The Lost Leader

Question 1

What is the message behind the poem?

Answer 1

Browning was unhappy with poet William Wordsworth and his shift from fiery liberalism to political conservatism implying Browning`s scorn for desertion of principles for gain.

Although the accepted view is that the poem is based on Wordsworth, Browning leaves this ambiguous throughout the poem through his use of deictic and therefore should not be assumed.

Question 2

Speaker

Answer 2

Browning has used the speaker as a vehicle to voice his own opinions through homodigetic narration within this dramatic monolouge. The speaker creates a worldwide appeal for freedom of speech connoted through the use of 2nd person making the poem public and to be recepted by a wide audience justifying their heightened rhetoric and strong punctuation.

Question 3

Meter

Answer 3

The poem features a Catalectic meter-(|..|..|..||)
Resembles going into battle.
The use of the repeated caesura (dash) in the second stanza corrupts this rhythm almost providing the reader with a sense of call and response epitomising the idea of a battle march.

Question 4

Rhyme

Answer 4

The rhyme scheme is ABCB, this rigid structured scheme illustrates the carefully planned out thoughts Brownings persona has against the "leader". It could also connote Brownings promotion of freedom of speech and justice within an oppressive system of money and personal prerogative.

Question 5

Structure

Answer 5

Throughout the poem, the lexis and grammar transcends through a linear, progressive narrative, transitioning from hell and a semantic field of negativity and failure to heaven and prosper and freedom. Structurally, it takes the form of a liberal speech.

Question 6

Temporal setting

Answer 6

The poem presents a passing of time through a transformative structure.
Presents temporal deixis in the first stanza through the use of past tense which changes to present tense and then future tense.
Time is a metaphorical representation of the spacial setting as a move from hell to heaven implies time passing.

Question 7

Spacial setting

Answer 7

The modifier “lost”, emphasised by the pre-determiner “The” is satirical as it is illuminating the contingent spacial setting thus making the title “Leader seem nonsensical.
Since there is no literal place, you must think of metaphorical places. Transition between heaven and hell for example.