colloquial language “dem” shows he’s refusing to conform to anyone else’s expectations and that he’s unapologetically himself. He’s proving a point and proud of his identity.
Repetition “de” checking out me history
instead of “the” reinforces his own cultural dialect and the phonetic spelling brings forth his accent, making it obvious and the poet wants it to be noticed. This is used when referencing a nursery rhyme, even children’s stories are held in higher regard than stories of black culture, this highlights the extent of cultural ignorance.
“Light” “beacon” “fire-woman” checking out me history
Poet uses light imagery to represent black heroes. This semantic field portrays a hope for a brighter future of black cutlture and a desire for more recognition of their light, truth and inspiration.
Checking out me history structure?
Has an alternating structure. At the beginning repetition of dem tell me represents white history. These stanzas are written mostly in couplets, quadrants or triplets.
The stanzas focusing on black history are shown through italics and have abbreviated syntax, shorter lines and irregular rhyme scheme.
Checking out me history context?
Poet was born in the Caribbean and moved to the UK in the 1970s.
The British colonised many countries and surpressed their culture and languages, disapproval is expressed towards this concept in the poem
War photographer negative imagery?
“Dark room””red light” connotes blood, danger and threat
Poppies suffering imagery
“Sellotape bandaged around my hand” uses imagery of wounds in normal every day activities- tells us suffering is constant and can’t be avoided
War photographer cyclical structure?
Tells us suffering is on going and isn’t something that just stops- scarring
Form poppies
Dramatic monologue means we never hear from the real soldier, represents the fact he is never there and she is lonely and deep within her thoughts
Comparing storm on the island and the prelude?
First underestimate nature
“We are prepared. We build our houses squat.”
“Like one who rows, proud of his skill. To reach a chosen point in an u swerving line”
Nature takes over
“Spits like a tame cat turned savage” “exploding comfortably” “pummels your house too”
“A huge peak, black and huge as if with voluntary power instinct”
Kamikaze and Bayonet charge comparison?
Doubting why they’re at war:
“King, honour, human dignity etcetera”
“He must’ve looked far down at the little fishing boats”
Pressure of war:
“The patriotic tear that had brimmed in his eye”
“Like a huge flag waved one way”
Both poems have no real rhyme scheme
Comparison exposure and COTLB?
Filtered and unfiltered:
Exposure- personal experience he was at the front line (to expose reality of war with no influence from the media or propaganda)
“Merciless iced east winds that knife us” victimised by nature, lack of action for, the supposed enemy
“Our brains ache”
COTLB-for a newspaper - elegy (to show glory and patriotism)
“Half a league, half a league, half a league onward” they’re attacking, repetition shows involvement, patriotism and action
“Thundered” “shattered” “sundered” “volleyed” dynamic verbs
Poppies “I resisted the impulse to run my fingers through the gelled black thorns of your hair”
Has to refrain from showing affection or hurt- to stay strong for him. Hurts her to love him still even after he may have died
Poppies “all my words, flattened, rolled turned into felt”
Semantic field of textures- owned a textiles company (poet). Shows her words weren’t powerful enough to stop him going. She maybe feels ignored by him or wished she could have stopped him. PO3
