Poem pairings Flashcards
Havisham & Sunny Prestatyn
- Poems that present the physical degeneration & deterioration of the female as a result of patriarchal pressures
- ‘Ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with’
- ‘the dress/yellowing, trembling’ - objective correlation as it correlates to/is the physical embodiment of her mental deterioration.
Decay, faded, past its prime = corruption of her femininity & beauty, marker of her failed attempt to fulfil the relational label of the ‘wife’. - ‘Huge tits & a fissured crotch/were well scored in’ - vicious, venomous act - exertion of physical dominance = reminder of strict control of patriarchy.
Emphasis placed on her physical attributes = women seen only for their worth in relation to a man. - reflected in ‘transverse tear’ = clinical, value of fertility. - ‘Between her legs…set her fairly astride/a tuberous cock & balls’ = pinioned by phallic object. glaring, blunt symbolism of patriarchal control.
Memory
- Pluto & Home is so sad = both poems explore reality vs memory to demonstrate the distress that results from reality failing to mirror/capture an ideal memory
Isolation & Alienation
Passage of Time
Relationships
Self’s the man & Havisham: dissatisfaction in ‘married/unmarried’ relationships, Havisham despite escaping marriage is still haunted by it bc she is unable to fulfil her relational label, Arnold in STM feels unfulfilled bc he sees married, family life and an infringement into his personal freedom.
Dockery & Son & BFYWM: family relationships
Admiration
Religion
Faith Healing & Litany = the degeneration of religion for economic gain
Journeys
Critiques
Sense of place
Childhood
Death
Everyday Items
Home is so sad vs Disgrace:
Larkin & Duffy similarly explore the devolution of relationships reflected through the degradation of the domestic setting.
Consumerism
Litany & Essential Beauty = both portray consumerism/economic boom as a religious deity
