Techniques Flashcards
“To follow knowledge like a sinking star, / Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.”
Assonance; highlights Tennyson’s core belief of heroism to live out life, seeking new knowledge until the end.
“And drunk delight of battle with my peers, / Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.”
Allusion; reference to the great battle of Troy, romanticising battle and representing heroism of the moment. Also alludes to Greek mythology as a whole, which features historical ballads and epics celebrating and acknowledging heroism and masculinity.
“The thunder and sunshine, and opposed / Free hearts, free foreheads - you and I are old.”
Antithesis; depicts masculinity and heroism overcoming any obstacle, including the matter of living on after losing close companions and nearing mortality.
“That’s my Last Duchess painted on the wall, / Looking as if she were alive.”
Simile; (double meaning) comparison to how realistic the painting is, but also how the Duchess was mistreated and objectified while she was alive.
Ulysses (rhythm)
Iambic pentameter; imitates a human heart, symbolising Ulysses’ unwillingness to make peace with death and determination to keep living on.
Ulysses (form)
Dramatic Monologue; insight into his thoughts and personal beliefs on the world (in this case how to live a good life).
My Last Duchess (literary technique)
Dramatic Irony; exposes the Duke’s narcissistic and controlling nature through the way he describes the Duchess.
My Last Duchess (form)
Dramatic Monologue; insight into the Duke’s true intentions and his controlling character in relation to his past wife. Reveals the true nature of Victorian men and how they (and society) treated women.
My Last Duchess (rhythm)
Iambic Pentameter; mimics the style of a conversational tone.
“Sir ‘twas not / Her husband’s presence only,”
Enjambment; represents Duke’s increasing tension and racing thoughts, revealing his irrational jealousy (to control his wife).
“This grew; I gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together.”
Euphemism; tension builds up, directly infers to the Duke’s controlling attitudes, and death is very sudden, implying that he was involved in the Duchess’ murder.
The Return (form)
Free Verse; no rhythm, no rhyme, doesn’t set into an easy rhythm, this represented the tentative movements of the Gods returning, represented the uncertainty and confusion people experienced after WWI.
“The trouble in the pace and the uncertain / Wavering!”
Enjambment; (double meaning) literally in the poem movement is uncertain and the reader is forced to jump from line to line. It also depicts the unsteady movements and uncertain feelings of those that are returning - this was true for most people after the war.
“As if the snow should hesitate / And murmur in the wind,”
Simile; even the natural elements that should be consistent are hesitating, their movements are irregular, representing how truly impacted and unorganised people were during the Modernist era.
