Context Flashcards
(15 cards)
Ozymandias
Percy Bysshe Shelly believed in anti-monarchy, was an atheist and wanted to end oppression. Ramses II (Pharaoh from 1279BC to 1239BC), had the throne name ‘Ozymandias’ and is the main subject in the poem. King George III (the ruler at the time the poem was written) also had a big impact on the poem as he ruled for the longest out of all Kings and was purely remembered for tyranny.
London
William Blake lived most of his life in England and saw it corrupted and overtaken by greed and misery. He wrote in simple language so that it would be accessible to all. He also believed in anti-monarchy and thought of women as equal. He even taught his wife literary skills. The poem is set during the Industrial Revolution, and he experienced all the mass movements to the city from the countryside.
The Prelude: Stealing the Boat
William Wordsworth was born in the Lake District and had a troubled childhood as he lacked a good relationship with his Father, during his adolescence both his parents passed and he was split up from his siblings. He avoided his Mother’s family as they treated him so badly that he considered suicide, he developed a deep affection for the Lake District as he spent so much time there admiring the beauty of nature.
My Last Duchess
Robert Browning was born in London but spent most of his life in Italy. He married Elizabeth Barret in 1845 against her father’s permission and kept a secret from her father. The poem was set in a different era and time so that the true message of the criticism of society was hidden and therefore easily accepted. Browning had strong patriarchal views and social mobility views in terms of class and gender.
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, had an unhappy childhood caused by his abusive father who left his family in fear for their safety. However, Tennyson received a great education through his middle-class family and rich relatives who allowed him to attend grammar schools. The Crimean War (referenced within the poem) was the most documented war at the time, the Light Brigade was mainly comprised of lower-class civilians lightly armoured and on horseback.
Exposure
Wilfred Owen pursued a career in a church but ended up as a soldier in WWI, unfortunately, he was killed one week before the armistice (end of WWI). During the war, Owen suffered from shellshock and was advised by his therapist to write about his experiences at war. War poetry was a new concept at the time as there hadn’t been a major war in over 100 years. During the early 20th century war was romanticised to the point that it gained a mythical status.
Storm on the Island
Seamus Heaney is a Northern Irish poet who lived in Northern Ireland briefly until he moved to the Republic where he wrote many poems often based on the landscape and rural life in Ireland. He often used nature as a metaphor for human nature to explore identity. He is said to prefer writing about the violence of nature compared to the beauty of it.
Bayonet Charge
Ted Hughes, was known for writing about war yet never experiencing it firsthand as he was only a child during WWII, although he did see the effect of war on his town after the end of the war however, Hughes’ father did fight in WWI and was one of the only seventeen Lancaster Fusiliers to survive the Gallipoli campaign leaving him traumatised for life. He studied mythology and often including a small mythological symbol such as a yellow hare in Bayonet Charge.
Remains
Simon Armitage became poet laureate in 2019. He is also a novelist and playwright. His poetry focuses on relatable themes and ideas. He made a documentary about the impacts of war on soldiers returning home. It raised awareness of PTSD, and later, he created a few poems that also focused on PTSD. Armitage’s poem helped raise awareness and incite sympathy.
Poppies
Jane Weir lived in Northern Ireland and had two sons who may have influenced her desire to explore what caused young boys to go to war and fight. The poem was created as a sign of remembrance, Weir used symbols such as armstice Sunday and poppies to imply this.
War Photographer
Carol Ann Duffy was the UK’s poet laureate from 2009 to 2019. She is friends with two famous war photographers, hence her interest in the difficulties and responsibilities posed by the role. The poem was written ten years after the end of the Vietnam War.
Tissue
Imtiaz Dharker was born in Pakistan but raised in Scotland, the poem comes from a collection called “Terrorist at My Table” focused on global politics, terrorism and extremism. She presents the idea that humans don’t have the right attitude towards life this view was reflected by her husband who suffered from cancer for eleven years before dying which demonstrated the temporary nature of life.
The Emigrée
Carol Rumens lived mostly in London but also in Northern Island and Wales and she also travelled throughout Russia and Eastern Europe, most of her writing is based on foreign customs, cultures and language. The poem is part of a collection based on political consciousness. (She lived in Poland for a bit (sigma))
Kamikaze
Beatrice Garland took inspiration from many other poets and has won prizes for her poetry. When writing Kamikaze she was inspired to look into why people would die for their countries. In Japan, during that time those who volunteered to do this honourable deed but returned home safe were ignored and treated like cowards for not dying for their countries.
Checking Out Me History
John Agard was born in Guyana but received an English education as his country was colonised up until 1966 therefore he was given Eurocentric views of history whilst being denied his own. Eventually, he saw his country become independent and realised how much of his identity he was deprived of.
