The Farmer’s Bride (P)

Question 1

Exposition

“Three Summers since I chose a maid.”

Answer 1

A01:
The farmer describes his 3 year long marriage to his bride

A02:
**The dramatic monologue ** showcases the farmer’s dominance
The subservient noun “maid” suggests he expects his wife to be a worker and serve the house as well as him especially on the farm- almost like a milk maid

A03
Contextually the dominance and patriarchy of the 1900s

Question 2

Mid-point

“I’ve hardly heard her speak at all.”

Answer 2

A01:
The farmer ponders on the quietness of his wife

A02:
the stifled adverb “hardly” referring to how much she speaks suggests she is introverted and has no drive to seek the farmer out for company
The italicised personal pronoun “I’ve” further shows this and perhaps shows she speaks to other people more comfortably such as the animals she tends to

A03:
The quiet meekness of women in the 1900s as they are expected to work and not be heard but perhaps to not that extent

Question 3

Denouement

“The soft young down of her, the brown, /
The brown of her – her eyes, her hair, her hair!”

Answer 3

A01:
The farmer becomes persistent in his needs and the poem takes a more possessive tone

A02
Animalistic noun “down” sensory detail emphasises intimacy and possibly predatory closeness – sensual, intimate. Once again animalistic and reinforcing youth/vulnerability as down is associated with young birds/close to the skin .
Internal rhyme “down”/”brown”/”brown”– his fixation on aspects of her physical appearance; he is “stuck” on these intimate details, consumed by the thought of them.

A03:
Perhaps shows the frustration in marriage when one partner is ready for a more intimate relationship and the other is not