Poems Flashcards
(Manhunt) Title
Searching for a man
The man was lost in a war
‘The’ places focus on this particular manhunt, perhaps because it is not a physical but emotional one.
(Manhunt) after … nights and … days
passionate, intimate
Immediately establishes a relationship between the speaker and the man. The use of the adjectives shows that they were extremely close. Further reinforced by nouns, showing they were always around each other.
(Manhunt) only then would he let me … the … ….
trace, frozen river
Shows that he only let the wife explore his injuries after some time despite the relationship between them, showing the scale of the impact war has had not only on him but on his relationships. ‘Frozen river’ also portrays physical injury. ‘Trace’ has connotations of gentleness.
(Manhunt) let me … the … hinge of his lower …
explore, blown, jaw
‘Explore’ suggests a sense of discovery, showing that war has changed him so much that even his wife has to rediscover him. ‘Blown hinge’ has connotations of physical injury and extreme violence, showing brutality of war
(Manhunt) … the rungs of his … ribs
climb, broken
‘Climb’ suggests that this is a challenge to not only him, but his wife as she tries to help him, showing the strength of their relationship. ‘Broken ribs’ also contrasts his wife’s struggles of actively trying to help him with his struggles of recovering from the war.
(Manhunt) the foetus of … beneath his chest where the … had finally come to …
metal, bullet, rest
- Contrast of foetus and metal
- ‘Foetus’ represents birth, just like the soldier has almost been born again due to how much the war has changed him
- ‘Finally come to rest’ represents how the war has ended but it’s impact has not
(Manhunt) a sweating, … mine buried … in his mind
unexploded, deep
- Shows emotional and psychological effects of war
- Uses physical imagery of war to represent the emotional side
- ‘Buried deep’ shows how difficult it is to get rid of it
- ‘Mine’ shows how gently it must be done to make sure it does not get worse
Manhunt structure and context
- Short stanzas with unstructured rhyme scheme that changes, represents effects of war
- Focus goes from easily seen physical injuries, to difficult to see physical injuries like organs, to emotional injuries
- Originally meant for a documentary about effects of war
- About a man who served in Bosnia before being discharged for depression and injuries
(S43) Let me … the ways
count
- There are so many ways that Elizabeth cannot remember of the top of her head.
- Shows the extent of her love
(S43) ‘I love thee to the … and … and …’
depth, breadth, height
- Three different directions
- Portrays her love as all-encompassing
- Represents how the relationship is at the centre of her life
(S43) ‘For the ends of … and ideal …’
Being, Grace
- Uses abstract objects to describe love
- Religious imagery to make love seem more important
- Reinforces the strength of her relationship
(S43) ‘I love thee …, as they turn from …’
purely, Praise
- Shows how real these emotions are
- Religious imagery suggests that this relationship is as important as religion is to many
(S43) ‘In my old …, and with my … faith’
griefs, childhood’s
- Once again using abstract things to show extent of love
- Links back to the past, stating that she loves him as much as she hates past events that she does not want to look back upon
(S43) ‘I shall but love thee … after …’
better, death
- Their love will only strengthen after death
- Love is more powerful than existence and life itself
- Shows how love will outlive them due to its strength
Sonnet 43 structure and context
- Written in sonnet form
- Repetition of ‘I love thee’
- Written to her husband Robert Browning
- Father did not approve of their love
- Victorian poet, religion was very prominent
(Ozy) I met a …
traveller
- Focus is places on characters who aren’t Ozymandias
- Shows the scale of his delusions of grandeur as he is not even the most important part of the story
(Ozy) its … well those passions read which yet …
sculptor, survive
- Once again places focus that words outlive Ozymandias
- Shows how futile his attempt at remaining powerful forever was
(Ozy) Stamped on these … things
lifeless
- Irony as Ozymandias had a statue of himself to imitate eternal life
- The statue never would have provided that in the first place and the words have outlived it anyway
(Ozy) … beside remains. Round the …
Nothing, decay
- Once again shows how powerless ozymadias really is
- Nature has outlived anything he can do
(Ozy) The … and level sands … far away
lone, stretch
- Similarly to beginning, closes on something other than Ozymandias
- Once again takes power away from him and makes him appear as just an interesting fact about the area rather than someone with power and control
(London) Charter’d … (…) charter’d …
street, river
- Immediately establishes a dystopian setting
- Even a river, that is supposed to flow freely, is closely monitored
(London) Marks of …, marks of …
weakness, woe
- Repetition of marks emphasises physical signs of damage the city causes
- Also contrasted by emotional signs of damage like ‘weakness’ and ‘woe’
(London) In … Infant’s cry of …
every, fear
- Repeated multiple times in this stanza
- Demonstrates how everyone is affected by the issues in London
- Even infants, who wouldn’t usually understand what is happening around them, are crying because of London.
(London) How the Chimney-sweeper’s … every … church appals.
cry, black’ning
- Chimney-sweepers, who were usually children and very dirty, are presented as victims
- The church, which is expected to help those victims, is instead described as dirty, creating a contrast in expectation for both groups.
(London) Runs in … down … walls
blood, walls
- Could be suggesting a revolution which would be influenced by the French revolution
- Also suggests that the living conditions in London are so bad that the only solution is violence
(London) Youthful … curse
harlot’s
- Shows the economic struggles of the city
- Young girls are forced into very tough jobs just to make a living
- Contrast between the innocence of youthfulness and the impurity of curse
