Havisham: emotion Flashcards
“Beloved sweetheart bastard”.
The contrasting of the words “beloved” and “bastard” gives the impression that she still loves him however there is a strong feeling of hatred still there. The alliteration of the plosive “b” sound exemplifies the expletive, giving the impression that the words are being spat out, which shows how dominating this feeling of hatred is.
“dark green pebbles for eyes”.
The symbolic use of the colour “green” in this metaphor shows the jealousy she has for those living the life she longs to have and the use of the word “dark” is suggests how little of her is left, as she is so consumed with hate and anger for the man who jilted her.
“ropes of the back of my hand I could strangle with”.
“ROPES”
This image strongly connects to hate as an emotion. “ropes” represents the prominent veins on her hand, creating the impression of time and that she has now aged. This shows that she was wanted rid of him for a long time, and how intense this desperation has become.
“I could strangle with”
portrays Havisham as a potentially violent character, this adds to this intense emotion of hate as it hints towards serious phycological issues.
Stanza one evaluative comment
The further development of this emotion and the negative impact this has had on Havisham to the point she is yearning violence enhances my appreciation for this poem further.
“Spinster”
The one-word sentence effectively emphasises the harshness of the word making it seem like its being used as profanity. This highlights the disgust and self-hatred she feels.
The word “spinster” is a one-word sentence which portrays her own feelings of isolation in a time in society where women were defined by their marital status.
“Spinster” evaluative comment
This further heightens my appreciation for the poem as the self-depreciating emotions she feels makes us sympathise with her.
Opening point to “noooo…..”
Duffy further portrays this emotion of hatred through Havisham’s attributes. Duffy gives Havisham animalistic qualities by comparing her to a bird like creature, emphasising the emotion of hatred by dehumanising her.
“all days I bed cawing nooo at the wall”.
“CAWING”
“cawing” has connotations to rage and despair. This makes Havisham seem less than human. The onomatopoeia “nooo” is drawn out suggesting that she is screaming uncontrollably and very loudly due to primitive emotions she feels, which shows how this hatred she is feeling is escalating her mental health.
Stanza 2 evaluative comment
This helps the reader engage further with the poem as we are left with a different perspective of this emotion to
Stanza 3 enjambment meaning
Stanza 3 begins with a completion of an enjambment; this shows the continuation of suffering hatred is causing her.
“puce curses are sounds not words”.
“Puce” has connotationsto disease, blood, exhaustion. It can also be used to describe an angry red which continues to show the hatred Havisham feels towards her ex-lover.
“Sounds not words”
She is unable to vocalise her bitter anger through language resulting in her using “sounds not words” to communicate her emotions. this reinforces the idea that she is becoming less than human which emphasises the chaotic and unpredictable nature of her character.
The tone change
There is an abrupt change in tone in this stanza where we see Havisham as someone who is vulnerable instead of hateful. This is done when Havisham is asleep dreaming about her ex-lover.
“fluent tongue”
when in her unconscious state of mind Havisham is seen to still be in love with her ex-lover, she loses control of the hatred and allows herself to fantasise over what she almost had.
