Context Flashcards
(36 cards)
1
Q
when was The Manhunt published?
A
2007
2
Q
The Manhunt context
A
- the Bosnian war was between 1992-1995
- it was a very violent war
- UN peacemakers were sent to protect civilians
- Eddie Beddoes was a British soldier, turned peacekeeper
- Eddie suffered from PTSd
- this poem is also sometimes called ‘Laura’s poem’ after Eddie’s wife
3
Q
when was Sonnet 43 published?
A
1850
4
Q
Sonnet 43 context
A
- alive in the early 1800s
- born into a reasonably wealthy family: her father owned plantations in Jamaica, however Elizabeth vocally opposed slavery
- devoutly Christian, describing her faith as ‘the wild visions of an enthusiast’ and general society was very pious at this time
- ill and frail for most of her life - the medication she took for this may have resulted in her wild imagination
- had many family deaths and difficult family relationships - felt guilty for the death of her second brother as he had been visiting her when he died in a sailing accident
- her father threatened to disown her when she got married
- married Robert Browning who was also a Victorian writer
- Robert began writing to Elizabeth in the 1840s, after some of her literary success
- they communicated in secret as Elizabeth knew her father wouldn’t approve
- amongst the correspondence, Elizabeth wrote Robert a series of sonnets, however she as opposed to the idea
- some critics view Browning as a romantic poet
5
Q
when was London published?
A
1794
6
Q
London context
A
- Blake was alive between the 18th and 19th century
- he was an English poet, painter and printmaker
- he didn’t have a great reputation as people thought his views were peculiar
- he was born, grew up in, and spent most of his life in London
- was only formally educated until he was 10
- he and his family were English Dissenters (a type of Protestantism that had separated from the Church of England) because they disagreed with ‘state interference’
- published ‘Songs of Innocence’ in 1789, which was a collection of positive poetry about childhood and nature
- published ‘Songs of Experience’ in 1794, in which Blake criticised and attacked the church, other elements of contemporary society and the ‘city’ - ‘London’ is a part of this collection
- he was a Romantic poet
- he first supported the French Revolution, but later criticised it for turning into chaos and violence
- ‘London’ was written during the Industrial Revolution
- a time of mass change in London; factories opened up across the city, proving the lower classes with difficult, dangerous and poorly paid jobs
- factories caused pollution and London was covered in a thick, black smog and nature was ruined
- class divisions increased, there were those who ruled and those who were ruled
- the population of London doubled between 1600 and 1700
7
Q
when was The Soldier published?
A
1914
8
Q
The Soldier context
A
- enlisted to fight when WW1 broke out in 1914, he was 27 years old
- prior to WW1, he had recieved an education from the University of Cambridge
- he was very popular, and was especially well-connected in the university’s literary circles
- prior to WW1, he travelled widely and completed some journalistic work, although he did suffer from homesickness from time to time
- Brooke wrote a sequence of sonnets that were collectively title 1914 - ‘The Soldier’ is the fifth and final sonnet in this collection
- he wrote these before he had fought in the war
- ‘The Soldier’ was published in the Times Literary Supplement in 1915 and read in St Paul’s Cathedral on Eastern Sunday in that year
- Brooke became a literary celebrity, as these poems caught the spirit of the times with a country yet to feel the full impact of war
- Brooke died in April 1915 on a ship from sepsis that he got from an infected mosquito bite
- he never actually fought in WW1 on the front line
- his poetry collection ‘1914 & Other Poems’ was published the month after he died - it was immensely popular, in part due to his celebrity status, and the fact that he was dead
- he was buried in Skyros, Greece, as this was where the ship was moored at the time
- influenced John Gillespie Magee (a celebrated war poet)
- his poems promote sacrifice of life for a greater good
9
Q
when was She Walks in Beauty published?
A
1814
10
Q
She Walks in Beauty context
A
- born in 1788 and died in 1824
- described by a former lover as ‘Mad, bad, and dangerous to know’
- a Romantic poet, politician, and eventual revolutionary
- a celebrity - famous for both his writing and his aristocratic excesses
- involved in a number of sex scandals including high profile married women
- became sexually involved with men at a time where homosexuality was illegal, including teenage boys - this could link to how his stepfather did the same to him as a child
- incestuously involved with his half sister
- had a deformed foot
- spent lots of time travelling Europe and was in a lot of literary circles
- friends with Percy Bysshe Shelley
- this poem was published in 1815 in the collection ‘Hebrew Melodies’ and it is intended to be accompanied by music
- this poem was inspired when Byron met his cousins wife at his funeral
- drunk out of skulls
- was inspiration for the first ever vampire book and Frankenstein
- committed incest with his half sister
- he had a pet bear
- one of the first celebrities to ever recieve fan-mail (Byromania)
- became a Lord at 10 years old
- his daughter is Ada Lovelace
- was interested in Armenian culture
- he is a considered a Greek national hero and died in Greek exile at 34 years old
11
Q
when was Living Space published?
A
1997
12
Q
Living Space context
A
- Imtiaz Dharker is a multi-cultural poet
- she was born in Pakistan, raised in Scotland, and she lives in the UK and Mumbai, India
- she is a contemporary poet
- Dharker uses her multicultural perspective throughout her writing
- as a poet, artist and filmmaker, Dharker tries to raise awareness of how people in other cultures live
- won Queen’s gold medal
- ‘Postcards from Odd’ is the collection in which this poem was written
- home, journeys and identities are her main themes in writing
- she has both a Westernised and cultural viewpoint
13
Q
when was As Imperceptibly as Grief written?
A
1880
14
Q
As Imperceptibly as Grief context
A
- American poet in the 19th century
- obsessed with and afraid of death
- when she was 14 one of her closest friends died of typhus and this traumatised her, so she was sent away to stay with her family in Boston to recover
- between the ages of 10 and 25, her bedroom window overlooked a cemetery in which 5 of her friends were buried; lots of her poems focus on domesticity
- had a religious revival in 1845 and had a temporary religious experience - it is suggested in some of her writing that she practiced her faith at home and abandoned formal worship, which would have been outrageous at this time
- she was an avid writer of letters
- she was a recluse
- acted as a carer for her mother from the 1850s till her mother died in 1882 (this poem was written during this time)
- mostly published posthumously, which shows how most of her writing was personal as it was not intended for an audience
15
Q
when was Cozy Apologia published?
A
2004
16
Q
Cozy Apologia context
A
- contemporary American poet
- been publishing poetry since the 1980s
- former US poet laureate (1990s)
- won a Pulitzer Prize for her writing
- combines the historical with the personal in her writing
- married to another writer called Fred Viebahn
- has lived in Virginia since 1989
- a very powerful hurricane that struck the east coast of the USA in 1999 that lasted for 12 days
- this poem is set during the tumult of this hurricane
- people who lived in costal regions as far north as North Carolina were evacuated - 4th largest evacuation in American history
- caused mass floods and $6.5 billion damages
- 87 people died in total, including 4 from Virginia
- 6th largest hurricane ever recorded
17
Q
when was Valentine published?
A
1993
18
Q
Valentine context
A
- contemporary Scottish poet and former poet laureate
- her writing explores ideas about gender, oppression and sexuality
- she is openly part of the LGBTQ+ community and was the first female, gay poet laureate
- this poem was first written when a radio station asked Duffy to write an original poem for Valentine’s Day
- Duffy is a feminist
- she writes about unhappy relationships from a female perspective
- she ran away with an older man when she was 15 years old
19
Q
when was A Wife in London written?
A
1899
20
Q
A Wife in London context
A
- a Dorset born novelist and poet of the Victorian age
- critical of much of Victorian society; as he felt it limited people’s lives and potential for happiness
- anti-war (Boer wars and World War 1)
- the notion of fate features prominently in his work
- the Second Boer war was between 1899-1902 and consisted of the British forces fighting the two Boer states in Southern Africa
- they were fighting over gold
- Hardy was around 60 years old during the Boer wars meaning he could not take part and only watch and comment
- the British were unprepared and out of their 400,000 men in South Africa, 22,000 died
- the use of telegrams to transmit urgent news, and less urgent, normal news was transmitted via post - this is integral to our understanding of the poems sadness and misfortune
- London was heavily polluted through the burning of coil and oil which created the smog which is present in this poem
21
Q
when was Death of a Naturalist written?
A
1966
22
Q
Death of a Naturalist context
A
- Irish poet, playwriter, translator, teacher and lecturer
- born in 1939 and died in 2013
- political writer
- as a child he liked to watch soldiers prepare for war
- massively acclaimed - won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995
- one of the most important and influential poets in the late 20th century
- grew up in rural Northern Ireland on his family’s farm
- he described his childhood as ‘an intimate, physical, creaturely existence…in suspension between the archaic and the modern’
- his younger brother, Christopher, was killed in a road accident at 4 years old, in 1953
- Heaney became a father for the first time in 1966, the same year his book ‘Death of a Naturalist’ (which contained the poem of the same name) was published
23
Q
when was Hawk Roosting written?
A
1960
24
Q
Hawk Roosting context
A
- highly celebrated English poet - was poet laurate from 1984 to his death in 1998 from cancer
- spent most of his life living in rural areas and spent lots of his childhood outdoors
- enjoyed hunting, fishing and swimming
- fascinated by animals as a child; collected and drew toy animals and helped his brother when he went shooting
- was aware of the harsh realities of growing up in the countryside
- the violent imagery that appears in Hughes’ writing is influenced by his father, who was a WW1 veteran
- a ‘war poet once removed’ as he felt the impact of WW1
- the image of a bird sat atop a tree (‘The Imperial Eagle’) was a Nazi party symbol in WW2
- Hughes completed his National Service between 1949 and 1951; it was relatively peaceful
- studied anthropology and archaeology at university
- had many different jobs before becoming a famous poet, including working at a zoo
- he recieved the Queen’s gold medal for poetry in 1974 and an OBE in 1977
- married to American poet Sylvia Plath, however he had affairs and his wife committed suicide - he controlled her a lot which could symbolise how Hughes is the hawk in this poem
25
when was To Autumn published?
1820
26
To Autumn context
- one of the most significant Romantic poets
- both of Keats' parents died before he was 14 so he had difficult family life
- often suffered with money troubles, including the autumn of 1819, which was when was was writing this pome
- inspired by a real-life event when Keats walked alongside River Itchen, near Winchester in September 1819
- this poem marks the final stage of his poetic career
- died of tuberculosis in 1821, aged 25
27
when was Afternoons written?
1959
28
Afternoons context
- born in 1922 and died in 1985
- he was an English novelist, poet and librarian
- home-schooled until he was 8; he had few friends or close relationships in this early stage of his life
- eventually studied English at Oxford
- could not serve in WW2, due to his poor eyesight
- generally unsuccessful in love; at one point, he was in three relationships at the same time
- often attributed poems to the women he was romantically involved with
- Larkin was the head librarian at the University of Hull until he died of cancer in 1985
- highly decorated poet, however he declined the chance to become Poet Laureate in 1984 - this could be because he was known for being solitary and fame-hating
- his poems are observational and focus on everyday life and relationships; it is often called negative, miserable and melancholic
- gender roles were regimented in the 1960s: women were expected to stay at home to take care of the children; men were expected to go out and work
- the government was taking steps to get rid of run-down housing, and was replacing it with modern estates which had plenty of green spaces
29
when was Dulce et Decorum Est written?
1918
30
Dulce et Decorum Est context
- enlisted to fight in WW1 in 1915, aged 18
- critical of his fellow troops, due to their poor behaviour
- in 1916, he fell into a shell hole and suffered concussion and was blown up by a trench mortar; spent several days lying amongst the remains of his fellow officers
- he was diagnosed with shellshock and sent to Edinburgh for treatment - he met Siegfried Sassoon (another WW1 soldier poet) and they became best friends
- Sassoon influenced Owen's writing
- in July 1918, Owen returned to active service; he saw it as his duty to add his voice to Sassoon's and tell the harsh reality of WW1 warfare
- in August 1918, he was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery and leadership; he wanted this so that he could prove that he was a war poet
- he died in battle a week before WW1 ended
- his writing was published posthumously
- Owen was writing in direct opposition to WW1 propaganda, as he didn't want war to be glorified
- the first draft of this poem was dedicated to Jessie Pope
- chlorine gas was a popular weapon in WW1 which causes death so gas masks had to be used
- 'Dulce et decorum est pro partia mori means 'it is sweet and proper to die for one's country'; these lines were commonly used by pro-war supporters
- propaganda poem published originally in the Daily Mail, early on in WW1
- encouraged men to enlist, using rhetorical questions to persuade, or pressure, them to do so
- an idealised depiction of war is given - war is compared to a game; its harsh realities are ignored
- an example of 'the old lie' told 'with such high zest'
31
when was Ozymandias written?
1817
32
Ozymandias context
- lived between 1792 and 1822
- he was well-educated; he went to Eton, where he was bullied which led to him 'retreating into his imagination' and the University of Oxford
- was expelled from Oxford within a year for promoting atheist views
- had a troubled relationship with his parents, particularly his father, who was a member of parliament
- his parents rejected his beliefs, which included vegetarianism, political radicalism and sexual freedom
- his political views were said to be partly inspired by the French Revolution
- he had a complicated love life, and had children with two women - the second woman, Mary Shelley, wrote Frankenstein
- was friends with many other writers, including Lord Byron
- is considered to be one of the most influential Romantic poets of all time
- was also known as Rameses II of Egypt
- the Egyptian pharaoh (a God on Earth), head of the government, leader of the army
- ruled Egypt from his teens into his 90s - one of the greatest pharaohs ever
- had many statues and structures built in his honour
- part of the statue was acquired by the British museum in the 1800s, and Shelley wrote the poem in anticipation of it
33
when was Mametz Wood written?
2005
34
Mametz Wood context
- born in Fiji, but raised in South Wales
- his work 'has focused on the way people identify with land and country' and is also interested in 'loss, separation and the many different borders that people create between themselves'
- a poet, author, playwright and university professor
- wrote this poem in 2005, when war detritus was still being uncovered in Mametz Wood
- Sheers visited Mametz Wood to make a short film on the 85th anniversary of the battle
- a wood in part of the Somme in France
- Battle of the Somme took place here in 1916
- the British army gained 760,000 additional volunteers within two months of WW1 starting
- Men were grouped together based on where they came from - the 38th Welsh Division had to reclaim Mametz Wood from the German forces
- 4,000 men died
- despite their success at Mametz Wood, the Welsh Division were viewed as ill-trained and poorly led
35
when was The Prelude published?
1850
36
The Prelude context
- lived between 1770 and 1850
- an English poet who lived in rural areas such as the Lake District
- had a distant relationship with his father
- his mother died when he was 7 or 8
- he had four siblings and was particularly close with his sister, Dorothy, who was a year younger than him
- he was sent to boarding school
- he lived with his maternal grandparents and uncle in rural Cumbria; he did not get on with them and contemplated suicide
- Wordsworth spent a lot of time outdoors and believed nature could be like a parent or teacher
- was a Romantic poet
- he loved to ice skate, and learned how to do it on Esthwaite lake
- he started to write 'The Prelude' in his 20s and he never finished it, even though its 14 books long and was autobiographical
- it focuses on Wordsworth's childhood and relationship with nature
- 'The Prelude' is subtitled 'the growth of a poet's mind'
- Romantics connected winter with a counter Enlightenment response as it is a place of instinct, emotion and memory
