First Love Flashcards
What is the context behind the poem?
John Clare (1793-1864) was around during the romantic period. He was lamenting the loss of the British countryside and the disruption of traditional ways of life. His first love was Mary Joyce, but they were not allowed to marry because he was too low class
What form of poem is it?
Ballad form
lyrical
regular rhyming
tells a story
“I ne’er was struck before that hour”
What connotations does the words struck have?
surprise
violence?
cupid’s arrow
“With love so sudden and so sweet”
What can be said about this line?
Sibilance
soft sound
temptation (snakes, Adam and Eve)
“Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower”
What can be said about this line?
Bloomed = youth suggested Flower = refers to nature
“And stole my heart away complete”
What can be said about this line?
Stole = can’t get it back, involuntary
“My face turned pale as deadly pale”
What can be said about this line?
The blood drains from his face - she has a physical impact on him
“My legs refused to walk away”
What can be said about this line?
Refused = personification of legs
She has a physical impact on him
“And when she looked, what could I ail?”
What can be said about this line?
The ‘?’ suggests confusion and emphasises his helplessness
“My life and all seemed turned to clay.”
What can be said about this line?
Clay…
is malleable - his life has been transformed
- he can’t return to what he was
‘putty in her hands’
Genesis/Koran/Greek Mythology - all have links between life & clay. He returns to what he came from = a metaphor for the death of his old life - now he knows love.
What is the poem about?
The poem is literally about the powerful (and physical) affect of first love on the persona.
He never says anything so she never knows
