overviews Flashcards
The Prelude - childhood
Throughout the Excerpt from ‘the prelude, Wordsworth explores the theme of childhood as a time of freedom, and joy, yet also a fleeting, short lived stage.
This is shown through the progression of the poem where the speakers loss of innocence and childlike wonder for nature reflects the act of maturity.
The poem heralds the complex relationship between man and nature, and how it diminishes as the period of childhood transitions.
Through this, wordsworth demonstrates the romantic view of childhood being a sacred period of emotional and spiritual purity, through the nostalgia conveyed as he reflects on his past experiences of growing up in the lake district.
Wordsworth hoped to inspire his readers to revert back to a more pure and childlike appreciation of the natural world.
London
William Blake uses London to explore the lack of power and freedom in a city marked by deep social inequality.
He illustrates how London has changed negatively over time due to industrialisation, becoming almost hellish in its bleakness and hopelessness.
Individuality is lost, as Blake presents the people uniformly-as oppressed figures on the lower end of society, their faces marked by suffering and despair.
The poem reflects Blake’s radical views and his disillusionment with the effects of the Industrial Revolution and institutional control in 18th-century Britain.
Cozy Apologia
In Cozy Apologia, Rita Dove explores the comfort and emotional depth found in a stable relationship, while also acknowledging its complexities, such as moments of doubt, disruption, and melancholy.
Using the extended metaphor of an approaching hurricane, she presents love in a realistic, modern context-both safe and vulnerable.
Dove reflects on how everyday life and external chaos can shape emotional experience, offering a nuanced view of love that balances idealism with honesty.
The poem was written in response to Hurricane Floyd, grounding its emotional turbulence in a real historical event.
As Imperceptibly As Grief
In As Imperceptibly as Grief, Emily Dickinson explores the theme of emotional impermanence through the quiet, gradual passage of time, capturing a lingering sense of loss that fades slowly rather than abruptly.
This emotional transition mirrors nature’s cycles, suggesting a deep connection between human experience and the natural world.
Using imagery of the changing seasons, Dickinson shows how grief, like summer’s end, slips away subtly, highlighting time’s inevitable role in emotional change.
Her meditation on loss is shaped by personal experiences with illness and bereavement, common in the 19th century yet deeply affecting.
She walks in Beauty
Lord Byron uses She Walks in Beauty as a vehicle to celebrate female beauty, in both a woman’s external appearance and her inner goodness.
It is an idealised portrait of a woman the poet has just met for the first time, and though he is impressed by her physical beauty, he also feels this must reflect her inner beauty.
Love is portrayed as a major theme throughout the poem, but it is not a personal relationship; rather, Byron admires her from a distance, not expecting anything in return.
The poem was inspired by Byron’s encounter with his cousin’s wife, whose beauty captivated him at a social event.
The Soldier
Rupert Brooke wrote The Soldier as a deeply patriotic and idealistic poem that explores a soldier’s love for his homeland, England, which is personified as a nurturing paradise.
There is a patriotic and uplifting tone as Brooke stresses his willingness to sacrifice himself for his country, romanticising and idealising the war that would cause this.
He contrasts the brutal realities of conflict by portraying death in battle as noble and meaningful, presenting martyrdom in a positive, almost sacred light.
The poem reflects the early optimism of World War I, before the true horrors of trench warfare were widely known.
The prelude - nature
Wordsworth uses The Prelude as a vehicle to herald the immense power and beauty of the natural world.
The Romantic poet explores nature’s sublime side, remaining calm and dignified in contrast to human chaos, which it seems disapproving towards, though it has not always been.
Through the speaker’s evolving relationship with nature, Wordsworth emphasises how it can both elevate and humble the human spirit, offering a source of wisdom and guidance.
The poem reflects the poet’s belief in the transformative power of nature, shaped by his own personal experiences growing up in the Lake District during a time of rapid social and industrial change in the early 19th centuries.
A wife in London
In A Wife in London, Thomas Hardy explores the devastating impact of war, criticising its futility, tragic loss, and the emotional toll it takes on individuals and their loved ones.
Through the poem’s structure-juxtaposing news of a soldier’s death with a hopeful letter-Hardy highlights the cruel irony of conflict.
As a pacifist, his aim was to evoke sympathy and emphasise the universal pain caused by war and the heartless indifference of fate.
The poem reflects the disillusionment surrounding the Boer War, where modern warfare felt distant and impersonal.
Death of A naturalist
Heaney uses “death of a naturalist” to explore the inevitable loss of innocence as shown in the shift from the persona’s feelings of fascination towards nature to sheer terror. Both themes of a loss of childhood, and the passing of time are introduced, through the ending, or rather, ‘death’ of their passion, themes that are likely informed by Heaney’s own upbringing in rural Ireland
Nature is presented as powerful, being perceived by the persona as threatening and repulsive. Through the lens of a young adult who seems to have experienced a kind of sexual awakening, they are appalled by the elements of the natural world, introducing themes of a loss of innocence and childhood, likely informed by Heaney’s own upbringing in rural Ireland.
Hawk Roosting
Ted Hughes uses Hawk Roosting as a vehicle to explore the power and dominance of nature, through the lens of a product of the natural world itself—a hawk.
Delving into the mind of a predatory bird, Hughes uses its perspective to examine the authority of nature, and simultaneously as an allegory for human nature, which in turn reflects on the power inequalities in the human world.
Written during the Cold War era, the poem subtly critiques authoritarian ideologies and the darker impulses within human leadership.
Ozymandias
Shelley uses Ozymandias as a vehicle to reflect the oppression of powerful leaders and the transience of mankind’s power over time.
Though Ozymandias, a supposedly great king, boasts of his monumental achievements, all that remains of him is a shattered statue lost in the desert sands.
This image symbolises the indifferent and unstoppable forces of nature and time, which render human accomplishments insignificant and fleeting.
Written during a period of political upheaval, the poem also critiques the arrogance of rulers and their eventual downfall.
Afternoons
In Afternoons, Philip Larkin symbolically links the nature of seasons to the loss of youth, portraying a melancholic view of the passing of time.
Rather than glorifying nature, the poem presents it as unsentimental and passive, which reflects human decline and mirrors society post world war 2
Through the use of his detached tone, Larkin critiques the banality of life for a group of young mothers caught in a tedious routine of domesticity.
Living Space
In Living Space, Dharker uses the poem as a vehicle to expose and condemn the harsh, uninhabitable living conditions of the slums of Mumbai.
She portrays space as both fragile and harsh, yet also miraculous, by highlighting the faith and hope of the people who live there.
Through the irregular structure of the poem, Dharker conveys the resilience of those who endure such brutal conditions, and the strength of their spirit.
To Autumn
In To Autumn, Keats explores the theme of the cycle of life and nature, portraying autumn as a time of both abundance and inevitable change. Through vivid imagery, he captures the season’s fullness and reflects on the natural harmony of growth, decay, and renewal, urging the reader to appreciate the fleeting beauty of the present moment
Keats uses To Autumn to subtly explore mortality and the passage of time, capturing the inevitable decline of the season as a reflection of human life. The imagery used exemplifies the fleeting nature of time, while mediating on how all things must come to an end, urging a contemplation of life’s impermanence.
Mametz Wood
In Mametz Wood, Sheers explores the theme of memory and loss, reflecting on the devastation of war and its impact on both the land and the individuals who fought.
The poem focuses on the discovery of soldiers’ remains in a field, symbolising the connection between the past and the present, and the scars of conflict.
Through the use of juxtaposition, Sheers evokes a sense of reverence for the fallen, using the natural world as a medium for remembrance and reflection on the futility of war.
The manhunt
In Manhunt, Armitage examines the theme of trauma, both physical and psychological, exploring the profound impact of war on a soldier and his relationship with his wife.
Through vivid imagery and intimate language, the poem portrays the emotional distance and strain caused by invisible wounds, as the speaker’s wife attempts to reconnect with her husband.
Armitage emphasises the long-term consequences of conflict, revealing how war irrevocably alters not just the body, but the very essence of human connection.
Sonnet 43
In Sonnet 43, Browning explores the theme of love as an all-encompassing, eternal force, capturing the depth and intensity of the speaker’s emotions.
The poem expresses her unyielding devotion, illustrating how love transcends time, space, and even death itself.
Through powerful and personal imagery, Browning conveys a sense of spiritual and physical devotion, elevating love to a profound, almost sacred realm.
Valentine
Carol Ann Duffy uses Valentine as a vehicle to present the true nature of love, carefully revealing the shortcomings of societal expectations for romantic relationships.
Through the use of metaphors, juxtaposition, and repetition, Duffy explores the complexities of love while expressing her rejection of stereotypical romantic traditions.
Drawing from her own experiences and perspectives on love, Duffy offers an alternative view, reflecting her desire for a more genuine and honest connection.
Written during a time when romantic ideals were often idealised, Valentine pushes back against these conventions, advocating for a love that is real, raw, and unadorned.
Dulce et decorum est
Wilfred Owen presents a cruel, brutal, and grim portrayal of war in his poem Dulce et Decorum Est., through the use of literary devices such as monosyllabic language
Drawing from his own firsthand experiences in the trenches, Owen exposes the stark contrast between the idealised notion of war and its horrific reality.
The poem critiques the belief that it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country, revealing the true cost of war and it calls into question the glorification of warfare in public perception.
This reflection on the devastating impact of war aligns with the broader context of World War I, a conflict that led to immense loss and suffering.
