Farmer's bride Flashcards
What does the title suggest?
The title makes her seem like she is his possession and presented that way.
When the poem begins with the time reference it has been “three years” what does this suggest?
It has been “three years” since she has been married and yet she is still referred to as the bride. This suggests there has been no acceptance of her role, moving towards becoming a wife, rather she remains a bride.
Analysis on the farmer’s attitude?
He acknowledges she was “too young” but he has more important things to do than “bide and woo”. He is practical and a hard-working man, unable and reluctant to deal with human emotions.
The impact of the wedding on the girl.
“she turned afraid” , became “like the shut of a winter’s day” and “her smile went out.” The winter image emphasises the cold, numb emotional state of the girl. The reader is only given clues about the girl as she is voiceless throughout.
“her smile went out”
suggests she was happy, young before she was a bride.
-metaphor of her smile being fire
“I chose a maid.”
He chose her, she didn’t have a say in it.
“More like a frightened fay.”
-simile
alliteration
“fay” suggests fairy which connoted ethereal beauty and mysterious.
“frightened” suggests her vulnerability and fear
“should properly have been abed.”
2 possible meanings:
1. it’s literally night time and they should be sleeping
2. her “proper” place should be in his bed, ready to bear his children.
“we chased her, flying like a hare.”
-simile
-“chased” suggests she is like prey and like an animal which is further emphasized by “we caught her, fetch her home at last.”
‘not near, not near! her eyes beseech.”
-repetiton to emphasize the fact that she is scared of men. She is begging/pleading, her eyes are saying it.
“I’ve hardly heard her speak at all.”
-short simple sentence.
-creates a sad tone.
-He wants to have a connection with her.
-There is sense of sadness+regret for the farmer.
“To her wild self. But what to me?”
-Rhetorical question
-creates a pause
-repetition of wild here and the previous line emphasises she doesn’t listen to him and she is out of control.
Stanza 4 analyis.
Stanza 4 speeds up the poem by increasing the pace to how fast and wild she is which emphasises her youth and inexperience.
“Alone, poor maid.’
He feels bad it turned out this way. An alternative interpretation could be he is genuinely sad and wants a family. He can’t acknowledge it’s his fault.
“Tis but a stair Betwixt us.”
Temptation for him, physically close but emotionally far.
“The soft young down of her, the brown, The brown of her- her eyes, her hair, her hair!”
He wants to have sex with her.
Sense of threat.
Threatening tone
Ambiguos ending.
Repetition of hair suggests he can’t get this thought of her out of his head.
What can this poem be compared to?
-Porphyria’s lover
-When we two parted
-Neutral tones
