The Pains Of Sleep Flashcards
Context
1803- Coleridge temporarily reunited with wife and daughter called Sara
However Coleridge was far from peace
He suffered from poor health and bouts of depression and frequently suffered from nightmares so terrible that sometimes his own screams would wake him up
Misguidingly continued using opium to give him a sense of well being
Autobiographical lyric with regular 8 syllables per line although rhyme scheme is more varied
Not iambic pentameter
What are the feelings you get when you wake up from a nightmare
Relief
A01
How does Coleridge usually pray before going to sleep
Stanza 1
Like child- bend knees before bed
Ere my bed my limbs I lay
Bender knees
Stanza 1
A01
Why is love capitalised and how does this link with his religious beliefs
Reference to God
‘My spirit I to Love’
Stanza 1
A01
What sounds create a sense of peace in this stanza
Sibilants and rhyme patterns
‘Knees’ ‘degrees’ / rhyming couplets - nursery rhymes
Stanza 2
A01
How does Coleridge describe the spiritual and mental battle he experiences in his nightmares
Look at alliteration, adjectives and assonance
‘Anguish’ ‘Agony’ - alliteration
‘Soul stifling shame’l
Stanza 2
A01
What is Coleridge confused about in his nightmares, shown by his contrasting use of language and antonyms
‘Desire’
‘Loathing’
Stanza 3
A01
What is the impact of Coleridge’s nightmares in the day time and how is the 3rd night different from those before
Sleep - ‘distemper’s worst calamity’ —> doesn’t soothe him
Third night
‘I wept as I had been a child…/
My anguish to a milder mood’
—> therepeautic
Stanza 3
A01
What religious interpretations does Coleridge give to nightmares
What do 2 final couplets suggest he believes about himself
He deserves nightmares due to sin
‘To be beloved is all I need/
And whom I love, I love indeed’
He believes he needs to be loved and he loves others
Significance of the title
The Pains of Sleep
A blessing can be taken away
It is tarnished due to sleep
A05 interpretation
The pain of sleep is about the severity of opinion induced hallucinations that Coleridge suffered
YES
Theme
Childhood
‘I wept as I had been a child’
‘Bended knees’
Theme
Religious imagery
I am weak yet not unblessed
In me, round me, everywhere/ Eternal strength and wisdom are’
