cosy apologia- rita dove Flashcards
(12 cards)
analyse the title:
- ‘cozy’- snug, warm, homely, personal
- foreshadows warm feelings associated with love
- ‘apologia’- former written defence- responding/perhaps defending the simplicity of her love
- dedication to husband (Fred)- personal, autobiographical, foreshadows idea of love even more
- combined: sets up tension between private happiness and external judgement
analyse:
I could pick anything and think of you-
This lamp, the wind-still rain, the glossy blue
My pen exudes, drying matte, upon the page.
- list of ordinary, domestic images- contrasts with that normally found in love poetry- suggests love is ordinary
- mundane imagery subverts expectations in love poetry- love is woven into the everyday, rather than extraordinary
- pronouns- intimate
- vivid description- highlights part of her identity- reminds her of him- therefore he is equally, or if not more, important to her
- drying ‘matte’ reinforces permanence of love- mirrors act of writing as a lasting declaration of affection
analyse:
I could choose any hero, any cause or age
And, sure as shooting arrows to the heart,
Astride a dappled mare, legs braced as far apart
As standing in silver stirrups will allow-
There you’ll be, with furrowed brow
And chain mail glinting, to set me free:
One eye smiling, the other firm upon the enemy.
- traditional romantic mood is established- ‘hero’- symbol of love
- cliched stereotypical chivalry used in quick succession- humour in her exaggeration- sarcastic, ironic tone
- reference to Cupid- not a fairy tale type of romance
- her partner is associated with freedom and safety
- rhyming couplets used (AABBCC)- mirrors traditional images of love- suggests tradition of simplicity
- heroic imagery (chain mail, arrows) contrasts Fred’s real life ordinariness- traditional romance is exaggerated and perhaps only appealing in imagination
analyse:
This post-post-modern age is all business: compact disks
And faxes, a do-it-now-and-take-no-risks
Event. Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast,
- sudden change of topic and pace- digressions create a casual and conversational tone
- lists emphasises her view on love- emphatically traditional and ordinary
- hyphenation creates a sense of urgency- modern life gets to busy to reflect on love
analyse:
Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd, who brings a host
Of daydreams: awkward reminiscences
Of teenage crushes on worthless boys
Whose only talent was to kiss you senseless.
- humour undermining threat of hurricane- mocks it, personified as a playground bully which undermines its power and devastation
- playful language- not taking them seriously, suggests Fred is superior
- seclusion and isolation of hurricane gives time to think about the past- ‘worthless’- relationships she once had, dismissive
analyse:
They all had sissy names- Marcel, Percy, Dewey;
Were as thin as licorice and as chewy,
Sweet with a dark and hollow center. Floyd’s
- caesura and enjambment disrupt rhythm, structure reflects content: chaos and destruction grow as Floyd nears
- stanza break makes this stand out- nature has power over man
- no regular rhyme scheme- Floyd disrupts writing- literal and metaphorical storm
- light hearted extended metaphor- lacked meaning and substance (hollow)
analyse:
Cussing up a storm. You’re bunkered in your
Aerie, I’m perched in mine
(Twin desks, computers, hardwood floors):
We’re content, but fall short of the Divine.
- colloquial language undermines hurricane’s power, reinforcing comfort and security in love
- storm vs home contrast emphasises the sheltering effect of love against chaos
- ‘bunkered’ associated with safety and security
- ‘cussing’ sounds rude, not dangerous, belittles hurricane
- list reinforced their ordinary love
- bird and nesting imagery link the couple together- emphasised by ‘twin’ in following line
- adjective, shows their love is ordinary but genuine and real- contrasts with ‘Divine’ love- its not extraordinary
- juxtaposition between ordinary vs idealised, unattainable-‘Divine’- suggests real love is messy, imperfect but satisfying
analyse:
Still, it’s embarrassing, this happiness-
Who’s satisfied simply with what’s good for us,
When has the ordinary ever been news?
And yet, because nothing else will do
To keep me from melancholy (call it blues),
I fill this stolen time with you.
- self aware, making fun of their love- happy it is ordinary and simple
- rhetorical question
- brackets- more informal, personal, as if we are hearing her thoughts
- Fred keeps her away from ‘melancholy’ and keeps her happy, contrast with informal ‘blues’
- negative phrase ‘and yet’- doesn’t care what people think
- deliberate, final emphasis on Fred, appreciates time stolen by Floyd- grateful to contemplate her relationship and how content she is- sense of completeness
- rhyme scheme has a regular, but different pattern- hurricane has had an impact
describe the form of the poem
- free verse- mirrors casual, conversational tone
- rejects formal constraints like traditional love poetry
describe the structure of the poem
digressive style- moves between nostalgia, fantasy and reality- love isn’t static, but fluid
context:
- contemporary American poet
- former US Poet Laureate 1993-95
- combines the historical with personal
- says her inspiration comes from everywhere
- married to Fred
- has lived in Virginia
- won the Pulitzer prize 1987
- Hurricane Floyd: was powerful, struck east coast USA in 1999, people who lived in coastal regions as far as North Carolina were evacuated, 76 died total- 51 NC, 4 in Virginia
key quotes:
- I could pick anything and think of you- This lamp, the wind-still rain, the glossy blue
- astride a dappled mare
- to set me free
- do-it-now-and-take-no-risks
- Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd
- teenage crushes on worthless boys
- thin as licorice and as chewy, sweet with a dark hollow center
- cussing up a storm
- bunkered, Aerie, perched
- twin desks
- we’re content but fall short of the Divine
- embarrassing, satisfied, ordinary
- And yet, because nothing else will do To keep me from melancholy (call it blues), I fill this stolen time with you
