poems Flashcards
Cozy Apologia: designated relationships poem
In Cozy Apologia, Dove takes us on a journey through her views on love and reflects on her relationship as time passes and she grows up and experiences more. She tells us about her dreaming of a knight in shining armour to her teenage experiences to finally finding love and being embarrassed that it isn’t at all what she expected. It’s mundane and she wonders if that’s ok, and decides that it is and accepts her content in her relationship. Dove could perhaps be trying to highlight the reality of love compared to media and the representations of love in the post-modern age, this would really resonate with a younger audience who would still be inexperienced and could benefit from reading a poem like this. As a reader, I believe Dove wrote this poem not only for Fred but for her younger self because she’s been in that position and perhaps if someone had explained the truth behind committed relationships she wouldn’t have had to go on that journey alone.
my pen exudes
By comparing Fred to a ‘pen’, Rita is saying their love is ordinary, unromantic and overall not risky. Fred is reliable and loyal but he isn’t exciting because he’s always there
drying matte
image of how relationships change over time
silver stirrups…chain mail glinting
These images allude to Dove comparing Fred to a knight in shining armour, and this jump from ordinary objects to a knight is quite big, however with Dove setting up these different images of masculinity perhaps she’s alluding to her assumptions about romance as a child being true but also not exactly what you’d expect as Fred’s there to save her from domestic, ordinary distress but he’s also there to rescue her form this unnamed danger, possibly a metaphorical dragon, similar to the enemies of medieval knights
Big Bad Floyd
After Big Bad Floyd (a hurricane), is mentioned, the rhyme scheme no longer follows a pattern, and immediately the reader is aware that this is the ‘enemy’ that is referred to in the first stanza. He is Fred’s nemesis. Hurricanes and Big Bad Floyd especially is strong, powerful, destructive, dangerous and this prospect of that danger is alluring and exciting to Dove, this is an image of that toxic masculinity which hurt Dove all those years ago, that she reflects on. This is why Big Bad Floyd is Fred’s nemesis; he is destructive and therefore poses a threat to Dove’s sanity and their relationship
teenage crushes on worthless boys
the adjective ‘worthless’ devalues the boys, emphasizing their insignificance and highlighting the speaker’s emotional growth. This shift from idealized to realistic love reflects the transition from shallow, fleeting emotions to a more meaningful adult relationship. The tone of regret and the imagery of past infatuations show the Dove’s reflections starting to evolve as they critique youthful infatuations
sweet with a dark and hollow center
It uses an oxymoron to create a contrast between surface sweetness and underlying emptiness. The adjective “sweet” suggests warmth or pleasantness, while “dark and hollow” introduces a sense of emptiness or deception, revealing the emotional complexity that Dove was exposed to as a teenager which helps to build up to the conclusion of her reflection.
we’re content, but fall short of the Divine
happy enough BUT not perfect something missing, exciting relationship out somewhere else
an attraction in Dove to Floyd (dragon), Floyd’s got this god-like power which is exciting/stimulating BUT dangerously difficult to her
she just has this tendency to feel that security and reliability of the relationship with Fred lacks something exciting which is represented by dominating/powerful Floyd
melancholy (call it blues)
melancholy is sadness, she has a depressive personality and this tendency to fall into depressive episodes, emphasised by a reference to ‘blues’ the music of suffering, she understands what might trigger these depressive episodes and this emptiness and so
nothing else will do…with you
Despite feeling of unsatisfaction, she comes to terms with the fact that the cosiness Fred provides for her is only thing that saves her and keeps her sane, if she were to abandon it for the flame (Floyd) then the wave of depression would crush her, so engaging in that flame is a danger, and with this final understanding, she restores the beauty of reliable love with a final couplet, it’s not everything she had originally dreamed of, but through her experiences as a teenager, and her new-found understanding through this reflection, she’s content, and she’s ok with that
Cozy Apologia structure
1st stanza, perfect rhyming couplets
2nd stanza, shaken up rhyme scheme by Big Bad Floyd
3rd stanza, rhyme scheme straightens up and ends with a perfect rhyming couplet (acceptance)
Dulce et Decorum Est: designated war poem
In Dulce et Decorum Est, Owen criticises the glorification by revealing the harsh and grotesque reality of war: the physical suffering, the traumatic gas attacks and the ever-lasting consequences on the soldiers’ mental health, to ultimately refute the propaganda that has sent thousands of young men to their futile death. As someone who served on the front lines himself, Owen probably held resentment for propaganda poets such as Jessie Pope, who promoted young boys going off to war, because no one knew the truth behind it all, this poem is to warn and is a raw expression of Owen’s pain and anger towards society for allowing him to enlist.
The Manhunt: predicted poem
In The Manhunt, Armitage explores how war has affected the relationship between Laura and Eddie. Armitage presents us with this journey that the couple go on in order to salvage their relationship. In the beginning, Laura describes her husband’s state right after the war, before she begins to try and understand the physical damage and eventually the mental damage (PTSD) her husband has. With this new-found understanding, Armitage presents us perhaps with a glimpse of what Laura understands but eventually she accepts the manhunt will never end.
the frozen river
Ostensibly, the ‘frozen river’ is a metaphor symbolic of Eddie’s scars and wounds across his face, however on a deeper level, ‘frozen river’ could refer to his emotions being stuck and unable to flow (similar to a river) whilst he battles with his PTSD.
he let me explore
Explore is an interesting choice of verb because it suggests this is something unknown to Laura, she is discovering things about her partner as she continues on her journey across his scars. The war has impacted Eddie so much that his own wife doesn’t know who he is anymore however she has enough love to remain patient and loyal and find out how Eddie has changed.
blown hinges
Blown hinge is the first clearly violent image in the poem - a turning point with connotations of pain, damage yet fragility. Also emphasises how broken Eddie’s experiences of war have left him.
fractured rudder
The fact that his body part is compared To a rudder which is used to navigate/direct/steer A ship could suggest that he is unable to navigate his own mind anymore. He is unable to have control over his own body ergo the war has rendered him so helpless and vulnerable.
punctured lung
Eddie is confirmed to a fragile Material, Silk Emphasising how broken the war has left him, - ostensibly a punctured lung is a grotesque image which only scratches the surface of the terrors. Eddie was put through during the Bosnian war however under the surface a punctured lung could refer to the fact that not only could not breathe physically but he could not breathe mentally his PTSD has flooded him with these nightmares and memories and flashbacks that he is overwhelmed. He is struggling to breathe under all the symptoms of his disorder.
climb the rungs
Eddie’s ribs are compared to the rungs of a ladder. climbing a ladder specially a long one can be a strenuous task the fact that Eddie‘s ribs are referred to as a ladder can suggest that repairing him can be a strenuous or daunting task to Laura and her mental state. Also, Laura uses this ladder to reach to Eddie’s heart therefore by Laura tending to his physical wounds, is Laura able to comprehend his emotional wounds.
skirting along
Quite light and casual in tone suggesting that loving Eddie comes easily perhaps even naturally to Laura: that understanding his trauma is not a chore for her however skirting means to go along the edge of something, creating the sense of precariousness, or rather ‘walking on eggshells’ as to not trigger a flashback. This light tone somewhat normalises Eddie’s PTSD and shows how Laura is used to it and used to how dangerous it can be. Alternatively, it could be that Laura is dancing around the edge and hasn’t yet been fully exposed to the pure breadth and extent of Eddie’s trauma.
foetus of metal
Foetus of metal is a metaphor where the bullet Eddie was shot by has been compared to a baby. Armitage could be trying to express here that like a baby, PTSD is a life changing event, this extended metaphor could show how war has infantilised Eddie, and now Laura has to look after him as he is no longer able to function normally in the everyday world. It’s also ironic because of the juxtaposition between the connotations of life in ‘foetus’ and the events that have occurred; a foetus signals the start of a new life, but this foetus ended Eddie’s life as he knew it
back to its source
This refers to the physical journey of the bullet which is described throughout the poem, but also refers to the mental trauma he had endured, and the source of that trauma is the bullet from the war. This links to the next line.
unexploded mine
A mine is a military weapon that can explode at anytime, but here it is used as the distress of a soldier which causes him to struggle and sweat with effort. It’s significant that it is deep inside his mind, as his wife must reach there, but she’s aware and cautious that any wrong move may cause an explosion of emotion/trigger his PTSD
only then, did I come close
The imperfect rhyme, ‘close’ and ‘closed’ is a muted ending, the problem is not solved but she still came close to solving it. This shows that the damages that the war caused permanently affects and damages people, not just the soldiers but the families of them too. It suggests she will never fully understand or help her husband, and hasn’t yet found a cure or solution, which brings the title into context as the manhunt hasn’t concluded and will continue into the future.
The Manhunt structure
Each stanza is a rhyming couplet which is traditionally associated with love. The rhyme scheme is indicative of the love Laura and Eddie share and the strength of their relationship. Adding to this discovery, we as readers make, about the healing process, we see that the earlier rhymes scheme has weakened and becomes discordant, suggesting that there is difficulty in the healing process and difficulty within Eddie and Laura’s relationship. This PTSD is challenging both Eddie’s surroundings relationships just showing how deeply trauma can affect people.
bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
the soldiers are buckling under weight of bags = weakness of soldiers, they are vulnerable, ill and essentially everything the propaganda said they weren’t, the caesura slows down the pace of the poem, soldiers are downbeat, sense of resistance, mirrors exhaustion of soldiers retreating from front lines which is the reality of war, the simile connotes vulnerability and a sense of helplessness = subverts the stereotype of hero
trudge…limped…blood-shod
all these words are in the semantic field of suffering, vulnerability and weakness, this subverts the stereotype of a strong brave soldier, it subverts the propaganda, the soldiers have a sense of dissatisfaction/reluctance, negative words/phrases, bitter because living reality of war
gas shells dropping softly behind
the sibilance is auditory imagery, with repetition of ‘s’ sound replicates sound of gas shells dropping - shows danger is inescapable despite retreating = always there, cycle of danger, they’re trapped
fumbling…clumsy…stumbling
these words are all semantic field of inexperience, subverts idea of hero and reminds reader that these are just young boys trained for a week, young boys that were thrown into war
misty panes…thick green light
the adjectives of ‘misty’ ‘thick and ‘green’ is vague, mysterious and propaganda led them to something more serious, - know nothing about it - surrounded by uncertainty, people at home haven’t experienced, people can understand what its like, clear vivid image, sharing nightmare
under a green sea
through this imagery, the gas seems tangible, realistic and sense of realism, with the noun ‘sea’ and its connotations of nature show that the poisonous gas engulfing soldier as drowns, lost, sense of helplessness/hopelessness - surrounded in that sea, 1 person in vast sea/area/something beyond control
all my dreams…helpless sight
indefinite article of ‘all’ shows the extent of the trauma, it’s so bad, the mind is consumed with the specific event/PTSD/shell shock, that he’ll never escape it
the adjective ‘helpless’ shows how vulnerable, out of control, inescapable even in a dream, comparing it to a dream, and they can’t do anything about it/can’t unsee it
watch the white eyes writhing
images of shrivelling up, alliteration, grotesque imagery - repetition of ‘w’ sound replicates writhing of face, muscles contracting quickly, pulse ‘w’ sound, quick sound like pulse, vivid imagery, feel nightmare too
bitter as cud
cud is undigested food/vomit, when you’re surrounding by diseased/dead people you want to vomit but you have to shove it all down inside, parallel to nausea, having to shove trauma of war down inside you
devil’s sick of sin
it juxtaposes the idea, war justified by God, fighting for country = guaranteed heaven, but saying war is so bad, worse than hell, devil repulses it, sin to humanity
froth-corrupted lungs, obscene as cancer
imagery of young innocent men suffering/corrupted by violence, froth is a sign of rabies/being gassed - they’re treated like wild animals, there’s diseases everywhere and gas corrupted their lungs, the way war has corrupted their minds, further emphasised by intense, destructive, something you can’t defeat connotations of cancer, disturbing simile causing so much death + destruction, out of control and becomes its own entity, semantic field: mental illness/incurable - can’t get rid of it
my friend, you…high zest
‘my friend’ - rhetorical flattery referring to people who make propaganda (Jessie Pope), ‘you’ - direct address makes reader aware of what’s happening, directly addressing Jessie Pope, making us as reader as accountable for not perpetuating propaganda/society oppresses people
high zest - you would not write so positively, you would not encourage war, you would not spread propaganda, if you knew the truth
The old Lie:
the caesura means the reader can pause after the pacey passage, fully digested/understand and reflect on new knowledge, can look at war way soldiers look at it, come to conclusion that it is all false and propaganda
Dulce et Decorum Est structure
The structure of Dulce et Decorum Est plays a key role in conveying Wilfred Owen’s critique of war. The regular form at the start, with iambic pentameter and an ABAB rhyme scheme, suggests order and discipline, reflecting the traditional view of military duty. However, as the poem progresses, the use of enjambment and disrupted meter mirrors the chaos and brutality of war, highlighting the soldiers’ suffering. The final line, contrasting the Latin phrase “Dulce et Decorum est pro patria mori” with horrific imagery, and shows the bitter irony of war’s glorification. Ultimately, the structure enhances the poem’s anti-war message by showing how war shatters illusions of nobility
Ozymandias: designated power poem
In Ozymandias, Shelley demonstrates the temporariness of power and its ultimate futility in the hands of man, and in doing so, he also showcases the limitations of human ability compared to the everlasting forces of nature. Shelley presents us with a narrative of Ozymandias, his current lack of power, his abuse of power during his reign and the destruction of his power by nature. With the lack of relationship between him and his father, it is understandable why Shelley uses the poem as a means to criticise authority figures both politically and personally.
antique land
Ozymandias’ land is described as ‘antique’, ‘antique’ has connotations of being old, outdated and fragile, this could suggest that Ozymandias’ land is no longer relevant, indicating he has no power or his time of power is over
trunkless legs
imagery suggests that Ozymandias was once powerful and sturdy as the stone statue was seemingly huge but by saying the legs are ‘trunkless’, meaning they don’t have a torso, shows how week and broken he is now
a shattered visage lies
The image of ‘a shattered visage’, visage meaning face and referring to the statue’s broken face, suggests that no person, not even a great ruler like Ozymandias has long-lasting power. It implies that time and nature will eventually overpower man. Visage means face in french showing his lack of identity, there’s a possibility of double meaning in the word ‘lies’ = his face may have told lies, and it literally lies there in the deserted sands, ‘shattered’ could hold irony as you would use this to describe broken delicacy, yet his face is not delicate
wrinkled lip, and sneer
A “wrinkled lip” evokes the image of a person with a harsh or contemptuous expression, someone who looks down upon others. This expression is further emphasized by the “sneer,” which suggests a scornful or mocking attitude. Together, these details paint a picture of Ozymandias as a ruler who was proud, self-important, and perhaps cruel, judging from the expression frozen in the statue
cold command
The use of consonance amplifies Ozymandias’ harshness as the ‘c’ sound is quite harsh, cacophony creates a tense and eerie atmosphere like how the people would have felt with Ozymandias as their ruler
hand that mocked them
Amplified by previous mention of ‘frown’ and ‘sneer’, Ozymandias is presented in a negative way. Shelley may have wanted to show that authority and power corrupts people which may have been inspired by his own political beliefs. He felt inspired by the french revolution where civilians overthrew the monarchy, he may also be inspired by his family life, as he had a strained relationship with his father, who was an MP.
nothing beside remains
The word “nothing” emphasizes the emptiness that remains of Ozymandias’s once-great empire, illustrating the impermanence of human achievements. The juxtaposition between the grandeur of the statue and the desolation surrounding it shows the power of nature. It’s also ironic because Ozymandias sought to immortalize his might, yet all that is left is a broken statue, emphasizing the futility of his ambition. In the Romantic era, poets often critiqued authority and celebrated the power of nature, the line serves as a reminder of how nature and time ultimately erode human endeavours
decay…colossal wreck
caesura creates conflict, paradoxical ‘colossal wreck’ exacerbates the destruction, ‘decay’ could connote illness and destruction of the body, like the body of the statue which has been eroded by the power of nature
lone and level sands stretch
the alliteration in the last two lines emphasises the sense of vast emptiness and shows the physical scale of nature, the fact that it’s triadic alliteration and Ozymandias only got one in his own poem demonstrates how nature has taken over the poem with its own power
Ozymandias structure
The poem starts as a shakespearean sonnet and then starts to follow its own rhyme scheme which represents the constant shift of power and shows no power is held by one person at a time.
The structure of the sonnet crumbles towards the end, mirroring the crumbling of Ozymandias’ empire due to nature which is present and talked about in the last three lines
The atypical rhyme scheme could be Shelley acknowledging that everything fades in the end - from the authority figures in politics to the authority of poetic tradition
The Manhunt compared to Cozy Apologia
One poem that can be used as a comparison to ‘The Manhunt’, is Cozy Apologia by Rita Dove, as they both explore introspection and understanding of feelings within relationships. Both poems have a sense of problem, which with a bit of time and reflection, is resolved. However, the poems reflect upon different things and by different viewpoints. In ‘The Manhunt’, Laura is reflecting on how war has impacted her husband whereas in ‘Cozy Apologia’, Rita is reflecting her feelings towards love.
IN THE BEGINNING
Both Rita and Laura are reflecting on the state of their husband, one is a boring mundane thing subverting that stereotype of men in shining armour and one is a man who is severely traumatised and fragile, but can’t seem to talk about it.
AS THE POEM CONTINUES
Both Rita and Laura are now trying to understand these complex feelings, with Rita reminiscing about the past and her conflict with Big Bad Floyd and Laura being presented with Eddie’s past to figure out, the complexity of his hurt.
TOWARDS THE END
Both Laura and Rita have come to a conclusion and understanding with the feelings they had to navigate through, with Laura describing what she understands and shifting the focus from her husband’s physical scars to his emotional scars to demonstrate her empathy and Rita coming to a conclusion about her relationship with Fred and being ok with it, despite it not being what she had originally wanted
MANHUNT VS COZY APOLOGIA structure
rhyme scheme
Hawk Roosting: power
In Hawk Roosting, Hughes presents us with his observations of nature through the viewpoint of a hawk. The hawk introduces themselves, tells us about their actions and reminds us that they are better than God and nothing will change per their command. Through his poem, Hughes is encouraging his readers to draw parallels between the callous and vicious nature of the hawk and twentieth century dictators, in order to condemn how power strips people of their moral compass, sense of conscience and resulting in them behaving in an animalistic, barbaric manner.
I sit in the top of the wood
The pronoun ‘I’ establishes that the poem is told from the first-person perspective, the hawk, in this case, controls the poem. This idea of the hawk being in control is reinforced by the phrase ‘top of the wood’, its physical position could indicate its power, generally the higher something is, the more power it has. also suggests it is the most powerful creature in the wood. Although, Hughes himself has said that the hawk in his poem is just a normal hawk and has no correlation to the nazis, we as readers, could read the poem and think of it as an extended metaphor of nazi ideologies manifested as this hawk, since a bird atop of a tree is known as ‘the imperial eagle’
in sleep rehearse perfect kills
This makes the hawk’s power and violence emphatic, we could get the impression that the hawk is like a dictator or a psychopath as it takes great pleasure from murdering, this again could be read as an extended metaphor of how Hitler took pleasure from killing thousands of Jewish people and other minorities, another interpretation of this line could be an emphasis of the perfection of the hawk, because even in its sleep when it is supposed to be resting and at its most vulnerable, it still orchestrates perfect kills
earth’s face upward for my inspection
The earth has been personified, this makes the hawk look more important than the earth because the hawk, by looking ‘upward’, is above it both literally and hierarchically. The noun ‘inspection’ (paired with possessive pronoun ‘my’), suggests that just like how inspectors how power over the people or things that they inspect and are superior, the hawk has power over the earth and is superior to it. Inspectors also cast judgement and can punish suggesting the hawk is so arrogant that it believes it has the right to judge the earth and is in a position to punish it, if it isn’t up to the hawk’s standards. This creates a sinister tone about the hawk being an inspector, as it is ruthlessly violent.
locked upon the rough bark
The consonance in this line emphasises the hawk’s firm almost harsh grip, this is because the consonance in this line repeat the harsh ‘ck’ sound. Repeating harsh sounds creates a harsh tone, and that reflects the harsh content. The image created in this line makes the hawk appear sturdy as locks are symbols of security and strength
I kill where I please because it is all mine
The monosyllabic language is used to express the line in a matter-of-fact way, even though it is shocking, suggesting the hawk is incredibly confident and even comfortable with its power. This line is also end-stopped suggesting that the hawk thinks that its say is final and nobody can neither change its mind nor argue against it, additionally the line has come to an end, just like the lives that the hawk chooses to kill, (the hawk’s agency and autonomy being important when considering its actions)
my manners are tearing off heads
The juxtaposition between politeness, manners, and violence, tearing off heads, and this could present the hawk as a dictator-like figure because dictators typically publicly appear very positive, and in private commit atrocities. Tearing off heads is a violent image and yet the hawk expresses it incredibly simply and bluntly, this suggests that violence that violence does not shock the hawk and that it likes being in power. This is an everyday occurrence for it.
the allotment of death
This phrase has two interpretations, first, allotment can mean giving out, therefore this line could be about the distribution of death, which could emphasise the hawk’s power, arrogance and near God-like status, second an allotment can be a plot of land used to grow, this could suggest the hawk is growing death, there is juxtaposition between allotment and death, which is ironic as it shows the hawk’s preoccupation with murder
for the one path of my flight is direct
This line and the next are about how the hawk flies in a straight path with nothing being able to stop it, this is reflected in the use of enjambment because when the lines are read, they flow continuously similar to the hawk’s flight path, this shows the hawk’s power because not even poetry and language can control it and in fact the hawk influences it
the sun is behind me
The sun is personified and is said to be behind the hawk, the hawk suggests that the sun (the most powerful thing in nature) is supporting it, being behind the hawk, this implies that it is natural and right and proper for the hawk to have so much power, extended metaphor of hitler, halo
i am going to keep things like this.
This line indicates its power, the fact that the hawk does as it pleases and will not be swayed by anything or anyone reinforces the idea that the hawk is like a dictator, when he says ‘keep’ he can refer to his position of power, to the hierachy or to the structure of the poem. The full stops in this stanza and at the very end of the poem signify finality in the hawk’s sentences, hinting at the hawk’s power, confidence and control, whilst almost making this final stanza sound like a political manifesto
Hawk Roosting structure
The poem is divided in stanzas that are equal in length - each stanza is four lines long. This could show the hawk’s power over poetry and language as it can control the poem’s shape. The stanzas in this poem are regular, and this regularity of structure shows that the hawk has been controlling the stanzas of the poem and by having such uniformity, Hughes is showing that the hawk has power over poetry and language, essentially emphasising just how total the hawk believes its power is.
Enjambment and caesura are used throughout the poem. The hawk is not caged in by lines. It stops ideas and sentences where and when it wants. By using these techniques continuously throughout the poem, Hughes shows that the hawk in this poem is free, the hawk is not rigidly bound by the lines. Again, this reinforces the idea of the hawk having power over poetry and language
