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english literature > She walks in Beauty > Flashcards

She walks in Beauty Flashcards

1
Q

who wrote the poem?

A

Lord Byron

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2
Q

what are the main themes of the poem?

A
  • love and relationships
  • worship (?)
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3
Q

what are the possible links?

A
  • cozy apologia (love)
  • valentine (love)
  • Sonnet 43 (religious lang to describe love)
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4
Q

what is the poem about?

A
  • narrator describes the woman’s attractiveness and purity/inner goodness
  • he suggests that her appearance reflects her personality
  • considered a love poem despite the poet never actually declaring that love
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5
Q

what is the form of the poem?

A
  • iambic tetrameter
  • ABABAB CDCDCD EFEFEF rhyme scheme (regular)
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6
Q

what does the rhyme scheme of the poem do?

A

the regular rhyme scheme reflects the enduring nature of the woman’s beauty and how she is a balance of different qualities

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7
Q

what does the enjambment do?

A

suggests the narrator is overwhelmed by the woman’s beauty

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8
Q

why does Byron use iambic tetrameter?

A
  • because it is a lyric
  • adds momentum to the lines which could reflect the narrator’s pursuit of the woman
  • also makes it seem more sincere because the iambs mimic natural way we speak
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9
Q

what movement is Lord Byron a part of?

A

the romantic movement

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10
Q

what do romantic era poets write about?

A
  • nature
  • feelings
  • freedom
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11
Q

who was the poem inspired by?

A

Mrs Wilmott (his cousin’s wife), met at either a party or funeral

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12
Q

what is Lord Byron’s reputation?

A

mad, bad, and dangerous

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13
Q

was this poem more or less scandalous than Byron’s usual poems?

A

it was more restrained

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14
Q

what is the first stanza about?

A

her physical beauty

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15
Q

what is the second stanza about?

A

her balance of perfection

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16
Q

what is the last stanza about?

A

her inner beauty/goodness

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17
Q

what is antithesis?

A

where contrasting ideas are reinforced by a repeated structure

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18
Q

what kind of imagery does Byron use?

A

night imagery and light ad dark imagery, which is unusual for the time as the conventional idea of beauty was compared to light

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19
Q

what is one thing the night sky reflects about the woman?

A

the purity of the night sky reflects the innocent personality of the woman

20
Q

what does Byron breaking the woman down into individual body parts show?

A

it shows how much he admires her as he sees beauty in all parts of her

21
Q

what are the overall feelings and attitudes in the poem?

A
  • admiration
  • attentiveness
  • awe
  • wonder
  • infatuation
22
Q

what are the first two lines?

A

She walks in beauty, like the night / Of cloudless climes and starry skies

23
Q

what is the structure of the poem?

A

3 stanzas, 6 lines in each

24
Q

why is the title ‘she walks in beauty’?

A

‘she’ adds an air of mystery because he doesn’t know her - she could be anyone. ‘walks’ could imply that everything about her is beautiful, not just her appearance but even the way she moves. also suggests she brings the beauty with her everywhere. also present tense makes the woman’s beauty immortal

25
what extended simile does Byron use?
he uses the extended simile of the night to describe the woman's appearance
26
what are the annotations of 'like the night'?
- extended simile - could symbolise that this woman is different to all the other women he has admired - breaks the ordinary conventions of romantic poetry by emphasising how attractive her darkness is
27
what are the annotations of 'cloudless climes and starry skies;'?
- imagery is romantic and mysterious, just like the woman he's describing - imagery also suggests the woman's beauty is pure - he could also be suggesting she is like the stars and lights the darkness up, and is unobtainable - alliteration also highlights the contrast between light and dark, this woman represents the best of both
28
what are the last four lines of the first stanza?
And all that's best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes: / Thus mellowed to that tender light / Which Heaven to gaudy day denies
29
what are the annotations of 'best of dark and bright'?
- the woman is the ideal mix of dark and bright things, the poem suggests this is better than being just one or the other - also could suggest that dark and bright come together in the woman to create perfection and balance
30
what are the annotations of 'tender light / which Heaven to gaudy day denies'?
could imply that her beauty is understated and natural and he admires how effortless her beauty is. also reinforces the idea that the woman is beautiful because sheis a balance of day and darkness
31
what is the second stanza?
One shade the more, one ray the less, / Had half impaired the nameless grace / Which waves in every raven tress, / or softly lightens o'er her face; / Where thoughts serenely sweet express, / How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
32
what is the technique used in 'One shade the more, one ray the less,'?
antithesis
33
what are the annotations of 'nameless grace'?
- the adjective suggests that the woman is so beautiful it can't even be put into words - also sibilance which is a nice sounding sound - could reflect her beauty and goodness
34
why does Byron use lots of verbs to do with movement? ('walks', 'waves', 'lightens')
makes the poem sound like a lively real-time description, rather than a rose tinted melody
35
what are the annotations of 'raven tress'?
adjective could suggest a sense of danger because ravens are predatory birds, could also reflect that she is not easily won over. he is also breaking the stereotypical sense of beauty, showing the appeal and intrigue of darkness and mystery
36
what are the annotations of 'thoughts serenely sweet'?
- he admires her inner beauty - her sweet thoughts match her external beauty - also sibilance is soothing, like her 'sweet' thoughts and 'soft' smiles
37
what is the last stanza?
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow, / So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, / The smiles that win, the tints that glow, / But tell of days in goodness spent, / A mind at peace with all below, / A heart whose love is innocent!
38
what are the annotations of 'And on that cheek, and o'er that brow'?
he focuses on different parts of her face which shows how attracted he is to her
39
what is the technique used in 'so soft, so calm'?
sibilance
40
what are the annotations of 'yet eloquent'?
could suggest that her beauty is clear and sophisticated
41
what are the annotations of 'the smiles that win'?
he could be saying she has the best smile he has ever seen, or also could be saying that she draws people in with her smiles
42
what are the annotations of 'days in goodness spent'?
he is admiring her innocence and her kindness and tells us that the woman has lived a moral life
43
what effect does putting 'A mind' and 'A heart' at the start of the line have?
they are the first stressed syllables in the lines which puts emphasis on them, which shows how much the narrator values these things
44
why is the word 'love' only mentioned in the last line?
- could suggest that he is just physically attracted to her and doesn't actually love her - or could suggest that by writing the poem in the order he does, it shows the process of falling in love with someone and he realises at the end that he does love her
45
why is her heart's love described as 'innocent'?
either because she has never been in love or because her love is virtuous and pure

english literature (43 decks)

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