Poetry quotes analysis Flashcards
LONDON 1- “I wander through each chartered street, near where the chartered Thames does flow”
.repetition of “chartered” instantly presents us with the idea of control however, the oxymoron “chartered Thames” represents something fluid and ever changing, which can arguably never be controlled or owned by humans
.verb “wander” means to walk aimlessly, which could be linking to what many people in London did around this time. Alternatively the verb “wander” sounds free spirited which juxtaposes London within the poem which could suggest the speaker is an outsider and this carefree spirit juxtaposes the harsh reality of London
LONDON 2- “the mind forged manacles I hear”
.This noun “manacles” could be suggesting that our belief in social hierarchy is a fake way of looking at the world, he is trying to show us a better way where we can take of the “manacles” preventing us from being free
.This metaphor could also present an image of oppression and imprisonment, Blake is suggesting that we are doing this to ourselves, it is our own minds that have put us in this jail. This belief in social hierarchy is not real it only works because the people at the bottom respect the people at the top, it is the way society is organised in our minds
LONDON 3- “every blackening church appalls”
.the metaphor “blackening church appalls” suggests that the church has turned away from Christ’s teachings as a pall is usually a black material put over a coffin, which symbolises that the Christian church is dead
.However, this could also suggest that chimney sweepers are inhaling this “blackening” smoke and are dying, Blake is suggesting the church should do something about it, but isn’t, suggesting that the church has lost its way
.Alternatively, “appalls” could suggest that the church should be shocked at all these chimney sweepers and the children being exploited, however the church doesn’t try to change society
LONDON 4- “runs in blood down palace walls”
.a Volta occurs at this point in the poem, suggesting how the French Revolution is very likely to happen in our own country and how these soldiers will die defending their own country. Blake is suggesting society is so corrupt with the rich having power that the poor will begin to take over
LONDON 5- “And blights with plagues the marriage hearse”
.The oxymoron “marriage hearse” are two words that do not go together at all, which suggests there is a chaos in London, London is not what it’s meant to be
.Alternatively, there is a juxtaposition between the happiness of marriage and the sadness of death, this is reflective of how London was at the time, while the poor were suffering those in power were thriving
.This could also link to the patriarchal society of the 18th and 19th century where men treated women as less important, the metaphor “marriage hearse” could link to how men were killing of their marriages by going out with prostitues and believed this was okay as long as their wives didn’t find out, suggesting that men were corrupt.
REMAINS 1- “On another occasion, we got sent out”
.Armitages use of passive language “got sent out” makes it seem like being deployed for war is a punishment, rather than a job. This also makes war seem like a type of exclusion, the soldier is going to be excluded from his own identity as this moment in the poem dramatically affects him psychologically
.The plural pronoun “we” shows how this is not just happening to the narrator, these memories stuck with every soldier forever, this one solider in the poem represents all soldiers
.The adverbial phrase “another occasion” uses a casual tone to show how this is a regular occurrence for the soldiers, this is one of many traumatic events that have a huge effect on him, emphasising how soldiers are being desensitised to the trauma. This coupled with the verb phrase “we got sent out” presents a lack of power compared to authority as the soldiers are being commanded to do this, they have no other choice.
.Armitages use of Enjambment presents the soldiers PTSD as continuous, never ending memories that stay with them forever.
REMAINS 2- “I see every round as it rips through his life”
.Simon Armitage uses a metaphor “rips through his life” to represent how this memory is utterly destructive and is mentally destroying him. The noun “round” is also used by Armitage to emphasise the repetitive motion of the memory, it keeps coming back, like a never ending circular loop.
.Simon Armitages use of a Volta represents a turning point in the soldiers life, he switches from using “we” to “i”, which presents how is now beginning to blame himself for these memories.
REMAINS 3- “One of my mates goes by and tosses his guts back into his body”
.Armitages use of casual and colloquial language: “mates” juxtaposes what is being described, he uses sibilance in “tosses” and “guts” to emphasise the casual action and to create a sinister mood to something that the narrator is trying to pass off as as normal, but actually horrifies us.
.Alternatively, this could be a metaphor, which alludes the fact that this soldier is now feeling sick remembering this incident whereas at the time it was seen as a casual moment.
REMAINS 4- “And the drink and drugs won’t flush him out”
.Armitages use of powerful repetition of “and” suggests that he keeps turning to drinking and drugs to cope, he has build an addiction as a way to escape the memory, which links to the idea of PTSD. He is full of guilt and remorse, but also self disgust and is trying to cure himself.
.Alternatively, this metaphor, “drink and drugs won’t flush him out” is language that soldiers would use to expose an enemy, to flush a soldier out of a hiding place, this could have been used to show how he is trying to flush the memory out of him, but it’s not working.
REMAINS 5- “but near to the knuckle, here and now, his bloody life in my bloody hands”
.The uses of expletives “bloody” shows how he is angry and frustrated that he has to carry this guilt with him for the rest of his life, he is being tormented by this memory and it is almost as if the memory is worse than the event itself
.blood is also used here as a symbol for guilt, Armitage is exploring the psychological impact of killing someone which implies it is not natural for humans to kill others, this demonstrates how PTSD can warp how a person views past events. This poem could be a turning point to saving him or ending his life
KAMIKAZE 1- “Her father embarked at sunrise, with a flask of water and a samurai sword”
.Beatrice Garlands use of sibilance “sunrise…samurai sword” gives the poem a peaceful sound, which reflects the peace that the pilot is supposed to find in death.
.”flask of water” could symbolise baptism, the pilot is dying in order to find a new life as a hero, this and the noun “sunrise”, which could mean divinity, could link to how the name of the poem, “kamikaze” translates to “divine wind”, which means the pilots had been sent by God
.The verb “embarked” coupled with the noun “sunrise”, gives an impression of adventure, linking to how Japan saw kamikaze missions as heroic. Alternatively, the verb “embarked”, could link to a boat and how his grandfathers boat reminds him of what it is like to be a fisherman, and persuades him not to kill others at sea, this also reminds him of the family he is losing.
KAMIKAZE 2- “like a huge flag waved first one way then the other in a figure of eight”
.Simile “like a huge flag first waved one way then another” presents how the pilot starts the journey, but then decides to turn around mid way. This idea is heightened by the noun phrase “figure of eight”, as the symbol for a figure of eight returns back on itself, just like the pilot did.
.This flag could also be linking to the Japanese flag, and how much pride Japan had for their country, so much so that pilots were expected to sacrifice their life for their country, however this pilot decided not to do so.
.The noun phrase “figure of eight” could also symbolise how the kamikaze pilots were seen to live on forever as hero’s after they sacrifice their life for the country, however this juxtaposes the pilot in the poem, as when he returns home, he is shamed by his family and society. The fact that we never hear the pilots voice in this poem could represent how he had been cut off from society
KAMIKAZE 3- “The loss silver of whitebait and once a tuna, the dark prince, muscular, dangerous”
.The oxymoron “dark prince”, could be linking to the Japanese royal family and how they had condemned the pilots to death for their country, the royal family were dangerous to the kamikaze pilots.
.The adjectives “muscular” and “dangerous” coupled together show how it was a brave yet dangerous choice to turn the plane around.
.the noun phrase “loose silver” sometimes represents the idea of betrayal and has biblical references to Judas betraying Jesus, this could represent how betrayed his family and country feel after the pilot returns home, having not completed the kamikaze mission
KAMIKAZE 4- “Only we children still chattered and laughed until gradually we learned to be silent”
.The Volta “only we children still chattered and laughed until gradually we learned to be silent” suggests that at first, the daughter was grateful to have her father back, as it is a natural human emotion to feel this way, however the turning point “gradually” shows us how unnatural is was for her to have to disown her father, it took a very long time to adjust and the fact they “learned” is implies it was totally unnatural. This invites us to imagine that when this child gets older, they will realise the choice to disown their father was wrong.
KAMIKAZE 5- “And sometimes, she said, he must have wondered which had been the better way to die”
.The phrase “which had been the better way to die” presents how he receives no respect when he returns from his kamikaze mission, he is basically dead to everyone, he regrets his choice to turn back, and may have started to wonder if it would have been a better decision to continue his journey and sacrifice his life, then return home and be disowned by his family and deemed “disloyal” by society.
THE PRELUDE 1- “One summer evening (led by her) I found A little boat tied to a willow tree”
.William Wordsworth uses personification: “led by her” links to Mother Nature, which suggests he is not blaming himself for stealing the boat, he thinks that nature has deliberately set this opportunity up for him to steal it, he is suggesting that stealing is a natural act which fits with what nature wants
.”willow tree” is a noun phrase which are sometimes referred to as weeping willow trees which connotes sadness, this could be a clue that there will be some element of sadness within the poem, later to come.
.This is contrasted to the “summer evening” which is symbolically happy
THE PRELUDE 2- “The horizons upmost boundary far above was nothing but the stars and the grey sky”
.The phrase “the horizons upmost boundary” could be suggesting a horizon is a straight line which looks like a boundary, however this boundary is an illusion because horizons change when you try to reach them. Wordsworth could be using this symbolically to suggest all the boundaries we place on our lives are illusions. Romantic poets believed that society places boundaries on the things we want to do however these are not real.
.The noun “stars” are sometimes symbolic of a destiny, and someone’s destiny could be a boundary for some people. As Wordsworth wrote this as an autobiographical poem, this poem could be Wordsworth deciding whether his destiny is decided by society or whether is is in his hands.
.At this point in the poem, this could be when Wordsworth makes a choice which may be deemed “immoral” by society and begins to row
THE PRELUDE 3- “And growing still in stature the grim shape towered up between me and the stars, and still”
.The personification within the phrase “towered up” could symbolise how the mountain is now beginning to block out his view of the stars and potentially his destiny as “stars” are sometimes used to symbolise someone’s destiny. Furthermore this could symbolise enormity, and emphasise the power of nature on humans, the only thing humans and The Establishment have no control over is nature and its never ending growth.
THE PRELUDE 4- “my brain worked with a dim and undetermined sense of unknown modes of being”
.the adjective “unknown” within the quote “unknown modes of being” could be suggesting that God has been speaking to him through nature because some people believe that God is in all things. Wordsworth could be trying to decide who makes things moral and immoral because he believes nature had led him to do this “immoral decision” and steal the boat. Alternatively this adjective “unknown” could be suggesting that he can be who he wants to be even if it goes against society views
THE PRELUDE 5- “But huge and mighty forms that do not live like living men, moved slowly through the mind day by day and were a trouble to my dreams”
.Wordsworth is now imagining the mountains as plural “mighty forms”, he imagines these mountains around the whole world and how much power they possess over not only him and his actions, but also The Establishment and the entire world.
.Wordsworth could be using nature to be symbolic of The Establishment and how they have so much power over the entire world that it is physically and mentally scary, just like how nature has so much power and it everywhere, potentially even more power than humans will ever have: “trouble to my dreams”, the noun “dreams” could be used to strengthen the idea that nature is everywhere, even in people’s minds.
.”moved slowly through the mind” the adverb “slowly” could be suggesting that nature can teach us the right from wrong and control our actions, just like how Wordsworth describes the mountains as the reason he decided to steal the boat and flee.
STORM ON THE ISLAND 1- “storm on the island”-title of poem
.The title of the poem “storm on the island” is used effectively by Heaney, to symbolise the Northern Irish parliament building “Stormont”, and the noun “island” is a homophone for Ireland, which immediately tells us from the very beginning that the form of this poem is political.
.The whole poem is an extended metaphor for the violence that took place in Ireland, this idea can also be heightened by the idea of the house on an island during a storm, which could also be symbolic of Ireland.
STORM ON THE ISLAND 2- “Sink walls in rock and roof them with good slate. This wizened earth has never troubled us”
.Heaneys use of sibilance, “sink” and “slate” give us the idea of a sinister mood, which links to the idea of the storm being sinister, but alternately, he could be arguing that the conflict between catholic and Protestant is sinister.
.The harsh repetitive consonance of “slate” and “troubled” also gives us the idea of a harsh experience
.Heaney has also used irony in the word “wizened”, as the beginning of the word begins with ‘wise’ and the idea of wisdom, however the word ends with the idea of age, this gives us the impression that the society he is describing is wizened and shrivelled up, the political state of Northern Ireland is making them old and frail and is damaging them.
.We could also say that Heaney has used juxtaposition within the verb “sink walls”, this is the opposite of building walls, suggesting that when we build our identity as catholic or Protestant, we create walls, but we are actually sinking and diminishing our experiences. The building of a house becomes a metaphor for now we are not constructing something, which is the opposite of building as it is sinking.
STORM ON THE ISLAND 3- “So that you listen to the thing you fear, forgetting that it pummels your house to
.Heaney uses direct address to call both catholics and Protestants “you” which could be suggesting that he believe the division between the two denominations is an illusion. Heaney emphasises this through the phrase “you fear”, suggesting that their fear is what they have in common, they are afraid of each other and if they get rid of fear they can live in peace with each other. The metaphor is that if you do not fear the storm, then the storm will have no power to destroy you
.”pummels”, “spits” and “exploding” conveys a semantic field of war and adds to the destructive nature of the storm, except nature is the one controlling the war, emphasising power of nature . Alternatively, this could be suggesting that violence in Northern Ireland is destroying everybody’s homes and their own way of life with their own fear.
.a sense of anger is also conveyed through the alliteration of the letter f: “fear”, “forgetting”, this is heightened as people are “listening to the thing they fear” rather than listening to him, he is suggesting that we are all equal so we shouldn’t be at war with each other
STORM ON THE ISLAND 4- “you may think that the sea is company, exploding comfortably down on the cliffs”
.Seamus Heaney personifies the cliffs when he says “sea is company”, juxtaposing the reality of islands being isolated in the sea by saying that the sea is company.
.the oxymoron “exploding comfortably” gives us the impression that this war and conflict has become so normal for the Irish, that they have become used to the explosions.
.”down on the cliffs” could be referencing to how these conflicts may begin to effect Britain, not just Ireland, suggesting that this violence is only going to get worse.
