Broken Dreams Flashcards
Context of ‘Broken Dreams’?
- Poem published following WBY’s last proposal to Maud Gonne
- WBY aged 52 years when the poem was published
- Published in 1919
- John MacBride, Maud Gonne’s estranged husband had been executed in 1916 following the Easter Rising
What are the overall message and themes of ‘Broken Dreams’? (3)
- The nature of the afterlife
- Ageing and the fear of death
- Time
- The effect on unrequited love on the perception of the above three
How does WBY describe Maud Gonne in the opening lines of ‘Broken Dreams’ and how does this affect our perception of her? (2)
“There is grey in your hair”
“young men no longer catch their breath/ When you are passing”
Both passages display MG in a negative way, which amplify her beauty in later passages (by displaying her flaws, he emphasises her past beauty)–> “passing” can be passing through time as well to show how she WAS beautiful but is no more
What is the semantic field to do with religion in ‘Broken Dreams’ and what does this illustrate? (3)
“blessing” ; “prayer”; “Heaven”
Displays how WBY was so religiously devoted to MG but now his faith has been broken
How does WBY display his unrequited and overwhelming love for MG in ‘Broken Dreams’?
“For your sole sake - that all heart’s ache have known”
Both “sole sake” and “heart’s ache” are repeated in the stanza displaying how WBY feels MG’s purpose was to be loved but not return his love, and thus be recorded in poem (link to Cat and the Moon)
“Burdensome beauty - for your sole sake”
plosive “b” and sibilant “s” sounds displays the extent of the pain felt by WBY for MG
How does WBY display MG’s change over time in ‘Broken Dreams’?
- Shift from “girlhood” in the first stanza to “womanhood” in third stanza and “last stroke of midnight” in final stanza
- “Young men no longer catch their breath/ When you are passing”- “passing” can be reference to her time passing and the passing of her life (death)
How does WBY describe his memories of MG in ‘Broken Dreams’ and what effect does this have?
“Vague memories, nothing but memories.”
REPEATED- ALWAYS END STOPPED
–> The memories have become vague meaning that his memory of her when young or old have blended (link to Among School children), leaving her as a permanent symbol of beauty despite the current “grey” in her hair
–> “nothing but memories” displays there is no forward movement for WBY from here and he has no purpose in the present or future: MG was his “sole sake” as well!
–>”memories” as an epistrophe and end stopped line displays how the memories of MG is all he has approaching the end of his life and they are the last thing he will cherish
How does WBY display his change over time and his perception of MG over time in ‘Broken Dreams’?
“But in the grave all, all, shall be renewed”
- -> displays how in the afterlife he has the chance to witness MG’s beauty in its essence again
- -> assonance “all,all,shall” displays how he cant wait for all to be rediscovered
“the fervour of my youthful eyes, / Has set me muttering like a fool”
–> displays how WBY was a “fool” for believing in the past that he had a chance with MG : “youthful” rhyme with “fool”
What does WBY claim is MG’s flaw in ‘Broken Dreams’ and what is the significance of this?
“And yet your body had a flaw/ Your small hands were not beautiful”
- -> By having an imperfection, it separates her from angels and makes her the most beautiful human (“you are more beautiful than any one”)
- -> WBY suggests she is missing something from her hand, could be implying she lacks his wedding ring (reference to Wild Swans @ Coole “broken rings”)
How does WBY display that MG is the most beautiful HUMAN (separation from angels) in ‘Broken Dreams’?
“your body had a flaw” - separates her from the perfect angels, yet leaves her human- and a beautiful human
“In that mysterious, always brimming lake […] leave unchanged/ the hands that I have kissed” - reference to the river Lethe in Greek Mythology (link to Leda & Swan) in which humans go to forget the pains of human life- WBY doesn’t want her to step out of the lake as at that point she will be in the afterlife and no longer be as comparatively beautiful
How does WBY display the end of his life in the final stanza of ‘Broken Dreams’?
“The last stroke of midnight dies/ All day in the one chair”
-Displays how it is the start of a new day and era and it is coming to the end of WBY’s life
How does WBY use romantic irony in ‘Broken Dreams’ and what is the effect of it?
“All day in the one chair/ From dream to dream and rhyme to rhyme I have ranged/ In rambling talk”
“rhyme to rhyme” and “rambling talk” display self awareness of the poem and display how all his dreams have been set out in his poem and now his memory of MG’s beauty has been eternalised in his poetry
What is the end of the poem ‘Broken Dreams’ and how does this emphasise what WBY is trying to get across?
“an image of air:/ Vague memories, nothing but memories”
–> the thin and scarce “air” of memories he has had of MG have no been imprinted and eternalised on his page- now all his image of her beauty is within the poem (link to sailing to byzant)
How does the structure of ‘Broken Dreams’ affect its message?
- The poem is broken into 5 stanzas to emphasise how the dream WBY set out on paper has literally been broken
- The varying length of the 5 stanzas coupled with enjambment and uneven line length (metre) adds to the stream of consciousness “rambling talk” feel of the poem
How does Broken Dreams link to Shakespeare’s sonnet 18?
“So long lives this and this gives life to thee”
–>As long as the poem lives on, as will you and your beauty
WBY does similar in eternalising MG’s beauty through the form of poetry
