she walks in beauty Flashcards
who wrote she walks in beauty?
Lord Byron
what kind of life did Lord Byron live?
a scandalous and unconventional life
context and meaning of she walks in beauty?
-although its a love poem- it never actually states that he loves the lady. Instead focuses on appearance
-key themes=morality, desire and nature
-also focuses on Victorian morality and the women’s purity
-poem also challenges the cliche of love
how does Lord Byron use awe and in what quotation?
the narrator is in awe of the women
-he uses hyperbolic language to describe the women’s beauty
-simile- “of cloudless climes and starry skies”
-huge scale of comparison suggests the narrator is overwhelmed by the woman
how does Lord Byron use assumptions and in what quotation?
-the woman spoken about remains silent. as the poem progresses, the narrator talks about inner beauty
-uses “eloquent” to describe her beauty- which means well spoken, even though we never hear the woman speak
describe the form and structure of she walks in beauty?
uses enjambment and caesura and regular rhyme scheme of ABAB which reflects the purity of the woman
split into 3 stanzas of equal length- the stanzas start talking about the womans inner beauty instead of her appearance
how is silence used by Lord Byron?
the woman is silent- meaning Byron can imagine whatever he wants about the woman and cannot be proved wrong
how does Byron use word choice and in what quotations?
-firstly focuses on the woman’s physical appearance and then switches to her inner beauty (“thoughts”) and “days in goodness spent”
-so the narrator can imagine that the woman is both pure and beautiful
how does Byron use natural imagery and in what quote?
uses this to convey the perfect balance of the woman’s beauty- “one shade the more, one ray the less” and “which heaven to gaudy denies”
-narrator views the womans beauty as a miracle of nature
how does Byron use the comparison to the night?
that the woman’s beauty is unusual
finish the quote, “she walks in beauty, like the night….
of cloudless climes and starry skies’
analyse the quote, “she walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies”
-uses an extended simile to the night sky. which is considered unconventional as daylight is considered more traditional
-alliteration highlights the contrast between light and dark- so this woman is the best of both
finish the quote “where thoughts serenely sweet express…
How pure, how dear their dwelling-class”
analyse the quote, “where thoughts serenely sweet express, How pure, how dear their dwelling-class”
byron imagines that the “dwelling -place” the mind of the woman is beautiful too- first line not about appearance- assumes the woman is both beautiful and morally pure
finish the quote, “and on that cheek….
and o’er that brow, so soft, so calm, yet eloquent”
analyse the quote, “and on that cheek, and o’er that brow, so soft, so calm, yet eloquent”
-narrator pays attention to other parts of the woman’s face- shows how attracted he is to her
-use of sibilance makes these lines sound soothing just like her “sweet” thoughts and “soft” smiles
