He Never Expected Much Flashcards
(14 cards)
What is the main theme and tension of the poem? (He Never Expected Much)
The poet writes about how he never expected much from life and turned out right, encouraging an idea that life is boring and neutral thus urging people to maintain simple expectations about our lives
Tension: message of the poem about life being bland vs tone of the poem suggesting sadness and melancholy
Paragraph 1? (He Never Expected Much)
In the first stanza Hardy directly addresses ‘World’ reflecting that he had never expected anything much from life and had been right.
Quotes for paragraph 1? (He Never Expected Much)
‘well, world, you have kept faith with me, kept faith with me’
‘much as you said you were’
‘since as a child I used to lie upon the leaze and watch the sky’
‘well, world, you have kept faith with me, kept faith with me’
Apostrophe –> personifies the ‘world’, almost speaking to it like an old acquaintance which creates an intimate, conversational tone - it’s reflective and resigned rather than angry or joyful
repetition –> emphasises a surprising kind of satisfaction or acceptance
repetition shows his boredom and the predictability of life
‘never, i own, expected i that life would all be fair’
immediately undercuts the previous line, creating a contrast between what people would expect and what his reality is
‘since as a child I used to lie upon the leaze and watch the sky’
this setting creates a peaceful, nostalgic image evoking innocence and childhood simplicity
the childlike imagery creates contrast between innocent images of childhood and the speaker’s pessimistic view of life
it also prevents the poem from sounding angry or cynical; instead, it feels thoughtful and resigned
promotes an idea of childlike curiosity and excitement about life
Paragraph 2? (He Never Expected Much)
In these lines, Hardy presents the World as a powerful force that speaks to humanity, revealing how people’s reactions to life - from love to contempt - ultimately end in death, highlighting the inevitability of human mortality
Quotes for paragraph 2? (He Never Expected Much)
’ many have loved me desperate, many with smooth serenity’
‘while some have shown contempt of me till they dropped underground’
‘twas then you said, and since have said, times since have said, in that mysterious voice you shed’
‘many have loved me desperately, many with smooth serenity’
seperates him from the many
tells us that no matter how you view life, life is the same either way
‘while some have shown contempt of me till they dropped underground’
no matter how we live our lives, life ends at some point
liking life is pointless since its guaranteed to end
‘twas then you said, and since have said, times since have said, in that mysterious voice you shed’
repetition mimics the boredom and predictability of life
‘mysterious voice’ –> seems almost like a god-like figure. underlying connotation of religion? suggests he maybe has a more profound view to life that he isnt expressing
‘neutral-tinted haps and such’
life problems are just ‘haps’
his wife died but he still refers to life’s problems for ‘neutral-tinted haps’
distancing himself from the problem
‘and hence could stem such strain and ache’
‘strain and ache’ suggests he isnt as stoic as he makes out to be and in fact has been very hurt my aspects of his life, contributing to the underlying conflict in the poem
‘as each year might assign’
ideas of fate or higher powers which perhaps suggests that he sees life as something more profound
