On This Day I complete my 36th Year -Lord Byron Flashcards
When was the Greek war of independence?
1821-32
What was the Greek War of Independence?
-Rebellion against the Ottoman Empire gave Greek-speaking people a national homeland
What did the idea of national Freedom in Greece spark?
-Revolts and uprisings among the Greek people > inspired by the French Revolution
Why was Byron’s involvement in the Greek War of independence significant?
-Involvement was a Benefit for Greece
-His fame brought even more attention and sympathy to the fight
-When he died of illness in the war he became a Greek National Hero
What is the Rhyme scheme?
-ABAB
-Uses slant rhyme > to symbolise his new experience of love, he is no longer searching for his perfect match as represented through the not quite perfect rhyme
What is the metre in the poem?
-Each stanza> Three lines of iambic tetrameter and finished with a line of Iambic dimeter > last thought in each stanza gains special importance, feels reflective showing us that Byron is working up to a conclusion
What’s the poem an extended metaphor for?
-Battle within himself to change who he was and who he is
What is significant about the opening line of the poem?
-Starts with a declaration > large change in his life > maturity
What does “since others it hath ceased to move:” explore?
-change both with love and age > Too old for love >
What does “My days are in yellow leaf;” explore?
-Autumnal imagery > start of change /transitional dying
-Metaphor for ageing and mortality > sees himself as withering
what does the “worm” explore?
-How these thoughts are eating away at him
What does “the fire that on my bosom preys” explore?
-Metaphor for his passion
-Strong consonance
What does “Is lone as some volcanic isle; No torch is kindled at its blaze” explore?
-Lexical field of fire > IRONIC END
-Volcano is alone
-Terrifying force of nature just waiting to erupt
-Feels lonely closeness of love and death > unrequited love may be the death of him
What technique is “exalted portion of the pain”?
-plosive alliteration.
-Intensity of emotion
What is significant about “wear the chain”?
-Human-made imprisonment
-Chain of his past > sins and the shame
-Iambic dimeter > emphasis on the finality and the bleakness of thought
What is significant about “where glory decks the hero’s bier”?
-“glory” > personified character of hero and glory > Byronic hero
-Moving towards heroism, glory and battle
What is a Byronic hero?
a type of fictional character who is a moody, brooding rebel, often one haunted by a dark secret from his past.
What is significant about the 5th stanza of the poem?
-Change/Volta > mirror the shape of his life in middle age
What is significant about “The sword, the banner, and the field”?
Shift towards war imagery
Why does Byron used “Glory and Greece”?
-Greece is an idea to Byron > idea connected by the alliterative > fighting for the idea of liberty
What is significant about the us of “The Spartan”?
-Byron Likening himself to Sparta and great greek heroes > ironic contrast to his death
What is significant about the caesura in “Awake!”?
-Breaking up > reflection of the revolution in greece
What is significant about “(not Greece - she is awake!)”?
-Repetition > waking himself from his trance of bad deeds > Battle cry to fight
What does “Tread those reviving passions down,” reference?
The volcano earlier on
What does “Unworthy manhood!” suggest?
-Still divided over his life and actions
What does “Indifferent should the smile or frown of beauty be.” suggest?
-The complexities of his life
-Fight for freedom >desire to escape pain as it does to gain honour
What is significant about the italics “Why live?”?
-Inside voice
-Rhetorical question
-Wanting to do something to prove himself
What does “Land of honourable death” explore?
How death would help him avoid guilt for the pains of his past > path of redemption
What does the internal rhyme of “around” and “ground” create?
-Mellow internal rhyme > death will be peaceful and fitting
What is significant about the final line?
-Death as a peaceful force
-Sign of his new maturity
-To be alive is to be one day dead > use death for good
What does the poem focus on?
-Byron and his desire to be a noble warrior
-Accepting the matter of age
-Self-deprecating/ hopeless tone
How does the asyndetic listing become hyperbolised through the shift to Iambic dimeter in the final lines?
-Gains heightened importance > build up to Byron’s conclusion is ongoing and timeless
-Reflect overwhelming emotion > internal conflict
How is the romantic obsession with legacy reflected through the volta?
-Realisation there is no excuse not to attempt to be this glorified character of personified heroism and glory > Justification of how he has nothing to lose
-WANTING TO LEAVE A LEGACY SHIFTING AWAY FROM “Mad, Bad and dangerous to know”
How is a juxtaposition created between Byron and Greece?
-The anaphora and personification > Byron waking from his bad deeds
-Personification of Greece > hero of liberty and freedom > Byron admires this and wants to be this
How is the volcanic imagery and lexical field of fire and passion a reflection for Byron’s passion?
-He is divided with his actions due to the complexities of his own life through his desire to escape his pain to gain honour > assertion of masculinity
