cousin kate Flashcards
context
The Class System – Although the class
system was less fixed than in earlier history,
class divisions still separated different people
in society from one another. Society was
made up of aristocrats and noble families, middle classes, and
working classes, and social mobility was difficult. For example,
it was integral for both the man and the woman to marry
someone of a suitable class and reputation. It would bring
shame on a family for someone to marry too much out of lust
and below the family class/reputation.
language
Similes and Metaphors – A number of similes and
metaphors run throughout the poem, figuratively
representing the complex behaviours and emotions at play.
For example, in stanza 2, the speaker compares herself to
different clothing garments when in the presence of the lord
(like a silken knot, like a glove), showing that he viewed her
merely as a garment – an accessory that could be changed at
his pleasure. The speaker also uses the ring to jealously
symbolise the lord’s entrapment of Kate, in stanza 4.
structure
The narrative is revealed almost chronologically.
In the opening stanza, the speaker recalls the lord picking her
out, whilst the second details their relationship. The third
stanza is the point at which the lord first sees Kate, and in the
fourth he weds her. In the fifth and sixth stanzas, the speaker
reveals her feelings, and hers and Kate’s differing lives now.
how the conflict is presented
The conflict which has arisen in the poem is between the two women, the speaker and Kate, as a result of the Lord’s actions.
