Romantic Distance- Winter Swans and I Think Of Thee Flashcards
Ts1: Whilst in Winter Swans, they are emotionally distant, in I Think Of Thee, they are emotionally close but physically distant.
‘Rather,instantly/ renew thy presence’
‘Dearer, better’
‘Icebergs’
‘Skirted the lake, silent and apart’
Ts2: Both poems use natural imagery to convey romantic distance.
‘Palm tree’ ‘Twine’ ‘Wild vines’ ‘ “They mate for life” ‘ ‘Like a pair of wings’
Ts3: Whilst in Winter Swans, the romantic distance is overcome by the swans becoming a catalyst, in I Think Of Thee, the speaker desires to overcome this physical distance.
‘Set thy trunk all bare’
‘Like boats righting in rough weather’
Structure: Whilst in WS the poem ends on an unrhymed couplet to present their reunification but how they are not yet in perfect harmony, in ITOT, the Volta comes early on the Petrarchan sonnet emphasising her impatience to see him.
‘Other’ ‘flight’
‘Rather,instantly/ renew thy presence’
Caesura emphasises her desire for him to be with her physically and how he should come and see her instantly. (Impatience)
Urgent desire to have a more physical bond.
‘Dearer,better’
L= comparative adjectives emphasises the urgence, thoughts of him are not enough because the physical reality is better than anything she can imagine. Reflects his love for him and her desire to have a more physical bond, as she is very urgently wanting to see him.
‘Icebergs’
L= metaphor
Icebergs=cold. D=Emphasises how they’re becoming emotionally cold with each other.
C= poem from poets collection ‘skirrid hill’. Skirrid comes from the welsh word Ysgariad, meaning separation.
‘Skirted the lake,silent and apart’
Caesura emphasising their emotional distance from each other.
L=Verb ‘skirting’ I= physically skirting around the lake OR D=on a deeper level,skirting around their problems/issues.
‘Palm tree’
L= metaphor- compares her loved one as so natural and beautiful. Emphasises their strong bond and how they are not emotionally distant, just physically. I= symbolises moral goodness and wisdom- he’s her paradise OR BIBLICAL IMAGERY- implies she worships him as palm leaves layer at Jesus’ crucifixion, C= poet grew up in a Christian household.
‘Twine’
L= verb
I= cerebral (describing her thoughts)
OR it implies her sexual desire as she physically wants to wrap herself around him. Shows her true love for him as she wishes to take the relationship a step further. Shows their strong bond and that they are physically distant, desiring to get closer.
‘Wild vines’
L= extended metaphor- natural imagery. Compares her thoughts about her loved one as not meant to be there. C= this relates to him being lower class and her being higher class (poet and love object). Vines- she is centered around him- emphasising their strong bond and that they are physically distant, desiring to get closer. Men seen at the time as having to be higher class than their partner. Them conflicting with the societal standards at the time emphasises their strong bond.
‘Like boats righting in rough weather’
L= simile
Signals hope in the relationship as the boats are righting.
D/I= alternatively, the boat symbolises how they have to get past the disagreements in their relationship. Float or sink.
Like the boats (swans), they have to recover and get past the stormy weather which suggests that the couple needs to resolve their past disagreements.
Represent how they were emotionally distant but have become closer.
‘Set thy trunk all bare’
Euphemism to represent her sexual desire to be closer to him and be physically intimate. C= poets father was very opposed to the relationship so it was hard for them to meet. This is why she desires to be with him physically.
‘ “they mate for life” ‘
L= first bit of direct speech. Breaks the silence- couple starting to communicate. D= swans are the catalyst for the speaker’s partner to want to repair the relationship. R= reader feels relief and happiness that they are reunited, like swans.
‘Like a pair of wings’
L= simile
Draws parallels between the couple and the swans. Implies they’d the reunited just like swans couple for life. Swans= catalyst for their reunification. ‘Flight’ represents turbulent part of their relationship but now they will not part, just like swans.
