Revise Partings When We Two Parted

Question 1

‘Pale green thy cheek and cold/Colder thy kiss’

Answer 1

L= the comparative adjective intensifies her emotionally cold feelings for him, suggesting that her love for him has died.

Question 2

‘A knell to mine ear… long, long shall I rue thee’

Answer 2

L= metaphor. Hearing her name is like a death knell, reminding him of the death of their relationship.
L= repetition and assonance of ‘long’ emphasises the long-lasting nature of his regret at loving her.

Question 3

‘I hear thy name spoken/ And share in its shame’

Answer 3

L= alliteration and hissing sibilants emphasises his shame at hearing her name and in having an affair with her.
C= subject of the poem= Frances Webster, a married women with whom Byron had an affair: Despite the fact Byron had many affairs, as a women in a patriarchal society, she is judged more harshly for her behaviour.

Question 4

Structure:

Answer 4

‘Silence and tears’

S= Repeated at the beginning and ending of the poem. Structurally, this emphasises his inability to move on from their parting emotionally.
I=(silence)1- anger so won’t speak to her.
2- secret relationship so won’t speak.

Question 5

(The dew sank)’chill’

Answer 5

Emotionally chilled still by the parting. D= illustrates that he’s still frozen in that moment and can’t move on. Chilly dew suggests the pain is still vivid.

Question 6

‘Half broken-hearted’

Answer 6

I= 1- only half broken hearted as only one of them is.
2- he’s not fully broken hearted himself
Represents his loss and sorrow and how it has not affected his former partner as much as him.

Question 7

‘Vows are all broken’

Answer 7

I= vows she’s made
1- that she loved him
C=2- she’s broken her marriage vow by having an affair with the speaker. Subject of poem was married but had affair with Byron

Question 8

‘Sever’

Answer 8

L= transitive verb shows the mental impact of the breakup.

Question 9

‘Shudder’

Answer 9

L= noun shows how he’s still mentally affected and it still hurts him and has a physical effect on him. Shows how perfume the impact of the parting was.
I= physical
OR
emotional

Question 10

‘Knew thee’

Answer 10

Euphemism.

Known her sexually- relationship conducted in secret

Question 11

‘In silence I grieve’

Answer 11

His grief is intensified by the fact he can’t talk about it to anyone as it was a secret relationship.
C= subject of poem- Frances Webster was was already married
Adultery
Biblical sin