lammas hireling Flashcards
in the first stanza what are the words cattle ,heifers and yields
agricultural semantic fields
why are are stanzas 1 and 2 enjambed
so the story precedes smoothly, as if event follows naturally from one event- possibly to normalise the events
infers a guilt or confusion
-the faster the pace the more confused the reader becomes as some events seem missed out
what style of poem is the Lammas hireling
dramatic monologue
lammas hireling is isometric what does this mean
each line is the same length
structure
free verse- conflicted feelings - chaos state. troublesome state of mind
regular sestets- attempts to maintain order
context- hares
represented in mythology. believed to have mystical links to female cycle in Irish folk tale
consistent use of pronoun ‘i’
constant use of the personal pronoun “I” emphasises how this is a subjective truth
the lammas hireling festival context
festival where farmers would hire to help with the crops
traditionally on August 1st.
no name in title- ome readers may interpret this as showing an attempt to distance the worker from the narrator of the poem by there not being a name involved, perhaps alluding to some notable event in the relationship between the two.
‘after the fair, i’d still have a light heart
And a heavy purse, he struck so cheap’
light heart- enjoyment
light heart contrast with heavy purse suggests farmer is prospering
contrast could represent the dual nature of man with the capacity to commit acts of both evil and good.
‘mine only dropped heifers, fat as cream. Yeilds doubled. I grew fond of company that knew when to shut up’
prosperity, abundance of cattle being born (enviable)
‘that knew when to shut up’- enjoyment in power
enjambement between stanza 2
disconnect between this prosperity and the truth
dramatic monologue- story telling effect
'’disturbed from dreams of my dear late wife, i hunted down her torn voice to his pale form’
dear- attempt to convince himself/rerader of affection to wife rather than this man
idea this man and wife are connected, suggests a relationship between the two men being masked
‘disturbed’ forcefully alters the tone.
This is where the poem enters the world of dark folklore, starting with the dreamworld from which the creator is awoken
The alliterative plosives repetition of ‘d’ creates a a steady rhythm through the first line, moving from subconscious dream to conscious discovery, as Duhig links the narrators deceased wife with teh cowherd
‘light from the dark lantern’
oxymoron- oxymoron makes reader question the effectiveness of the lantern if it is not truly able to show light and clarity on the situation, acting as a metaphor for the confusing events of the second stanza.
- ‘light’ no longer symbolises hope and opportunity from his perspective, but something dangerous and ominous that taints his dream.
-in a liminal space of transgression, not yet transgressed fully but waiting to as the dark and light combine but do not blur
– alternatively suggests ability to show light and clarity on the situation and mirroring the speaker’s conflicting feelings of passion and guilt
- could also be a metaphor for the confusing, strange situation almost uncanny which further links to gothicism
‘stark-naked but for the fox-trap biting his ankle, I knew him a warlock, a cow with leather horns.
nakedness, unsettling element of transgression
a semantic field of the supernatural, with words such as “warlock”, “night” and “dark”.
-makes the reader question the reality of this situation, continuing with the general skepticism of the narrator’s story.
-Warlock is supernatural which makes us question the reality of his story which fits with the general skepticism of his story.
‘torn voice’
“torn” is notable because it has savage and primal connotations, reflecting the strange situation that is described in the poem.
-specifically using “her” helps to focus on the vulnerability of any other person in relation to the narrator, who would increasingly be coming across as fearsome and frightening.
