Poetry Anthology Revision Flashcards
One Flesh - Elizabeth Jennings
The poet contemplates the relationship and separateness of her parents now that the passion between them has ended. Even though they are no longer one flesh, they are still bonded due to marriage.
One Flesh: Structure, POV and Tone
Structure:
The first two stanzas uses an ABABAA rhyme scheme which gives the poem a steady, repetitive feel. It makes the poem sound somewhat monotonous which reflects the couple’s marriage, shows the lack of excitement.
The last stanza changes to an ABABAB rhyme scheme, this is important because the poet reveals her identity of herself and the old couple.
POV:
Jennings uses third person to tell the story of the old couple. The speaker is trying to distance herself from the memories. The speaker does not want any emotional connection to the situation and doesn’t want any heartache. This shows that Jennings will feel less claustrophobic therefore giving her more freedom from heartbreak.
Tone:
The tone of the poem sounds resigned and downhearted which reflects the couple unhappiness.
One Flesh: Light Imagery
- “Keeping the light on late”
Conveys the idea of lost hope. “late” could suggest that they have been trying to bring their love back for a long time but it isn’t working. The fact that it’s been quite some time shows there is no chance in them finding their love for each other. However, some could argue that the fact that are still hoping suggests that their love hasn’t died down but just dimmed. - “her eyes fixed on the shadows overhead”
Shadows could represent the gloom the speaker is going to feel in her future because she knows she cannot divorce her lover due to them being devote Catholics. The fact that her eyes are “fixed” could suggest that she is not trying to divert the miserable outcome in her life. Suggesting that she has fallen out of love with him and she no longer cares, she will just have to deal with it and bare it out.
However, Jennings uses iambic pentameter in the poem which contradicts the above argument. Jennings could have done this to symbolise that the speaker still loves her lover, but it is not enough to prevent “shadows” from forming.
One Flesh: Personification
Personification is used to convey feelings about time.
- “time itself’s a feather”
Feathers are delicate, Jennings could be indicating that time could easily destroy a marriage. It is so subtle that it will not even be acknowledged until it is too late.
It could also mean, in terms of time being delicate, time can break so easily that your entire life feels distorted. Jennings’ life could have been broken from the moment she realised the downfall of her parent’s marriage. This indicates towards the readers that life can easily be turned into a huge predicament over a decision which was made during a happy period in life.
One Flesh: Language
Jennings uses the first line to present the theme
“lying apart now, each on a separate bed”
The use of the comma splits up the line which emphasises the point of separation. Each part of the line could be representing the couple, on separate sides of the room.
One Flesh: Context
> Jennings was a devout Catholic, and religion was an important theme in much of her work.
> Catholicism has strict views about marriage and divorce. Society never spoke openly about marriage breakdown and divorce. So by Jennings publishing this poem must have had a crucial and relevant impact on how society acknowledged certain societal issues.
> The title of the poem could be a reference to the one flesh mentioned in Genesis. “that is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh”
A Quoi Bon Dire - Charlotte Mew
In this gentle poem of loss and ageing, Mew compares the idealistic optimism of youth with the realities of age and moralities.
A Quoi Bon Dire: Structure, POV and Tone
Structure:
> The first two stanzas isolate the speaker from the lover. The last stanza, the couple are brought back together. Shows the speaker’s hope for a continuation of love which reflects the fact they are separated by death and will be reunited when the speaker died.
> The ABAB rhyme scheme could reflect the peace the speaker has for the subject. The peace is intrinsic in the poem as ‘everybody’ else seems to not understand her views. The structured rhyme scheme reflects the life cycle; people are meant to die which causes pain and agony for their loved ones. However, it contrasts because Mew’s downfall due to depression and suicide was very chaotic.
> Iambic Tetrameter is used which creates a short, sharp end to the stanzas. This emphasises how the lovers are contrasted with everybody else, it makes their love even more powerful.
Tone:
The speaker has a very positive tone, it isn’t bitter or regretful
A Quoi Bon Dire: Language
- The idiom “stiff and cold”
The literal meaning is her growing old, moving closer to death. This could be symbolic of her lover’s state, as if she feels the same things her lover does. The message of ‘grow’ could suggest the death has caused the start and deepening of depression. She is waiting to be reunited wit her lover. Which contrasts the typical tone of the speaker. - “Sounded like Good-bye”
The ‘good’ is capitalised which emphasises that this is final goodbye and it meaningful to the heart. This could reinforce the idea the speaker never thought it was the end of the relationship even when everybody else knew. Could reinforce the end of the relationship.
However, this contrasts to the actual use of the capitalisation. It is used to start a new sentence, this could be Mew trying to delude herself into thinking there will never be the last goodbye. “sounded” shows that she wasn’t really familiar to what her lover was saying until it was too late. She never it was the end of their love thus she had never given up.
A Quoi Bon Dire: Context
> In May 1912 she was introduced to May Sinclair - a leading novelist who was active in the Suffrage movement.
> Mew wore masculine attire and kept her hair short.
> Her father died in 1898, and two of her siblings suffered from mental illness
> After the death of her sister from cancer in 1927, she descended into a deep depression and was then hospitalised.
I, Being born a woman and distressed - Vincent Millay
This poem is a statement about her innate biology. Millay uses a strong element of social satire stating that women were born with oppression and rules they must abide by. Millay also states that it wasn’t her choice to be a woman.
The speaker confesses an intense physical attraction but denies any emotional or intellectual connection. The speaker has a closer understanding of the social beliefs of woman’s fragility. Millay mocks this using sarcastic and cynical laughter. The speaker is a woman by birth, not by choice.
This is a sonnet.
The speaker of this poem shows cartesian dualism.
I, Being born a woman and distressed: Language
“Clarify the pulse and cloud the mind” This is an example of juxtaposition of alliteration.
> The cluster of syllables of ‘clarify the pulse’ is evocative of a quickening heartbeat. This could also indicate that your urges need to be purified. Which is reflective of 1920 society. Women were expected to be pure and not to be promiscuous. And if they were promiscuous they would be shunned from society.
> The long syllables of ‘cloud the mind’ is suggesting reasoning and judgement becomes less acute when the blood flows elsewhere. All the more reason to filter out the urges
“Needs and notions of my kind”
Playing on the stereotype that women are flighty, emotional creatures. Alliteration of the ‘n’ reflects anger and hostility. Male’s beliefs about women, their ‘fragility’ are the reason they aren’t as good as males. Men treat women like a different species.
“let me make it plain”
The return of her dominance. Almost as if her dominance is dependent on her urges. Contrast to Cartesian Dualism. Sex is merely a purely animalistic impulse that Millay dismisses along with the lover.
I, Being born a woman and distressed: Personification
“Fume of life designed”
The fact that she is a woman shows that her life is controlled, she is has no say in the plans made for her.
> The fumes are coming across as possessive. The fumes represent males during the 1920s who were seen as superior. Could also be seen as carbon monoxide which is poisonous. The ordered life she has to follow through is gradually poisoning her. OR the expectations of females and the fact she has to keep up a façade is slowly killing her.
I, Being born a woman and distressed: Structure, POV and Tone
Point of view
First person. This makes her satire more powerful to the feminist movement.
Structure
Octave consists of sarcasm and social satire. Degrading herself in a sarcastic way.
Sestet consists of a conclusion to how she feels about her one night stand.
ABBAABBA CDCDCD is structured rhyme scheme which contrasts the frenzy she is in. Also, reflects how structured her society was about their views on females
Iambic pentameter reflects the want and lust she has. Can contrast the representation of the meter i.e.; love, because there is none.
