Who wrote Carrion Comfort?
Hopkins
What does Hopkins liken despair to?
carrion
What is stanza 1 of carrion comfort about?
no despair, I can hope and look forward to the light
What is stanza 2 of carrion comfort about?
to God, “why are you messing with me?”, it’s like God is looking at broken man like fresh meat, he wants to escape God
What is stanza 3 of carrion comfort about?
doesn’t believe tribulations make you better; he kissed God’s hand and his submission to God didn’t give him strength but he had to take it; question is who should he cheer on in this match? God or himself?
What’s the point of Carrion Comfort?
Hopkins didn’t give up in depressed year of his life
Who wrote, “no worst, there is none”
Hopkins
What questions are asked in “no worst, there is none”
where is the comfort? Pain learns from earlier pain to be more painful, cries are like the sound of cattle
What is fury’s perspective in “no worst there is none”
I know I can’t go long, but let me do my worst
What’s the image in Hopkins mind in “no worst there is none”
mountains; at every turn there’s a cliff or precipice; he’s hanging ON the edge of a cliff about to fall (makes it psychological experience)
What are Hopkins 2 comforts in “no worst there is none”
life ends in death, days ends with sleep
Does Hopkins try to minimize depression in “no worst…”
no; “I wake and feel the fell of dark; not day”
What’s a notable experience Hopkins goes through in “no worst”
wakes up in the middle of the night and it’s worse the harder you try to go to sleep
What are cries like to Hopkins in “no worst”
letters not reaching their destination
What’s the illness Hopkins suffers from like in “no worst”
built INTO him, like God built him that way
What’s the curse Hopkins suffers in “no worst”
that he is just himself; this is the punishment in the poem
What picture is Hopkins trying to pain in “no worse”
major, feverish hellfire, or laboring selves; discomfort (and this is the best he can ever be)
Who wrote “thou art indeed just, Lord”?
Hopkins
What is Hopkins quoting and basically saying in “thou art”?
why are bad people prospering? Whatever God allows is right because God allows it; also, why do good people suffer
How does Hopkins reinforce respect for God in “thou art”
he keeps saying “sir”
As he looks at nature, what does Hopkins see in “thou art”
even nature is thriving; kinda like it’s mocking him
what’s a eunich, what does Hopkins say when he says “times eunich” in “thou art” ?
someone who’s been castrated; hasn’t been able to produce anything of lasting value
What does Hopkins want in the final line of the poem? How does he finish “thou art”?
wants God to bring relief; finishes on positive note, unlike others
Who wrote “impression du matin”
Wilde
What is the lady in impression du matin?
lady’s a prostitute; (red lipstick, heart of stone (implies she’s not the best of people), she’s standing on a street corner at dawn alone
What was probably the point of impression du matin?
shock factor, probably not social commentary
who wrote helas?
Wilde
Whats the image of helas first sentence?
his soul is like a stringed lute, no control, and responds to however wind blows
How does Wilde feel in helas?
like he’s wasted his life, he’s out of control, given up something he didn’t intend to give up
What does Wilde think life is in helas?
reused paper “twice written scroll”
What contrast is provided in helas?
contrast to dissonance in life is doing one clear thing to strike the ears of God
Who wrote E Tenebris?
Wilde
What’s the first image presented in E Ten?
Simon Peter drowning and being helped by Jesus who walks on water
What does Wilde think of his life and situation in E Ten?
that it’s worse than Peter’s drowning; he thinks that God’s not listening to him
What’s the second biblical allusion in E Ten?
Elijah taunts priests of Baal
What’s the third biblical allusion in E Ten?
we get human Jesus reaching out in compassion; he takes what many think will be judgement (scary) Jesus and makes him human
Who wrote Sonnet on hearing the Dies Irae sung in the Sistine Chapel
Wilde
What image is presented of God in Sonnet?
images of a sympathetic and redeeming God, instead of judgemental, angry, wrathful God
What is contrasted in Sonnet?
church’s view of God and nature’s view of God
what’s the harvest in sonnet?
he’s asking God to come to something peaceful
Who wrote “for all we have and are”
Kipling
What are we fighting for and protecting in “for all we have and are”
children, all of Eng, freedom, everything eng stands for and fought for in the past
How does Kipling motivate war support in For all we have and are?
good vs evil struggle “a crazed and driven foe”
Who wrote arms and the boy?
Owen
What does Owen want us to think in “arms and the boy”?
it’s boys who fight wars, not old or middle aged men
Who wrote “futiity”
Owen
What’s futility about?
Why would life exist if it’s so easily snuffed out?
why bring boys into manhood if they’re going to be killed
what’s a symbol in futility and what does it bring?
sun; brings life and warmth
Who wrote Dulce et Decorum est?
Owen
What’s the scene presented in dulce?
scene of soldiers heading back to sleep, a gas attack, fumbling with gas masks and helmets, and 1 man who doesn’t make it in time
How does Owen bring us into present moment in Dulce?
“I saw him drowning” lines; shows it continually haunts him
What does Owen present death as in Dulce?
emphasizes that death isn’t glorious, but tragic and awful; makes “you” a major part of poem
Who wrote “when you see millions of the mouthless dead”?
Charles Hamilton Sorley
Why does Sorley use “millions” in When you see millions?
it makes it more impersonal, makes it something difft (harsher) than imagined
What is Sorley calling attention to in “When you see millions”?
the kind of rhetoric used to glamorize war, “best”, “brightest”, “bravest” died; rarely are there any honest obituaries
Who wrote Returning We Hear the Larks?
Rosenberg
What happens in Retuning we hear?
coming back from battle, it’s dark, they hear birdsong; scene is beautiful but linked by fact that danger is all around them
Who wrote break of day in the trenches?
Rosenberg
What happens in break of day in the trenches?
rat leaps over hand, rat seems happy with himself that it has a better chance of surviving the day than soldiers
What contrast does Rosenberg make in Break of Day in Trenches?
poppy behind ear and dead who have poppies growing out of them
Who wrote Eveline?
Joyce
Who wrote the unknown citizen?
Auden
Who wrote Musee de Beaux arts?
Auden
What is the point of musee de beaux arts?
suffering doesn’t really impact everyone, or usually anyone else ; we’re not center of universe
What picture does “the unknown citizen” paint?
picture of citizen; normal in every way, based on the state (govt publication and institutional assessments)
What kind of information is presented in “the unknown citizen”
accurate demographic info, not necessarily meaningful
Why did Auden rhyme unknown citizen?
poetry is usually qualitative, not quantitative, and there’s sarcasm that this is quantitative; rhyme undercuts seriousness of poem
Who wrote The Shield of Achilles?
Auden
What does Shield of Achilles portray?
represents prison camps firing squad executions; bored soldiers laughed, one cracked a joke makes execution less meaningful
What do the three posts allude to?
crucifixion of Christ, state-sponsored execution
What does Shield of Achilles suggest about POWs
they lost their pride in a cowardly way, not fighting/resisting until the end
What does “ragged urchin” suggest in Shield of Achilles?
normal for terrible things to happen, power rules, violence is norm
What happened to Achilles in Shield of Achilles?
armor didn’t do its job, he didn’t last long
