Envy by Mary Lamb Flashcards
What is the poem Envy about?
What is the poem about: Extended metaphor - it is about a tree which is being poisoned.
Personification - the rose tree is personified as having jealous feelings towards other flowers
Context about Mary Lamb killing her mother and suggesting from mental illness all her life so the poem is quite topical.
What are the themes in this poem?
Emotional conflict, inner conflict, human nature, Blindness (being unaware of our natural and inner beauty by being too fixated and obsessed with what others have that we dont)
key quotes
‘Envy persons’
Shows clearly that the poem is an EXTENDED METAPHOR
-,it is about a tree who is jealous of other more beautiful flowers and trees, but actually the deeper meaning is what it is saying about human nature too, we all get jealous of others and don’t spend time reflecting on what we have and what amazing qualities we have. Lamb suggests through her poem that this is wrong and we should celebrate ourselves more to find happiness.
‘With care and culture all may find/ Some pretty flower in their own mind,/some talent rare’ -
-Suggesting that if humans spend too much time being jealous of others they will not appreciate their own qualities
-Several beautiful flowers are mentioned in addition to the rose (violet, lily, mignionet) suggesting it would be foolish of the rose to compare itself to them as it has its own beauty.
-Writer used rose, because everyone is aware of a rose’s immense beauty
‘Like such a blind and senseless tree/ As I’ve imagined this to be’ -
Simile to show that envy has the power to blind us to who we really are and our true inner beauty.
“This rose-tree is not made to bear / The violet blue, nor lily fair,”
- Metaphor: The rose-tree is a metaphor for individuals. Just as the tree cannot bear flowers that are not natural to it, people cannot possess talents or attributes that are not theirs. It reflects the idea that everyone has their unique strengths and should not covet others’.
“And if this tree were discontent, / Or wished to change its natural bent, / It all in vain would fret.”
- Personification: The tree is given human-like qualities of discontentment and the capacity to fret. This suggests that it’s futile (won’t produce anything useful) for people to be unhappy about what they lack, as fretting won’t change their nature.
‘Like such a blind and senseless tree’ -
Simile to show that envy has the power to blind us to who we really are and our true inner beauty. Stops people from caring about the more important things in the world.
How does the poem show internal conflict?
-Shows through the extended metaphor through the speaker’s struggle of jealousy and inadequacy.
-Tree stands as a symbol for humans feeling jealous of others.
-WRITER INTENTIONS - if we stop focusing on others and feeling jealous of others we will find what’s good in us.
