Cozy Apologia (Rita Dove) Flashcards
CONTEXT (A03)
written by Rita Dove
- directly addresses her partner (Fred)
purpose
- written in defence of the poet’s cozy and comfortable life. she is apologising for the comfort she finds in her seemingly ordinary relationship.
- ‘Cozy Apologia’ - GREEK TERM (defence of being happy with a cosy and domestic life)
set against the arrival of Hurricane Floyd, a powerful storm which hit the east coast of the USA in 1999. by utilising the hurricane as a backdrop for the poem, the speaker allows herself to reflect on her relationship/life/past memories.
STRUCTURE
- made up of three ten-line stanzas
- stanza 1 = regular rhyme scheme
- stanza 2 = begins the breakdown of the rhyme scheme (as if reflecting the disruption caused by the incoming storm)
- enjambment (reflective fo her wandering mind - dreamy tone)
- stanza 3 - regular rhyme scheme picks up again
- most lines contains 4/5 stresses = varied pattern (relaxed, informal tone)
FORM
written in the form of an autobiographical poem.
‘I could pick anything and think of you-‘
‘you’ - DIRECT ADDRESS - immediately sets an intimate tone for the poem
‘-‘ - interrupts the flow of the poem
‘This lamp, the wind-still rain, the glossy blue’
‘lamp’ + ‘wind-still rain’ + ‘glossy blue’ - TRICOLON - listing creates the sense of abundant and plentiful love (for her partner)
‘This’ - PRONOUN - provides close detail and emphasises the intimate tone. allows the reader to feel as though they are in the moment.
‘wind-still rain’ - A03 - links to the imminent arrival of Hurricane Floyd and how the rain eventually transforms into a mighty hurricane.
‘And sure as shooting arrows to the heart’
‘sure as shooting arrows’ - SIMILE - presents Medieval/knight imagery (typical image of hero and damsel in distress is created)
‘sure’ - ADJECTIVE - presents their love as secure and reliable
‘shooting arrows to the heart’ - IMAGERY - of Cupid and his arrow - very typical and cliched expression regarding love (shows how their relationship is normal and conventional)
‘sure as shooting arrows’ - SIBILANCE - whispering quality - creates an atmosphere of closeness
‘And chain mail glinting, to set me free:
One eye smiling, the other firm upon the enemy.’
these lines present the image of a Medieval romance
‘chain mail glinting’ - METAPHOR - comparing her partner to a ‘knight in shining armour’ - echoes the Medieval/knight imagery earlier in the poem
‘This post-postmodern age is all business: compact disks’
‘This’ - PRONOUN - yanks the speaker back to reality - contrasts the idealised view of love presented in the previous stanza
‘And faxes, a do-it-now-and-take-no-risks
Event.’
‘-‘ - HYPHEN - hyphenated ideas shows how the speaker is darting from subject to subjects (mimicking her wandering mind) - due to the incoming hurricane
‘Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast,
Oddly male : Big Bad Floyd, who brings a host…’
‘nudging up’ - PERSONIFICATION - powerful hurricane (A03)
‘Oddly male’ - the hurricane brings memories of past lovers who were no match for her current partner
‘Sweet with a dark and hollow centre.’
‘hollow centre’ - METAPHOR - shows the lack of substance and meaning behind those relationships (‘teenage crushes on worthless boys’)
‘Twin desks…’
‘Twin’ - ADJECTIVE - shows the unity and harmony between them
‘We’re content, but fall short of the Divine.
Still, it’s embarrassing this happiness -
Who’s satisfied simply with what’s good for us,
When has the ordinary ever been news?’
‘Divine’ - BIBLICAL IMAGERY - very typical of poets to compare lovers to God , however Rita Dove does not go that far - grounded, realistic love
‘When has the ordinary ever been news?’ - RHETORICAL QUESTION - the speaker recognises that happiness doesn’t create good drama
‘I fill this stolen time with you.’
