Farmer's Bride Flashcards
(3 cards)
“flying like a hare”
1 - evokes imagery of predator and prey - comparing her to a small animal shows her as being worthless - she is deemed powerless in his wake
2 - the man is a farmer, he is only comfortable speaking about her in terms of an animal - he knows he has power over the animals, so he does alike to her
3 - verb “flying” employs the idea of a timid animal, whom of which is easily frightened - evokes an idea of fear and shows her as scared of marriage
compares her to a “leveret”, again comparing her to a hare and extending the simile present throughout the poem
her hair, her hair!
1 - only objectifies her and focuses down onto her hair - exacerbates her objection and rids her of her personal agency, men only care about what a women provide to them, he doesn’t care shes alone in the attic but cares about her physical features
2 - anaphora signifies his loss in sanity - his obsession is so great for his wife he loses his clarity upon being parted from her,
3 - he may be so obsessive he is still emotionally bound to her, presents obsession as allowing one to cling to a loved one - accompanied by the language becoming more disjointed towards the end of the poem - his gradual lack of control.
“sleeps up in the attic alone”
1 - the power balance has shifted - farmer now has isolation destined upon him and the power has switched
2 - perhaps like a “prisoner”, she is confided by the attic, Gothic imagery of where the speaker’s excessive control has emotionally imprisoned her
3 - alternatively, attics are commonly ascociated with childhood fears of darkness and isolation. her presence “alone” makes her seem small and vulnerable - terrified?
