Song (Go and catch a falling star) Flashcards
What are some of the key concepts of the poem?
Satire, cynicism, flippant, comic, witty, adunata (list of impossibilities).
Define ‘adunata’ (list of impossibilities) in connection with the poem.
The poem derives ultimately from a classic tradition, that of likening the breach of love and friendship to a list of impossibilities (adunata).
What is the use of ‘satire’?
Mocking/undermining the unrealistic ideals that often form the subject matter of traditional poetry.
What is the target for the satire of this particular poem?
Bringing us into the modern era of Literature and challenging the idea of courtly love and gallantry (gender roles) by mocking it.
This is a different genre of poetry that Donne is portraying (OR) potentially a mockery of women.
What is the rhyme scheme and what does it suggest?
ababccddd
Suggests certainty - the voice is completely certain (see imperatives).
The rhyming triplet (repeated at the end of each
stanza) gives the poem a sing-song, lilting
quality. Possibly undermines what seems to be a
cynical (or even misogynistic) tone and actually
suggests that the speaker’s intent is merely comic.
What is the metre and what tone does this create?
Tetrameter (four stressed syllables - 8 in total)
- common rhythm of songs.
Playful, song-like, joyful - ironic contrast with content of the poem. Except for 7th and 8th lines: fragments, fractures the pattern. Break in the rhythm isolates the last line - sense of emphasis, powerful conclusion.
What is the significance of the caesura?
E.g at the end of the 2nd stanza for emphasis. Comic pause - also suggests that maybe beauty (“fair”) is more of a concern than truth. Juxtaposition between truth and physical beauty (perhaps).
How is grotesque imagery used?
Juxtaposing ideas of female beauty with grotesque imagery - heightens the mockery, sense of the ridiculous.
How is “pilgrimage” used in the poem?
Religious journey to a shrine - for the purposes of worship. A world of heightened religious observance.
