She walks in beauty - analysis Flashcards
“She walks in Beauty”
pronoun ‘she’ suggest an air of mystery around the woman because he doesn’t know her. could be anyone
verb ‘walk’ imply everything about her is beautiful and not just her physical appearance that he admires but everything about her (the way she moves)
“like the night”
no punctuation (enjambment)
uses this simile to symbolise the woman is different to other women he has admired. he breaks ordinary conventions of romantic poetry by emphasising how attractive her darkness is e.g Shakespeare compares someone to a ‘summers’ day.
“of cloudless climes and starry skies;”
imagery used is romantic + mysterious just like the woman he is describing. Bryson could be suggesting she is like the stars in the sky + is both lighting up the darkness and unobtainable
“dark and bright”
contrast used throughout poem. suggest both ‘dark’ and ‘bright’ come together in this woman to create perfection + balance. blend in her looks
“tender light…Heaven…gaudy”
Heaven - religious language
tender light + gaudy - imply her beauty is understated +natural. he admires how effortless her beauty is (radiant)
“one shade the more, one ray the less,”
technique - caesura
admiring her perfection. Mrs Wilmott is perfectly symmetrical or balanced in light + dark (embodiment of her)
“raven tress”
adjective ‘raven’ suggest an elect of danger about the woman, also breaking conventions of the stereotypical sense of beauty. showing appeal + intrigue of such darkness + mystery
“where thoughts serenely sweet express”
serenely sweet express - assonance
where thoughts serenely - admiring not only her physical appearance but inner beauty. her ‘sweat’ thoughts match her external beauty. praises her mind
‘how pure’
innocence, moral virtues
“yet eloquent”
adjective suggest her beauty is clear + sophisticated
“the smiles that win”
in this stanza, he is zooming into specific details of her face. suggest that she has the best smile he has ever seen
“goodness spent”
admiring her innocence + kindness
“love”
why does byron only mention love in last line?
- just physically attracted to her so doesn’t ‘love’ her
- or suggests he wrote poem in order of the process of falling in ‘love’ with someone + he realises at the end that he does ‘love’ her
