The Key Note Flashcards
1
Q
The Keynote: Title
A
Keynote - estab. musical motif which indicates a unifying, harmonious act of joy.
2
Q
Keynote: Seasonal imagery
1. ‘N a i s s a s’
2. ‘I s t a s t/C b t w o m y’
A
- ‘Now autumn is so shrunk and sere’: seasonal symbolism indicates a withered and aged state, revealing that the speaker is perhaps of middle age, nearing the end of their life. ‘Autumn’: suggestive of a state of decay and decline, there is very minimal potential for prosperity and growth.
- ‘I scarcely think a sadder thing/Can be the winter of my year’: continuation of seasonal symbolism as a melancholy projection for the future as ‘Winter’ consolidates this idea of ‘end of life’ and a complete inability for a prosperous yield -> reinforces that ageing reduces one’s value.
AO3: In the Victorian era it was often believed that a woman was far from her prime by mid-age and thus lacked value - esp. if she was unmarried as she had clearly made no significant contributions to society.
3
Q
TKN: Renewed sense of positivity & vitality in life.
- ‘Y R s t W r’
- ‘t r j d’
- ‘-a w n I?’
A
- ‘Yet Robin sings thro’ Winter’s rest’ This breaks the speaker’s self-deprecating cycle as they appear hopeful as they witness nature’s continued perseverance and participation in traditional routines. The joyful act of ‘sings’ pierces the festering melancholy solitude of ‘Winter’s rest’ which evokes a sense of personal stasis as the speaker has become complacent in their own self-isolation, so by shattering this wallowing the speaker is able to thrive in the liberation that old age provides from social pressures.
- ‘their ruddy jewels don’: the vibrancy & vitality of the colour imagery suggests a reinvention of life or a renewed joy in spite of the harsh bleakness of ‘winter’s rest’.
- -and why not I?’ This self-reflexive question allows the speaker to reflect on all possibilities in life, reaching the highly subversive & protofeminist conclusion that the ageing woman DOES have value & can still participate in society.
