sonnet 43 by elizabeth barett browning

Question 1

summary of poem

Answer 1

-the poem is written in the first person
-the poem begins with the question ‘how do i love thee?’ and there are 11 ways on how she loved her partner

Question 2

11 ways she loves her husband

Answer 2

1.As far as her soul can reach
2.In everyday things
3.As men strive to do good things
4.Without expecting anything in return
5.with passion
6.with faith
7.In the way she once idolised others
8.Breath
9.smiles
10.tears
11.Better after they have died and remain together

Question 3

form of the poem

Answer 3

a petrachan sonnet-unlike a traditional English sonnet,this makes the poem seem more exotic and perhaps romantic,sonnets are traditionally associated with love

Question 4

tone of the poem

Answer 4

iambic pentameter-creates a steady heart beat rhythm connected to her passion

Question 5

voice of the poem

Answer 5

lyric-Barrett Browning uses lots of sound effects including alliteration and assonance that make the poem sound song-like and create a sense of harmony and happiness

Question 6

context

Answer 6

1.barett browning met robert browning after he red one of her books and began writing to one another
2.They eloped and married in Italy for which her father never forgave her
3.one of 44 poems about her husband

Question 7

‘how do I love thee’

Answer 7

The poem opens with a hypophora-a rhetorical question that she then answers as she attempts to define her love

Question 8

“Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light”

Answer 8

This line emphasizes the quiet, constant nature of the speaker’s love. “Sun and candle-light” represent the cycles of day and night, signifying that her love is steady, enduring, and ever-present, regardless of time or circumstance.