a wife in london

Question 1

who wrote the poem?

Answer 1

Thomas Hardy

Question 2

when was the poem composed?

Answer 2

2 months after the start of the Boer War (1899)

Question 3

what type of person was Hardy?

Answer 3

a pacifist

Question 4

is it positive or negative about war?

Answer 4

negative

Question 5

what does the poem illuminate?

Answer 5

illuminates the absurdity and tragedy that go hand-in-hand with violent conflict

Question 6

what is the poem a message of?

Answer 6

a message of war’s hopelessness- war cuts life short- needlessly affecting not just those immediately involved, but those back home as well

Question 7

what type of words are used?

Answer 7

light and simple words- the effect is heavy and real

Question 8

what does the opening reveal?

Answer 8

it reveals it will tell a tragedy- rest of a wife in London follows this simple, yet effective form of syntax

Question 9

what is significant about the title?

Answer 9

the determiner “a”- shows how it is a universal experience for many wives in London- highlights the impact of war as it can happen to anyone

Question 10

what is significant about the noun “wife”?

Answer 10

a passive word- her helplessness may show mankind’s inability to stop itself from going to war
there is another passive word in the poem- “sits”- highlights her helplessness

Question 11

what image does the first stanza create?

Answer 11

a simple yet beautiful picture- image of a young wife sitting alone in the dark, cold city of London

Question 12

“she sits…

Answer 12

in the tawny vapour”

Question 13

what is “tawny vapour” an example of and what does it link to?

Answer 13

an example of pathetic fallacy
setting suggests that decisions to go to war take place in a moral fog- war makes morality unclear

Question 14

what was “tawny vapour”?

Answer 14

a fog specific to London at the time- consisted of factory emissions and chimneys
“tawny vapour” is more manmade than natural- suggests war is more man-made than natural- tawny vapour creates a feeling of murkiness- hard to see clearly

Question 15

“the street lamp…

Answer 15

glimmers cold”

Question 16

what is significant about “the street lamp glimmers cold”?

Answer 16

foreshadowing- her “light” will fade soon
the street lamp should be hot, not cold
should be shining- not glimmering

Question 17

“a messenger’s…

Answer 17

knock cracks smartly”

Question 18

what is important about the “messenger’s knock”?

Answer 18

the silent cold of London is interrupted

Question 19

what is important about the “cracks smartly”?

Answer 19

he is about to bring pain

Question 20

“flashed news..

Answer 20

is in her hand”

Question 21

“of meaning…

Answer 21

it dazes to understand”

Question 22

“though shaped…

Answer 22

so shortly
He- has fallen- in the far South Land…

Question 23

what does the “though shaped so shortly” mean?

Answer 23

the letter is extremely short- shows the universal experience for all the wives- the letters are impersonal and generic

Question 24

what is significant about “he- has fallen- in the far South Land”…

Answer 24

euphemistic “fallen”- masks the horrible death he has endured

Question 25

what is significant about using the word "he"?

Answer 25

his identity is not revealed- again, the universal experience

Question 26

what is part 2 called?

Answer 26

the irony

Question 27

"'tis the morrow...

Answer 27

the fog hangs thicker"

Question 28

what does "the fog hangs thicker" mean?

Answer 28

the wife feels the pain more

Question 29

what does the second part allow for the reader?

Answer 29

allows the devastating news to sink in for the reader

Question 30

what dos the 3rd stanza portray?

Answer 30

a letter arrives from her husband one day after he dies- heightens the tragedy- like the letter came from the grave

Question 31

"by the...

Answer 31

firelight flicker"

Question 32

what does "by the firelight flicker" mean?

Answer 32

the light is flickering from the hope of the letter- her hope is flickering as she realises he died being in love with her and having hope

Question 33

what does the final stanza convey about the hopelessness of war?

Answer 33

the mismatch in content and timing between the telegram and letter develops the poem's central message of war's hopelessness

Question 34

"fresh- firm...

Answer 34

- penned in highest feather"

Question 35

what does "fresh- firm" mean?

Answer 35

the description of the lines symbolises the pain in the woman's heart- just like the letter, the pain is "fresh" and "firm"

Question 36

"page-full...

Answer 36

of his hoped return"

Question 37

what does his "hoped return" convey?

Answer 37

the irony- he was already dead by the time she received the letter- his hoped return

Question 38

"in the...

Answer 38

summer weather"

Question 39

what does "in the summer weather" mean?

Answer 39

summer- season of new life, light and hope it is deeply ironic as we can infer he died before Summer- hopeless seems these words were written beyond the grave

Question 40

"and of new love...

Answer 40

that they would learn"

Question 41

what does the final line do for the reader?

Answer 41

readers can experience the heart ache the women would have felt can also grasp the frailty of life and the futility of death

Question 42

what does "the fog hangs thicker" also convey about her as a widow now?

Answer 42

her new identity as a widow has sunk in

Question 43

"hoped returns" also conveys what?

Answer 43

this young and strong man was certain he would arrive home the man had confidence in his love- even though he faced perilous conditions, he knew he would arrive home and be with his wife this was snatched from a man so confident- heightens the sting of death- death was not expected by the man or his wife

Question 44

the phrase "He has fallen" shows what?

Answer 44

the unemotional language- it shows the disconnect between the unfeeling bureaucracy of war and the all too real tragedy it brings upon people

Question 45

what is the structure like?

Answer 45

5 lines per stanza the equal stanzas show her grief and mourning will constantly be in her life

Question 46

what does "in highest feather" mean?

Answer 46

her pain is at the "highest point"- in comparison to the letter being in highest humour/ form

Question 47

what does the rhyme scheme show?

Answer 47

the rhyme scheme is clear- showing a sense of inevitability of death in war

Question 48

what tense does Hardy use?

Answer 48

the present tense- to create a sense that this is a story unfolding before us- making it more dramatic and emotional