Condensed Flashcards
Remains
F - Irregular Stanza Length, Blunt - to the point. Reflects soldiers’ turmoil. Prior to reading, we feel uncomfortable - foreshadows the mental and physical pain within the lines.
O- ‘‘On another occasion’’, we are unaware, on the backfoot immediately. mirrors chaos of war left in the dark Explore ‘‘another’’ –> happened more than once? ‘‘occasion’’ memorable
S- Repetition of ‘‘probably armed, possibly not’’, the start and end –> cyclical, pain is inescapable? Syntax –> Harrowing notion that he fired without needing to, adds to his guilt
S- Colloquial Language, ‘‘tosses his guts’’ into ‘‘back of the lorry’’ ‘‘tosses’’ ‘‘lorry’’ bin men? disrespect for human life. Juxtaposition between tone and description - numb to pain.
E- ‘‘his bloody life in my bloody hands’’ plosive sounds - harsh, angry end his own life? escaping the trauma can’t live with PTSD memory of blood, or the soldiers own blood?
Bayonet Charge
F - orderly, regular length stanza. war is often hidden beneath the surface, when we read we see the horrors. encourages us to look deeper
O - ‘‘Suddenly he awoke and he was running - raw’’ ‘‘suddenly’’ soldiers aren’t prepared ‘‘awoke’’ asleep before? realises the horrors of war? ‘‘raw’’ unprepared food. dangerous to eat –> metaphor for the soldiers reader is unprepared, like the soldier, thrown into action
S- enjambment chaos and disorder overwhelming urge to communicate
S - ‘‘cold clockwork’’ of the ‘‘stars’’ and ‘‘nations’’ Hughes obsessed with astrology, –> is it fate for all soldiers to die? ‘‘Clockwork’’, soldiers are simply a cog in the machine that is war
E- ‘‘terrors touchy dynamite’’ soldier about to explode, erupt from the burden of war and the effects of PTSD. inevitable - either he dies in war, erupting, or the PTSD kills him slowly mentally.
War Photographer
F - Very ordered , equal stanza length. War Photos capture horror in ordered photo - 6’’ x 4’’, photo size Trapped emotions in rigid structure for photographer. disrupts the rhyming couplet, we should feel unsettled
O - ‘‘in his dark room, he is finally alone’’. wants to be isolated - relief. –> pushed everyone away, no one understands
S - very tight ordered - juxtaposes chaotic theme. emotionally numb photographer? contrast shows the pressure of his job, but also the pressure of wanting to help
S - ‘‘spools of suffering’’ set out in ‘‘ordered rows’’. sinister sibilance, –> dark moral purpose ordered rows alludes to cemetary, death of soldiers - trauma causes mental turmoil and guilt for the photographer –> ‘‘like a Priest preparing to intone a Mass’’ is an ironic simile, they’ve been robbed of this eternal life, war is an anti christian thing.
E- Duffy’s criticism of the general public’s ignorance and inability to understand the complexity of war. ‘‘living’’ irony ‘‘they’’ ignorant public ‘‘earns his living and they do not care’’ attempts to highlight horrors of war are futile - ‘‘they’’ ambiguity
Poppies
F - dramatic monologue, no listener, dead son? coping mechanism, or madness. isolation.
O - integration of war and domestic vocab ‘‘spasms of red’’ disrupting a ‘‘blockade’’ mental block, quickly disrupted spasms, involuntary, no control - mother’s life is dictated by the conflict
S- free verse, chaos, unorganised stanza length varies, lack of control of fate. son is free, out of house or out of the life? explore.
S- metaphor, ‘‘hill I traced’’ struggle, faced the same path her son did
E- ‘‘listening, hoping to hear your playground voice’’ caesura - holding back tears, or pausing to listen? ‘‘hoping’’ idealised views rather than realistic sympathy
Exposure
F - ABBAC structure, mirrors repetitiveness of the war. Reflects momentum building up, only for ‘‘nothing to happen’’ Aren’t always in battle - they wait in anticipation, grueling conditions wittle away at them Breaks the stereotypical, glorified view of war
O - Highlights the poor conditions that they endure ‘‘brains aches’’ –> psychological pain, ‘‘ache’’ dull prolonged, intense emotional stress - fracturing of mind ‘‘merciless iced winds’’ that ‘‘knive us’’. doesn’t undermine physical torture, heightens power of nature, external factors worsen their suffering. ‘‘knive’’ cuts through the soldiers numbers
S - Pararhyme ‘‘knive us / nervous’’ fragility, reflects fear and adds disjointed atmosphere. Hardly holds rhyme scheme together, echoes vulnerability of the troops.
S- Hopelessness ‘‘poignant misery of dawn’’ –> oxymoron, ‘‘misery’’ and ‘‘dawn’’, dawn is supposed to be hopeful but it just indicates another day of violence ‘‘Dawn massing’’ –> massing is a group of people, new dawn brings more death. Inevitability of dawn, mirrors death.
E - ‘‘all their eyes are iced’’ ‘‘but Nothing happens’’ cold adjective, snow, frostbite killed them. emotionally broken from all the death –> PTSD ‘‘But Nothing Happens’’, despite all death nothing will ever change
Charge of the Light Brigade
F- Ballad glorifies the soldier, tells stories that should never be forgotten. We should never forget the bravery of these soldiers. Passed from gen to gen, propaganda, heroes patriotism etcc. Alternatively, we shouldn’t forget the blunder of leadership, has to be discrete as Tennyson was poet laureate. subliminal criticism.
O - repetitiveness ‘‘half a league’’ ‘‘valley of death’’ Thrown into the middle of action, mirrors soldiers’ confusion, blindly following orders. ‘‘valley’’ –> entrapment, no hope? Alternatively, trapped in patriotic attitudes, leading to ‘‘Death’’. BRAINWASHED
S- Dactylic Dimeter, galloping of horses –> reflects battle, unity, adds pace. Patriotic message Immerses us, impossible for soldiers to turn back due to momentum. Subtle satirical effect ‘‘someone had blundered’’ doesnt follow –> subtly highlights his disgust at the mistake and tragic consequences
S- Anaphora -> ‘‘Theirs not to reason why… do and die’’. Inevitable –> ‘‘and’’ Suggests it is us should ‘‘reason why’’, question the aristocracy
E- Glorifys them, held up as heroes ‘‘Honour the.. noble sixhundred’’. Imperative, orders us like he was ordered to write this poem. Pays tribute, sympathy. Result of the miscommunication, encourages us to honour the soldiers, not the leaders.
Ozymandias
F - establishs his own control/individuality Petrarchan Sonnet (octave + sestet) Shakespearian Sonnet (ABAB rhyme scheme) Creates his own form of sonnet –> aligns himself with Ozymandias, wants his legacy We worry that Shelley shares dictatorial qualities
O - ‘‘met a traveller from antique land who said’’ Detachs himself, not an open criticsm ‘‘antique’’ links back to the royal family and the monarchy. implies fragility, criticism of George III. Similarly, Ozymandias’ power fades with time ‘‘antique’’ –> is the same happening to the Monarchy?
S- littered with enjambment and caesura caesura controls how we read same way ozymandias controlled his subjects. Enjambment reflects chaos - Ozymandias’ power was short-lived –> perhaps after his death, chaos reigned. Shelley supporting dictators implcaiton again Although, he may be saying that, despite Ozymandias’ control, chaos still reigned
S- ‘‘King of Kings’’ –> allusion to Jesus in the bible. Juxtaposition of kindness and tyranny –> warning of the consequences for dictators / those who abuse power? HELL
E- ‘‘look on my works, ye Mighty’’ ‘‘mighty’’ –> Shakespeare and Petrarch – power should fade with time as it did for these poets since they died however, the royal dies, their power is passed onto the heir this unlimited power is criticised - goes against the natural order
My Last Duchess
F - dramatic monologue, one-sided Duke is in control –> we dont hear the Duchess. Victorian Women are silenced? Criticism of Patriarchal Society Duke is alone - his actions have isolated him. Isolation and consequence is dismantled as he goes to marry again Men do not pay the consequences for their actions
O - ‘‘thats my last Duchess painted on the wall’’ The possessive pronoun ‘‘my’’’ fits this Patriarchal society, even in death ‘‘as if she were alive’’ –> ambigious –> dead or life-like? Dark humour - uses her death to entertain his guest. Highlights callousness, disregard for life and lack of emphathy. Representation for controlling men –> portraying him as evil, calls for societal change
S - Enjambment flows –> conversational tone unable to control himself - irony juxtaposes caesura 1 long overwhelming stanza reflects the Duke’s true nature Men think they have control - Browning suggests that beneath the surface they lack control
S- ‘‘gave commands / Then all smiles stopped’’ sibilance –> sinister tone, ambiguity ‘‘commands’’ control, disposed of Duchess without any consequences Stands up for women
E - Alludes to God ‘‘notice Neptune who is taming a sea-horse’’ Neptune was Roman God of Ocean. Is the Duke comparing himself to a God? Metaphor, Duke tames the ‘‘Duchess’’ who was out of control. DEHUMANISATION
Tissue
F - Free Verse - no rhthymn we lack control –> futility of trying to gain power her poem, that may go down in history, cannot be bound into regular stanzas –> history cannot be controlled Her message could live on and go down in history - she has no power.
O - ‘‘paper that lets the shrine through could alter things’’ –> religious connotations and encourages teachings of God thin paper, religious books, metaphorically brings God’s ‘‘light’’ BELIEVE IN HIS POWER metaphor –> has the decline in religion caused these problems in society?
S- ongoing atmosphere ‘‘Build again with brick / Or Block’’. Emphasises ‘‘Block’’ –> connotations of neglection. ‘‘block’’ what? God, nature –> futility History / The Past holds us back, a mental block Two word sentence ‘‘maps too’’ mans desire to control nature Landscape changes though - men have to change to accommodate futility
S - ‘‘fly our lives like paper kites’’ lack of control we have –> reliant on nature, the wind ‘‘paper’’ light weight, we should live free and light hearted ‘‘fly’’ freedom –> childlike or even religious connotations Break away from the past, create our own world, full of joy
E - one sentence stanza challenge the past ‘‘paper… / turned into your skin’’ direct address, should we act like our skin is ‘‘transparent’’ –> look past skin color as underneath we are one and the same. Dharker –> Pakistani in Scotland may have experienced racism religious displacement the past has built up stereotypes and caused discrimination –> lets break away
London
F- Reptitive Quartrains –> ABAB rhyme scheme, repetive nature of their lives. Blake wrote this during a tiem of poverty, quatrains reflect the rentless suffering, inescapable as those in power refuse to take action. Suffering repeats, cyclical nature –> Blake seeks to end this
O - ‘‘I wander through each chartered street’’ –> ‘‘chartered’’ Londoners are controlled by those in power, even the ‘‘street’’ they live on is corrupted by the aristocracy. ‘‘Chartered’’ –> granted permission / issued. The existence of ordinary people has been permitted –> inferior
S - enjambment, chaos lack of control, ironic due to lack of freedom. Overwhelming urge to communicate –> must act quickly. Will BLake be silenced by those he has criticised?
S - ‘‘Every blackning church appals’’ calls out church’s hypocrisy, links to Blake’s dislike of established religion. ‘‘Blackning’’ –> soot, death, loss, innocence. Middle ages, links to authority. Adjective inter.
Verb int. continuous corruption of organised religion, abuse of power
Those in authority are to blame these deaths of children. Juxtaposition of Christian values and the churchs’ sins
depending on Q;
'’mind-forged manacles’’ –> manacles connotes entrapment. people are trapped in this system, trapped in poverty and pain. mind-forged implies that these prisons are self-made, he may be encouraging a revolution, to break free of these manacles and stop placing limitations on ourselves.
'’marks of weakness, marks of woe’’ these marks symbolic of the metaphorical scars left by the oppressive system. semantic field of suffering, note that this part breaks the iambic tetrameter, showing how the inhabitants are mentally and physically broken by the government’s abuse
E - ‘‘blights with plagues the marriage hearse’’, oxymoron. harlot has destroyed the marriage? Blame is put onto the prostitute, whilst it was the man’s choice. He therefore shows those who misuse power wont face consequences
'’youthful’ direct criticism of the conditions for young, working-class women who often had to resort to prostituion
Ends with the birth of new sufferers, creates a cyclical structure
Checking out me History
F - Oral Poetry passed down from generation to generation, desired effect. Doesn’t want those in power to escape his message, or escape the power of his culture. Importance of black history is emphasised
o - ‘‘Dem tell me Wha dem want to tell me’’ –> sense of refusal, lack fo standard dialect is intentional –> he opposes them by naming them in his own way. ‘‘want’’ –> they’ve hidden key parts of his history, abbreviated syntax mirrors how he has lost out
S - Rhymes build up, climax at the end to emphasize the importance of black historical figures. Enjambment of compound sentences forces white and black history together, he wants unity. Or, he has control over them now? No punctuation –> poem never stops. Black culture is everlasting or racism will never fully be stopped? He will fight it( symbolic in his message)
S- ‘‘healing star’’ –> Mary Seacole
He wants to be like Seacole, guiding people. ‘‘Star’’ –> biblica connotations, enlightens the reader. Greek Myths –> stars and consetllations were bodies of historical figures. Seacole beacon of hope forblack culture
E - ‘‘carving out’’ his ‘‘identity’’.
'’carving’’ –> sculpting, implying thath is identity is a piece of art.
beauty, permanence etc.
Violence –> will fight back
Kamikaze
FORM
7 stanzas, 6 lines. Tight control of military, cultural expectations. Heightens the severity of his deicison. Represents fate, his life decided for him. Lack fo freedom mirrored in tight structure
OPENING
encourages hope for those suffering
her father embarks ‘‘at sunrise’’ –> symbolizes Hope. But, Hope that he returns? No. Kamikaze Pilots –> hope that he would follow through for the sake of reputation. Patriotism - land of the rising sun. Garland highlights the cruelty of this conflict
’'’powerful incantations’’ –> spell, brainwashed by japanese government (propaganda)
STRUCTURE
enjambment + free verse, mirrors how little control people have during conflict. Opposes regular stanza length, opposing structural points reflects the inner turmoil (thoughts vs duty). Psycholoigcal impact of conflict, pressure of duties. Both have dire consequences.
SOAPAIMS
criticism of societal pressure ‘‘gradually learned’’ to accept the exile of her father. wasnt easy –> forced these attitudes into palce. ‘‘learned’’, unnatural have to be forced overe time. Conflict has negative effects and puts them under unnecessary scrutiny
ENDING
declarative sentence, isolation is permanent and extreme
’’ he must have wondered which had been the better way to die’’
being ostrasized was just as bad as death? conflict changes the way we behave ‘‘no longer the father’’ they ‘‘loved - although he hadn’t changed. perspective had been influenced by military and cultural expectations. As a modern reader, we truly begin to resent patriotism + conflict
The Emigree
FORM
regular stanza lengths, pre-decided fate.
driven out of her home country, no control over what happened to her ‘‘child’’. drastic changes that conflict has brought –> last stanza is longer, undying love and her unwillingness to let go.
Rumens says dont elt conflict dictate your lives
OPENING
'’sunlight-clear’’ ‘‘memory’’ of the country ‘‘there once was’’
'’once’’ –> past, memory forgotten, memories idealised.
natural imagery, ‘‘sunlight’’ clear –> hope? conflict cant tear away her memories
Syntax places ‘‘memory’’ before ‘‘seems’’ to imply the speaker’’s doubt. Is war breaking connections between country and people?
Horrific nature of war has placed a filter only remembering ‘‘sunlight memory’’ –> losing touch with country. ‘‘branded’’ by sunlight –> ownership or is the memory painful? origin of branded in Old Norse, akin to burning
STRUCTURE
enjambment adds a chaotic effect or even a conversational tone –> her pain and this conflict have become normalized. Juxtaposed by regular stanza form, at face value it’s regular however there’s pain hidden in the lives of refugees. Rumens encourages us to loo kdeeper and provide support
SOAPAIMS
can’t get her langauge ‘‘off’’ her ‘‘tongue. metaphor emphasises the distance yet she’s instinctively home. She connects to her homeland, yet insisting to use her native language isolates her. Ironic –> rises above one conflict brings another. Conflict causes separation of cultures
ENDING
severity of losses shown
clear juxtaposition of ‘‘my city’’ and ‘‘They’’
'’They’’ could personify the new city who ‘‘accuse’’ her and ‘‘circle’’ her, the conflict drove her out of her country, into a country that doesn’t want her.
'’accuse me of being dark in their free city’’ –> discrimination of immigrants, attacked for her race?
'’my city hides behind me’’ –> vulnerable, she must defend it. ‘‘my’’ is ambigious, not to name this motherland we vision our own country. However, implication is that all people from foreign country experience this same pain and sufering, whether in the form of tyranny or racism
Storm on The Island
FORM
dramatic monologue, mirrors dominance of nature. one-sided battle. opening and closing couplets, contain half-rhyme, cyclical structure, inescapable nature of the storm.
underlying impression that it doesn’t have a drastic effect and all life returns to as it was before the storm came
OPENING
states we are ‘‘prepared’’ and ‘‘we build our houses squat’’ –> ‘‘prepared’’ happened before, determined to battle it, fear doesn’t control them. element of naviety, they think they can beat nature?
inclusive pronoun ‘‘we’’ sense of community and unity, humanity together can overpower the storm
STRUCTURE
1 long, breathless stanza, chaos.
isolation of the island? barrage of information like the barrage of the storm
enjambment breaking apart sentences like the storm destroys their livelihoods
SOAPAIMS
optimism crumbles, sea becomes ‘‘company’’ and ‘‘exploding comfortably’’
oxymoron contrasts the idea of safety and fear, bravery is futile. ‘‘exploding’’ –> sudden impact, destructive, unexpected. ‘‘comfortably’’ –> danger has been normalised again undermining the power of nature
ENDING
'’huge nothing that we fear’’ –> undermines it
fear is a paradox, only scared if we let ourselves be
'’nothing’’ –> fears unknown, fears death. power of nature lies in its ability to kill us
Extract from, The Prelude
FORM
epic poem, defined hero.
boy is weak - nature is the hero. Has the power of nature enlightened Wordsworth –> lake district, embracing nature, romantic poet, against industrialization
OPENING
lured in by nature ‘‘led by her’’ to a ‘‘little boat ‘’ tied to a ‘‘willow tree’’
personification –> blaming nature and highlights its psychological power. we see the consequences of him trying to blame nature, foreshadowed by the ‘‘willow tree’’ a symbol of sadness
perhaps this an extended metaphor for mankind trying to escape the power of nature, yet he faces consequences and returns back to the ‘‘willow tree’’
STRUCTURE
1 very long stanza, mirror experience of the boy. overwhelming urge to communicate, wants to spread the message about nature’s power.
nature cant be contained
SOAPAIMS
boy’s mind begins to fracture ‘‘hung a darkness’‘ over him
hung –> darkness lingers and is unavoidable. connotations of suicide, power of nature is so drastic that the boy feels there’s no other option.
'’darkness’’ fear of the unknown, fear of death etc. we are unable to see the power of nature or he’s not able to see the world like before
ENDING
'’trouble to his dreams’’
juxtaposition conntoes nightmares, even in sleep he is unable to escape nature. ‘‘dreams’’ –> life after death, death wont even set him free
