When You Are Old Flashcards
How many stanzas in when you are old
3 and it uses iambic pentameter
What perspective is when you are old wrote in
Second person narrative, eg ‘you’
What type of language is used in when you are old
Mostly simple and monosyllabic
What is the tone of when you are old
Tone is initially romantic and positive in the first stanza, but changes to one of regret and melancholy by the end of the poem
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Poem acts as a warning of the future ‘when you are’
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Use of 2nd person – talking directly to his former lover
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Typical depictions of an older person: grey, dozing, sitting by the fire
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Elongated assonance of ‘oo’ and ‘ee’ sounds help to produce effect of sadness
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Contrast of ‘many’ and ‘one man’
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Repetition of ‘loved’ – sense of something in the past
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Speaker feels his love was genuine in comparison with others – loved not just her beauty, but also her soul
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Use of religious connotations of ‘pilgrim’ relates to sincerity of his love.
‘Pilgrim’ also has connotations of a ‘wanderer’ – fickleness/restlessness of the woman?
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Personification of Love as it flees
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one full stop in the poem, at the end (stanzas 1 and 2 ending with semi-colons), reflecting the overflowing expression
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Romantic imagery of ‘Love’ hiding behind the stars
