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English lit poems > when we two parted > Flashcards

when we two parted Flashcards

Lord Byron

1
Q

who wrote when we two parted

A

lord byron

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2
Q

CONTEXT - what type of lifestyle did byron lead

A

debauchery lifestyle

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3
Q

CONTEXT - what type of poet was he

A

romantic poet

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4
Q

CONTEXT - who was this poem written about

A

lady frances webster
who he was having an affair with at the time
she ended relationship with him

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5
Q

CONTEX - quote about byron

A

mad bad and dangerous to know

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6
Q

CONTEXT - what was byron veiwed as by people

A
  • a celebrity
  • popular eith women and conducted a vast number of affairs with women of high status
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7
Q

why did byron write this poem

A

to shame the woman

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8
Q

what type of poem is when we two parted

A

lyric poetry = expresses emotions

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9
Q

how does byron depict himself in the poem

A

a passive victim of decietful women

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10
Q

LANGUAGE - what does the use of “thee” show us

A
  1. thee shows intimacy
  2. thee had gone out of fashion so he uses archaic language to show his love and grief is timeless
  3. thee is still found in religious circles and in marriage vows = shows relationship is sacred (along with “vows”)
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11
Q

LANGUAGE - what does “half broken - hearted” show us

A
  1. both are partially broken
  2. the more liekly he is the only one broken
    • shows us the relationship is not loving or equal
      - byron wants to seem victimised by heartless woman as he is broken and she is not
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12
Q

LANGUAGE - sensory description quotes

A

“hear” “knell” “ shudder”

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13
Q

LANGUAGE - what do the sensory description laguage tell us

A
  • the relationship is only physical and not serious (then I will contrast this by showing how he thinks it is serious)
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14
Q

LANGUAGE - “vows” shows us

A
  • could be her affair
  • (in depth) = him and her are meant to be together as he uses marriage language to suggest they had an as sacred realtionship as a marriage (contrats sensory description point)
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15
Q

LANGUAGE - “knell” (funeral bell)

A
  • feeling he has for her are dead
  • or relationship has ended
  • as “they name thee before me” comes before this line it could show when he hears of her it kills him emotionally
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16
Q

LANGUAGE - what type of word is “knell”

A

shows a metaphor, noun

17
Q

LANGUAGE - what type of word is “vows”

A

solemn promise
abstract noun

18
Q

LANGUAGE - what are the quotes that show anaphora

A
  • in the last stanza
    “IN secret we met - // IN silence i grieve, “
  • at the start
    “ IN silence and tears,”
19
Q

LANGUAGE - what does the anaphora show us
(anaphora is repeating same first word)

A
  • the poet is doomed to repetitive nature of feelings and loss of grief
  • inability to move on
20
Q

LANGUAGE - what is the quote that shows poetic inversion

A

” in silence i greive”

21
Q

LANGUAGE - what does the poetic inversion on “in silence i grieve” show us

A
  • it emphaiszes the noun “silence” using the poetic inversion and shows the poet is silent due to his grief and is broken
22
Q

LANGUAGE - how is there religious context/imagery on the quote “ they know not i knew thee”

A
  • to “know” someone according to the bible, old testement - means sex
  • because byron uses other religious language like “vows” we can interpret it this way
  • this biblical reference shows us he felt the relationship was honourable and sacred even though he was commiting adultery
23
Q

LANGUAGE - what does the very last line “with silence and tears” show us

A
  • repetition to the start of the poem
    • cyclical nature of love he feels
    • also stuck in in an inescapable, repetitive, cyclical nautre of relationship and the pain he feels
  • which overall shows us his inability to move on
24
Q

LANGUAGE - what other word is there repetition on

A
  • long
  • “long, long shall i rue thee”
  • “after long years”
    -> adjective repeated 3 times shows us he is unable to move on
25
Q

STRUCTURE - when does the sonnet stop

A

at line 13 “thy vows are all broken” is the first line to break the sonnet form

26
Q

STRUCTURE - what does the break of sonnet form show us

A
  • the poet originally follows sonnet form at the beginning showing us he though the relationship was true and worthy of sonnet form which shows love poetry
  • but it stops when he hears of he infidelity with a different man (could link to context here)
27
Q

STRUCTURE - what else symbolises the stop of sonnet form

A
  • the caesura on the last line of the “sonnet”
    -> “ Of what i feel now.”
  • the fullstop is crucial as it physically reflects the stop in the sonnet
28
Q

STRUCTURE - where do the tense shifts happen

A
  • the first stanza is in the past
  • the present starts at the end of the sonnet
  • the future is at the very end, in the last stanza
29
Q

STRUCTURE - what does the tense shift to future at the end show us

A
  • the pain afflicted on him will last forever
  • unable to move on
30
Q

STRUCTURE - what does the tense shift to the present show us

A
  • relationship changes with information
  • (of her affair with somone else (context)) and perfect sonnet form dissapears
  • shows us he feels heartbroken ?
31
Q

STRUCTURE - what type of verse is used in the poem

A

accentual verse

32
Q

STRUCTURE - when does the accentual verse end

A

“pale grew thy cheek and cold,”
- she is becoming cold to him which is reflected in the structure as the strutcrue is broken and he is rejected

33
Q

STRUCTURE - what does it tell us that the accentual verse stops

A
  • shows a break in a pattern as sturcture is broken
  • so he feels broken and rejected
  • reflects shock he felt when rejected
34
Q

is there a regular rhycme schee

A

yes, regular = links to his repetitive grief

35
Q

MEANING - what is the general idea of WWTP

A

a deciet poem, he is wanting to be percieved as a perfect gentleman and the woman broke his heart, so he shames her with this poem

36
Q

important quotes

A
  1. “pale grew thy cheek and cold”
  2. ” thy vows are all broken”
  3. ” a knell in mine ear”
  4. ” in silence and tears” , “in silence we met - // in silence i grieve”
  5. “they know not i knew thee”
  6. “thee”
  7. “half broken hearted”
  8. “long, long shall i rue thee” , “after long years”
37
Q

how is “they know not i knew thee” ambiguous

A
  • we don’t know who “they” is
  • it could be the public or his social circle as he is trying to shame Lady. F W
38
Q

LANGUAGE - “a knell to mine ear”

A
  • metaphor
  • hyperbolises grief and anguish

English lit poems (1 decks)

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