I Think Of Thee 2 Flashcards
“Rustle…Set…Drop”
“Rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare”
L : Imperative Verbs - used to describe BB
- gives poem and speaker assertive tone.
- She wants him to be pro-active physically and emotionally
D : sexual connotations of setting himself “bare”
C : Untypical of submissive ideal of femininity in Victorian Society
“Let these bands of greenery which insphere thee drop heavily down”
Cast off her thoughts of him and be physically present.
C : Elizabeth’s father objected her relationship with Robert and much of her courtship took place via letters and poems.
“Deep joy”
She will be extremely happy too see Robert
“New air”
L : Metaphor
I : 1) start a new beggining with him.
2) reflects BB desire to escape the claustrophobic confines of her father - represents freedom
“I do not think of thee - I am too near thee”
Reiterates she wants to physically be with Robert - she wants/needs to obsessively think of him.
“Breath within thy shadow”
I : 1) his shadow/shade is protective of her
C : 2) reflects way women were overshadowed by men in Victorian Society
C : 3) Irony, BB was the more successful poet than her husband AT THE TIME
Form
The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet - there is an octave (8 lines) and a
sestet (6 lines). Traditionally, in a Petrarchan sonnet the octet presents a problem or
situation, which is then resolved in the sestet. In many Petrarchan sonnets, there is a volta at the beginning of the sestet (the final 6 lines) that signifies a change in tone or focus.
In this poem, the Volta comes “early”, on the word rather
Where she commands her love to be physically preset.
volta coming early in sonnet reflects her Impatience and desire to see him
Structure:
Why is Enjambment used in the first four lines? What does it reflect in terms of the image of the vine?
I think of thee! - my thoughts do twine and bud About thee, as wild vines, about a tree,
Put out broad leaves, and soon there’s nought to see Except the straggling green which hides the wood.
L : Enjambment
Her thoughts revolve around him, just like the opening lines of the poem flow into each other like the vibes flow around the tree.
Structure:
What is the effect of the caesura in the seventh line and the eighth line - what do you think Barrett-Browning wants to emphasize in each line and why?
L : Caesura
Emphasises her command to him and her desire for him to be physically present.
Rhyme:
What word repeats 7 times through the poem?
Where does the rhyme scheme change and why?
The word “thee” repeats 7 times, reflecting her obsessive thoughts of him.
End line 13/14 Poem ends of the word “thee” - emphasises all her thoughts are about him.
Reader Response: Mood, meaning and message:
Why did BB write the poem, to express what?
What type of love is BB describing?
To express her love for Robert
Desire.
Personal Response
Remember How the poem made you feel personally.
