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ENGLISH > MRS MIDAS POETRY ANALYSIS > Flashcards

MRS MIDAS POETRY ANALYSIS Flashcards

1
Q

“It was late September”

A
  • immediately creates a setting
    -you can imagine golden leaves on the ground.
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2
Q

“I’d just poured a glass of wine, began to unwind, as the vegetables cooked” -

A

-stereotypical role of a housewife and she is enjoying that.
-She is relaxed, calm and happy.
-Enjoying ordinary house work.

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3
Q

“The kitchen filled with the smell of itself, relaxed”

A
  • imagery which shows that it is domestic bliss as all is going well.
    -A positive setting.
    -Relaxed w/c shows emotion
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4
Q

“Its steamy breath gently blanching the windows” -

A

-Gently makes us think of a calm atmosphere.
-Windows steaming suggests that their relationship is positive.

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5
Q

“then with my fingers wiped the other’s glass like a brow” -

A

-wiping someone’s brow is a comforting and romantic gesture
-suggesting the relationship is good.
-Setting reflects their relationship.

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6
Q

“He was standing under the pear tree snapping a twig”

A
  • snapping is a violent action.
    -Onomatopoeia suggests he is destructive and somewhat harsh.
  • A contrast of harsh sounds to the gentle words in earlier lines.
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7
Q

“Now the garden was long and visibility poor” -

A

-begins with a change of event.
-Makes it mysterious as she cannot see.

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8
Q

“The way the dark of the ground seems to drink the light of the sky” -

A

-drinking the light of the sky is vampire-like as it is consuming the light leaving it in darkness.
-Associate this with something evil and sinister.
-Atmosphere is changing and it’s beginning to become evil.

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9
Q

“But that twig in his hand was gold” -

A

sense of confusion as she doesnt understand.
We are doubting it is actual gold.

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10
Q

“And then he plucked a pear from the branch” -

A

see how he has control over nature as w/c of plucking suggests he killed it.

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11
Q

“We grew Fondante d’Automne” -

A
  • a variety of pear is her showing off that they are wealthy and that they can grow fancy pears.
    -Parenthesis as she wants the reader to know how wealthy they are.
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12
Q

“And it sat in his palm like a lightbulb” -

A

-Simile. Example of humour.
-Makes us think that he is powerful as he can kill a pear with his power despite it being a living thing.

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13
Q

“On.” -

A

-Short sentence adds dramatic effect.

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14
Q

“I thought to myself, is he putting fairy lights on the tree?” -

A
  • the question echoes her confusion.
    -Fairlights suggests celebration so she is confused and is not understanding his power and the seriousness of the situation.
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15
Q

“The door knobs gleamed” -

A

Gleamed has a connotations of benign golden and positive.

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16
Q

“He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne.” -

A

-image of him acting powerful and in control. -Burnished again golden.
-Shows his complete power over her as he is a king

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17
Q

“The look on his face was strange, wild, vain.” -

A

-List emphasises the scale and variety of how much he has changed since she last saw him.
-Strange = she doesnt recognise her own husband, she doesn’t understand what’s going on.
-Wild = out of control and dangerous and inhuman.
-Vain = full of himself.
-All really negative adjectives. Explains her fear.

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18
Q

What in the name of God is going on?

A
  • question illustrates her confusion.
    -Mentioning god as what is happening is unnatural and he is also acting like a god.
    -Proves she doesn’t understand.
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19
Q

“He started to laugh ‘’ -

A
  • sounds cruel as he is taking her confusion as something funny.
    -He is hysterical and cruel to her.
    -Not the husband that she knows/loves.
    -Begin to see the relationship going down as he is finding her pain and confusion funny.
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20
Q

“For starters, corn on the cob” -

A

it is unusual to have this as a starter which emphasises how unusual the situation is. Everything is really strange.

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21
Q

“Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich” -

A

-Reminds us of his power.
-Golden teeth remind us of the rich.
-Usually something we boast about but now a sign of frustration as he cannot eat.
-“Within seconds” - shows how sudden and adds dramatic effect.

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22
Q

“He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks.”

A
  • toyed suggests he is playing with the utensils as he cannot eat or enjoy his food.
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23
Q

“I poured with a shaking hand,”

A
  • the word shaking implies she is terrified of him and his power.
    -Emphasises her terror and fear.
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24
Q

“a fragrant, bone-dry white from Italy,”

A
  • more boasting and reminding us of the wealth.
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25
Q

“then watched as he picked up the glass, goblet, golden chalice, drank.”

A
  • as he picks up the wine the ordinary glass turns to gold again.
    -Reminds her of a goblet which suggests a king with power and control.
    -Golden chalice reminds us of something holy. Has a god-like power.
    -Alliteration of g is harsh and slows down the rhythm.
    -Conveys a harsh truth that he cannot drink.
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26
Q

It was then I started to scream -

A

-narrative sense adds drama.
-Screaming implies that the cannot control her emotions as she is scared and angry at the same time.
-Suggests she is really upset.

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27
Q

He sank to his knees

A
  • Sank suggests drowning and associates with being deak/gone.
  • Implies he is in an inferior position to her where she is in control.
    -He has lost all of his power.
28
Q

On my own

A
  • enjambment.
    -Emphasises the idea that they are separated.
    -Foreshadows their isolation from each other.
29
Q

I made him sit on the other side of the room -

A

-made has connotations of being forceful and showing her control.
-Showing she’s a strong woman and taking care of herself making sure she’s safe.
-Other side of the room emphasises their separation.

30
Q

I locked the cat in the cellar -

A

humour.
Shows she is caring (character question) she is ensuring that the cat is okay.

31
Q

I moved the phone

A
  • she is a resourceful woman and is thinking about her safety.
  • Lists the practical steps she can take for safety.
32
Q

I couldn’t believe my ears: how he’d had a wish -

A

enjambment. Clearly emphasises the idea of finding it hard to believe what’s going on.

33
Q

Look, we all have wishes; granted. But who has wishes granted? -

A

Use of punctuation changes the meaning of the word granted.
Look, we all have wishes granted - That granted refers to the idea of her accepting the fact that we all have desires.
The second granted - refers to the idea of their desires coming true. Achieved by the semicolon and question mark.
Look creates a conversational tone which engages the reader.

34
Q

Him. -

A

emphasises the idea that he gets wishes. Emphasises her anger as a minimum sentence.

35
Q

Do you know about gold? It feeds no one; aurum, soft, untarnishable; slakes no thirst. -

A

-Images the reader through questions.
Lists what gold cannot do.
-Cannot survive as cannot eat gold. Suggests no real value.
-List emphasises that his power is a curse and not a gift.

36
Q

I gazed, entranced, as the blue flame played on its luteous stem. -

A

she is hypnotised by him.

37
Q

At least, I said, you’ll be able to give up smoking for good. - .

A

Shows practical and humorous.

38
Q

Separate beds -

A

-minor sentence that emphasises isolated ideas and separation.
- No physical relationship as it will kill her.

39
Q

I put a chair against my door -

A
  • she is terrified so she creates a physical barrier between them.
40
Q

Near petrified

A
  • connotations of fear.
    -Near is effective as it emphasises the fact that being in close proximity to Mr Midas would kill her.
    -Suggest her fear and her reasoning for this.
41
Q

He was below

A
  • reinforces the idea of him losing control and power as he is now inferior to her and below her.
42
Q

Turning the spare room into the tomb of Tutankhamun -

A

everything is turning to gold.
- His powers are compared to a royal golden tomb.
-Reference to the tomb of Tutankhamun reminds us of a terrible curse where everyone dies when in the tomb.

43
Q

We were passionate then

A
  • what it was like.
    -Suggests that they used to have a physical relationship.
    -Bringing her joy to think about the good days.
44
Q

unwrapping each other, rapidly, like presents, fast food.

A
  • physical relationship brought her joy. Like a present as it brought her delight.
    -Need food to survive just like you need intimacy for love to survive.
45
Q

But now I fear his honeyed embrace. -

A
  • genuinely scared.
    -Honey should be positive but it makes us think of a honey trap.
46
Q

Who can live with a heart of gold

A
  • heart of gold suggests kindness and specialness.
    -It should be positive but here it is sinister, eerie and unsettling.
    -Should she be able to have a child with him it is sinister as it would be dead in this context.
47
Q

I dreamt I bore a child -

A

She is thinking of having his baby but it is all a dream as she knows it will not come true.

48
Q

its perfect ore limbs, its little tongue like a precious latch, its amber eyes holding their pupils like flies. -

A
  • Listing the features of a child. Repetition of its as she cannot call it a human.
  • Emphasises the idea of it being unnatural.
    -Precious suggests importance and it refers to the idea of a baby being precious because it would be expensive as it was gold.
    -Its amber eyes - unnatural as eyes should not be amber.
  • Flies attracted to dead bodies. Image of death and decay, unsettling.
  • The dream child is actually a nightmare as it is dead. Causes her anguish.
49
Q

My dream milk burned in my breasts

A
  • the dream milk emphasises her wish and true desire to have a child.
    -Burned implies its soreness and agonising suggests how much pain it is causing her to know she cannot have a baby.
    -The harsh b sound emphasises the idea of it being upsetting for her.
50
Q

I woke to the streaming sun -

A

waking up to the golden colours so her agony starts again as she is reminded.

51
Q

So he had to move out -

A

-emphasises her strength as she can force him to do things she is in control and ensuring her safety.
-Short sentence emphasises that.

52
Q

We had a caravan in the wilds

A
  • wilds sets scene of wild animals and lack of human beings.
    -The power has made him wild.
53
Q

In a glade of its own

A
  • isolated to keep everyone safe.
54
Q

I drove him up under the cover of dark

A
  • shows she is nurturing and caring.
    -Getting herself to safety by taking control.
    -Under the cover of dark suggests it is secret.
    -Curses are embarrassing and shameful.
55
Q

Woman who married the fool

A
  • this is what she thinks people are saying about her.
    -She is embarrassed of him.
56
Q

At first, I visited, odd times

A
  • she saw him trying to keep the relationship going.
    -Shows the relationship is deteriorating and she isn’t going often.
    -At first suggests she doesn’t visit him at all now.
57
Q

The golden trout on the grass

A
  • implies he touched fish and now it is gold.
    -Gives the idea of him starving as he is trying to get fish to eat but they turn to gold.
    -Reminds us of how dangerous he is as he can kill the animals and people by touching them.
58
Q

One day, a hare hung from a larch, a beautiful lemon mistake.

A
  • a sad image.
    -Hare is dead however we know he did not mean to as it was a mistake.
    -Lemon is golden and sour/bitter suggesting this is unpleasant.
59
Q

He was thin

A
  • physical difference, implies hungry and emphasises idea of him unable to eat
60
Q

The music of Pan

A
  • refers to him thinking he is able to talk to gods.
    -Reiterates idea of him going crazy.
61
Q

That was the last straw

A
  • tells us that it is all over. Their relationship is gone.
    -Despite the curse, the fact they cannot be intimate, they had to move away but the final thing that tipped it over the edge was that they cannot communicate as he has lost his mind.
    -Emphasises idea of no hope of a relationship as they cannot even talk.
62
Q

What gets me now -

A

gets me emphasising idea of the pain and upsetting of her the most. Informal language.

63
Q

Not the idiocy or greed but the lak of thought for me

A
  • yes she is annoyed at the fact that he was a fool/ idiot and his selfishness but what actually upsets her is the no consideration of her.
    -He didn’t keep in mind the impact on her.
64
Q

Pure selfishness

A
  • minor sentence emphasises the lack of thought for her.
    -Emphasises the no regard for anyone else.
    Pure suggests that all it was was a lack of regard.
65
Q

-I think of him in certain lights, dawn, late afternoon,

A
  • suggests how often she thinks of him as it is all of the time in her mind.
    -She is getting constant reminders of him.
66
Q

and once a bowl of apples stopped me dead. -

A

image suggests apples that are a golden colour. It killed her emotionally to be reminded of him.

67
Q

I miss most, even now, his hands, his warm hands on my skin, his touch.

A
  • alliteration of m.
    -still bothers her despite time has passed.
    -Repetition hands emphasises how desperate she is for his touch.
    -Repetition of his implies it’s not anyone’s touch she wants but his.
    -Warm hand suggests he is comforting. Desperate for physical contact.

ENGLISH (9 decks)

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