Key Themes Flashcards
Romantic Love
-when we two parted
-neutral tones
-winter swans
-singh song
-loves philosophy
-the farmers bride
-porphyria’s lover
-sonnet 29: i think of thee
Familial Love
-walking away
-follower
-mother, any distance
-climbing my grandfather
-eden rock
-before you were mine
Longing / Loss
-when we two parted
-neutral tones
-winter swans
-loves philosophy
-porphyria’s lover
-sonnet 29: i think of thee
-walking away
-mother, any distance
-before you were mine
-letters from yorkshire
Obession
-sing songs
-loves philosophy
-the farmers bride
-porphyria’s lover
-before you were mine
Nature
-when we two parted
-neutral tones
-winter swans
-loves philosophy
-sonnet 29: i think of thee
-walking away
-follower
-climbing my grandfather
-eden rock
-letters from yorkshire
Death/Age
-when we two parted
-neutral tones
-the farmers bride
-porphyria’s lover
-walking away
-follower
-mother, any distance
-climbing my grandfather
-eden rock
-before you were mine
When we two parted
-Romantic Love + Longing / loss + Death:
sombre tones + mournful imagery
devastating as a physical death
-Nature:
persistence of weather, cold and bleak, contrasts human relationships
Neutral Tones
-Romantic Love + Death:
sense of lifelessness, images of death & romantic love merge
-Longing / Loss + Nature:
loss of relationship has drained the vitality from life, speakers disillusionment with love has made the world & nature colourless around him
Singh Song
-Romantic Love:
delves into raw authenticity of genuine romantic love
-Obsession:
juxtaposes wife with conventional standards of beauty, deeming imperfection as perfection - boundless love
Love’s Philosophy
-**Romantic Love ** + Longing + Obsession:
divine allusions, intensifying obsessive persuasion - separation defies divine natural order
-Nature:
personifying nature highlights its natural interconnectedness - rejecting this would disrupt cycle & harmony of natures processes
Winter Swans
-Romantic Love + Nature:
personified nature mirrors inner turmoil of couple - weather symbolises ever changing nature of relationships
-Longing / Loss
interconnectedness of swans reinforces loss of connection, sense of loss dissipated as they overcome conflict
The Farmers Bride
-Romantic Love:
initial romantic transforms into fear as bride is subjected to objectification and subjugation
-Obsession:
farmers emphasis on her youth shows obsessive desire to maintain control & exploitation
-Death / Age:
depiction of brides youth highlights vulnerability and the extent of her subjugation, use of lifeless imagery illustrates oppression has robbed her of her youth
Porphyria’s Lover
-Romantic Love:
explores romantic love through lens of male hubris (excessive bride) within a patriarchal society
-Obsession + Longing + Death:
longs to preserve Porphyria is unrealistic, his delusional obsessions lead to him fulfilling his desires to preserve her innocence in death
Sonnet 29: i think of thee
-Romantic Love + Nature:
natural imagery shows timelessness & boundless of love - aligns w natural order of the earth (intrinsic & innate)
-Longing:
poet highlights desire for physical closeness & emotional intimacy within boundless love, longing transcends mere physical want
Walking Away
-Familial Love + Longing:
speakers longing rooted in nostalgia, to avoid painful passing of time, confronting evolution of bond proves difficult
-Nature + Age:
natural imagery portrays gradual transition into adulthood, despite unavoidable progression into adulthood itself a painful & inevitable detachment
Follower
-Familial Love + Nature:
speaker fondly recounts idolisation of father in his youth, radiates admiration & the natural imagery compounds fathers strength & skill
-Longing + Age:
fond reminiscent tone is understood when paralleled to the now feeble presentation of father, longs to recall strength & power of his father - not letting those memories be tainted by deteriorating state
Mother, any distance
-Familial Love:
unconditional love presented as synonymous w familial love, adoration & fond tone shows they are inextricably bound irrespective of physical distance
-Longing + Age:
conflict between independence & dependence, speaker longs for autonomy - they remain reliant of mother for support, highlighting complexity between self sufficiency & reliance within parent-child relationships
Climbing my grandfather
-Nature +Familial Love:
extended metaphor of conceit of paralleling the grandfather to mountain introduced motif of exploration & discovery, highlighting metaphorical journey of delving into their relationship ship - uncovering layers of understanding & connection along the way
-Age:
inquisitive exploration reinforces interconnected nature between generations, searching for knowledge & wisdom he has culminated over his life
Eden Rock
-Familial Love:
portrayed as transcendent & not confined by life and death, speakers reunion w deceased parents emphasises boundless bond
-Nature:
idyllic setting of them being reunited signified how, alike to nature, they are forever connected
-Death / Age:
circle of life & death, speaker preservation of parents in youth reflects timeless nature of live & memory despite passage of time
Before you were mine
-Familial Love + Longing:
speaker idolises mothers past vitality & longs for her to radiate same energy again, as mother embraces societal expectations of womanhood - loses vitality
-Obesession + Age:
meticulous focus on details & romanticised obsession w her mother pre-motherhood life shows desire to envision her mother liberated from responsibilities & burdens imposed by parenthood
Letters from Yorkshire
-Longing:
longs for emotional closeness despite vast geographical separation, letters are method of preserving emotional tie to home & maintaining sense of connection
-Nature:
natural imagery illustrates just as seasons undergo constant change, speaker will be constantly inextricably connected to her home
