Context Flashcards
1
Q
London Context
A
- Blake anti-establishment and opposed Catholic Church hypocrisy and oppresive nature
- Romantic poetic - believed nature was awe-inspiring - and connected to how the world was being shattered by oppresive authoritarian control
- Blake had two poetry collections “the songs of innocence” and “the songs of experience”. London laments this too with the loss of innocence in the face of corruption and devastation
2
Q
Ozymandias Context
A
- Shelley was a radical,Romantic poet. Believed in power of nature to inspire but to also invoke fear
- Shelley was anti-monarchy and pacifist. Uses Ozymandias to expose those who desire greatness and show the fickle nature like King George III
- Ozymandias’ statue (Pharaoh Ramses II) was discovered believed to be pharaoh of Moses’ Exodus, making it a topical piece of work
3
Q
Extract from, The Prelude
A
- Wordsworth Romantic poet writing the criticism of industrialism and celebrated nature’s beauty
- Wordsworth had a troubled childhood and had a detrimental impact on his mental health. The Lake District became a place where he could escape
- Wordsworth initially supported the French revolution but then lost respect of it when it became associated with violence
4
Q
My Last Dutchess
A
- Loosely based around a real Italian Nobleman, with the Dutchess in question being Lucrezia De Medicici
- Written around time of Industrial Revolution where society was highly unequal so the views offered by Browing are a more subtle criticism of society as opposed to an outright indictment
- Poem set in the Renaissance where art was highly valued, as shown by Browning’s exploration of his characters through art
5
Q
The Charge Of The Light Brigade
A
- Tennyson has a miserable childhood but made Poet Laureate, which bound him into not making criticisms of British aristocracy and glorifying British War effort
- Poem based on the Battle of Balaclava on 25th October 1854 as part of the Crimean war
- The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge made headfirst into enemy guns as a result of a communication error. War effort unpopular with the public
6
Q
Exposure
A
- Wilfred Owens was a soldier, killed in battle one week before the armistice
- Exposure written in 1917, creating an impression of salience on the reader and exposed the harsh realities and virulence of war
- Owens inspired by writers like Siegfried Sassoon who was a war writer who critiqued patriotism and jingoistic attitudes
7
Q
Storm On The Island
A
- Heaney lived from 1939-2013 raised in Northern Ireland within a Catholic household. Put no context in the poem to maybe inbue it with a universality suggesting it could happen anywhere,anytime
- Poem in a collection called “Death of a Naturalist” which dismantled the romanticisation of natural beauty to instead explore the potential violence of nature
- A conceit for the tumultuous politic situation in Northern Island - between Catholics and protestants
8
Q
Bayonet Charge
A
- Hughes was not alive during WW1, but his father fought in Gallipoli and this most likely influenced his thoughts and feelings in war
- Hughes grew up in Yorkshire in a post-War society so he saw the effects of war
- Poem was from a collection of poems called “The Hawk in the Rain” dedicated to his wife Sylvia Plath. Anthology also focuses on animals and their behaviours linking to the focus on instinctual behaviours
9
Q
Remains
A
- Written for “The Not Dead” on Channel 4, raising awareness for PTSD
- Seeks to highlight the virulent effects of war and contrasts the typical presentations of war as glorious or noble
- Exposes lack of support for soldiers in need and inner humanity of people often viewed as emotionless and stoic
10
Q
Poppies
A
- Weir has two sons herself which likely drove her empathy towards a mother who had to say goodbye to her son leaving for war
- Published in 2009, a time where the WW1 would be fleeting from peoples memory. Weir shows the importance of remembrance
- Weir’s work typically grapple an array of social,political and historical themes
11
Q
War Photographer
A
- Poem published in 1985, referencing to the Vietnam war which ended in 1975 (allusion to ‘Napalm Girl’ photograph) so still in memory of Duffy’s readership
- Friends with a war photographer. Duffy has an affinity for those whose occupation was concerned with capturing and crystallising emotions
- Duffy was the UK’s poet Laurette from 2009-2019 and appointed the role as she did not support and advocate for traditional convention - much of her poetry was strongly feminist
12
Q
Tissue
A
- Dharker was born in Pakistan but grew up in Glasgow. Describes herself as a “Scottish Muslim Calvinist” adopted into India and married into Wales
- Lots of her poetry focuses on identity,maybe trying to balance her conflicting identities
- Tissue’s pessimisted viewpoint on the fickleness of human life may stem from a heart-wrenching experience with her husband, who passed after an 11 year long battle with cancer
13
Q
The Emigrée
A
- Originally born in London, but lived around UK and Europe. Notably Russia
- Many of Rumens work is centred around the socio-political customs with foreign countries
- Emigree doesn’t conform to a particular historical context to allow a universal focus on the emotional experience of emigration. This means its relevance endures throughout time
14
Q
Checking Out Me History
A
- Born in 1949 and grew up in British Guyana, remained colonised until 1966 so his childhood was shaped by colonialism
- After living in Britain for 30 years, Agard saw the flawed and oppressive education system and was published the poem in a collection called “Half-caste and other poems”
- Much of Carribean poetry parallels the themes that Agard wrote about, which stemmed from a history of enslavement and colonialism
15
Q
Kamikaze
A
- Garland is a British Poet and her work involved immersing herself within someone else’s perspective and claims “I spend a lot of the day listening to other people’s words”
- Japan’s military attitudes were founded on codes of honour and self-sacrifice and made the sword a pertinent symbol in the poem. These are so ingrained they even control behaviour against families
- The public shame upon their return with the Japanese army is something explored within Garland’s poem
