poetry Flashcards
(19 cards)
QUOTES: lines written in early spring
“What man has made of man”
METHOD: repetition
EFFECT: emphasises Wordsworth’s distress over human actions. The repetition highlights the idea that the negative impact of human behaviour is inescapable (unable to be avoided ).
“the budding twigs spread out their fan, to catch the breezy air”
METHOD: personification
EFFECT: emphasises the similarity of nature and man, both seeking pleasure in the natural world. creates a sense of unity between humans and the natural world, emphasising the contrast with the way humans treat each other.
CONTEXT: lines written in early spring
KEY THEMES: The healing power of nature
CONTEXT: Romanticism: Wordsworth was a key figure in the Romantic movement, which emphasised the beauty of nature, the power of human emotion, and a return to simpler, more natural ways of living. Romantic poets often explored the relationship between humans and nature, believing that nature had a healing and spiritual quality.
COMPARISON: lines written in early spring
POEM 1: ‘In a London Drawing Room’
SIMILAR:
.Wordsworth’s speaker reflects on the way humans treat each other
.Eliot’s speaker notices the way the individuals on the street ignore each other
DIFFERENT:
.Wordsworth’s poem describes how living things gain pleasure from harmonious relationships, Wordsworth explores how living things find joy in simple everyday activities
.In contrast, Eliot’s poem describes the lack of harmony on the London streets
.In contrast, Eliot describes the lack of joy in the world she sees:
POEM 2: ‘Like an Heiress’
SIMILAR:
.Wordsworth uses natural imagery to describe a positive pastoral scene that pleases him
.Nichols uses imagery to depict the beauty of nature and the speaker’s connection to it
DIFFERENT:
.Wordsworth presents Romantic ideas about nature
.Nichols’ speaker, however, conveys the way humans have polluted the natural world
POEM 3: ‘With Birds You’re Never Lonely’
SIMILAR:
.Wordsworth uses natural imagery to convey the natural beauty found in nature, Wordsworth’s poem hints at disconnections between the human world and the natural world
.Antrobus uses natural imagery to describe nature as vibrant, Antrobus’ poem, too, considers the contrasting environments of humans and nature
DIFFERENT:
.Wordsworth’s poem focuses on the lack of harmony between humans, which can be restored with the help of God
.Antrobus’ poem, however, implies that the lack of nature and life in urban settings leaves little room for spirituality
.
QUOTES: England 1819
“An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying King”
METHOD: symbolism
EFFECT: symbolises the decaying state of the monarchy.
“Religion Christless, Godless—a book sealed”
METHOD: religious imagery
EFFECT: Shelley condemns the Church and legal system as corrupt and bloodstained. suggests that the Church has lost its moral compass and no longer serves its true spiritual purpose.
CONTEXT: England 1819
KEY THEMES: social injustice, political corruption, oppression
CONTEXT:
The poem highlights the suffering of the people and the exploitation of the working class, showing how they have been neglected and oppressed.The poem expresses anger towards King George III’s leadership who was a chaotic king.
COMPARISON: England 1819
POEM 1: ‘In a London Drawing Room’
SIMILAR:
.Shelley uses natural imagery to describe England as “tempestuous” or stormy
.Eliot describes a miserable and dreary London, commenting on the “cloudy” sky and the wall of buildings like “solid fog”
.The speakers’ description of their environments suggest their concern as they imply their homeland is a place of punishment and despair
DIFFERENT:
.Shelley presents a dramatic and urgent message about his world, using metaphorical language relating to death
.Eliot, however, describes urban London’s mundane and dreary environment as restrictive:
.Shelley’s poem is a harsh criticism of corrupted systems that bring death and destruction, while Eliot’s poem is a critique of the way industrialisation and urbanisation have made her world bleak and depressing
POEM 2: ‘A Portable Paradise’
SIMILAR:
.Shelley describes a hopeful outcome to his corrupted world using imagery
.Robinson uses imagery to convey hope against the challenges of their world
DIFFERENT:
.Shelley presents a dramatic and urgent message about his world, using metaphorical language relating to death
.Robinson conveys a calmer, more peaceful message about finding one’s own paradise in life
POEM 3: ‘Thirteen’
SIMILAR:
.Shelley describes the negative conditions and emotions of the people of England
.Femi also describes the oppressive conditions and emotions experienced by his speaker in their environment
DIFFERENT:
.Shelley uses a sonnet ironically to convey the “public scorn” of the people under what Shelley describes as corrupt and powerful systems
.The poem is written in free verse and is split into four irregular stanzas with an irregular rhythm
QUOTES: shall earth no more inspire thee
“shall earth” “shall nature”
METHOD: anaphora
EFFECT:The repeated “Shall” creates a sense of longing and melancholy, as the speaker grapples with the idea of losing the inspiration once found in nature
“Return and dwell with me” “Come back and dwell with me.”
METHOD: repitition
EFFECT: present the speaker’s reassuring tone, as well as a sense of urgency
QUOTES: in a london drawing room
“cabs, carriages All closed”
METHOD: alliteration
EFFECT: these sharp, biting sounds convey the harsh nature of city life, the hard /c/ is used as the speaker observes the city dwellers’ frantic lifestyle.
“cutting the sky with one long line of wall like solid fog,”
METHOD: similie
EFFECT: This simile compares the line of buildings to a dense fog, signifying the unchanging, and suffocating quality of the urban environment.
QUOTES: on an afternoon train
“What part of Africa is Jamaica? she said. “ “Where Ireland is near Lapland I said.”
METHOD: irony
EFFECT: reflects the simplified, stereotypical way in which the woman views the speaker because of his ethnicity. shows her ignorance here, but the speaker responds with sarcasm. suggesting that we should never give up an opportunity for human connection.
“I was thoughtful.”, “I was again thoughtful.”
METHOD: anaphora
EFFECT: shows us that the speaker is taking time to process what is being said to him, that he is trying to be calm and accepting. He acknowledges that the woman is trying to connect. However, it should not be his job to educate her.
QUOTE: name journey
“Punjabi in my mouth / became dislodged as milk teeth”
METHOD: similie
EFFECT: compares the speaker’s diminished ability to speak their first language to losing one’s baby teeth, resulting in a potent image of a process that is both dreaded and painful.
‘Spiritual sari-sisters’
METHOD: sibilance
EFFECT: emphasises the deep connection between Hindu culture, the concept of sisterhood, and the narrator’s identity.
QUOTE: pot
“pot”
METHOD: repitition
EFFECT: reinforces the central focus on the pot as a symbol of cultural heritage. This repetition also conveys the speaker’s longing for answers and connection, as they repeatedly call out to the pot for a response.
“growl if you hear me pot”
METHOD: personification
EFFECT: emphasises the emotional significance of the pot to the speaker, and suggests that the pot, like the speaker, has its own history and experiences.
QUOTE: a wider view
“smokes filled sky”
METHOD: imagery
EFFECT: shows the heavily polluted city
“eyes dry with dust”
METHOD: metaphore
EFFECT: the dust of the city and his work has clouded his visions/ dreams
QUOTE: homing
“the only thing I wanted was that box jemmied open”
METHOD: metaphor
EFFECT: the speaker’s passion for the dialect and her love for her relative are such that she would force the ‘box’ open to retrieve it. emphasising the power of the dialect
“bibble fittle tay wum”
METHOD: intimate tone
EFFECT: Secret understanding of the dialect between the speaker & the subject
QUOTE: a century later
“The school-bell is a call to battle”
METHOD: metaphor
EFFECT: transforms an ordinary school setting into a battlefield, emphasising the danger that girls face just by attending school in certain parts of the world.
“You cannot kill a book or the buzzing in it.”
METHOD: symbolising
EFFECT: symbolises the life and energy that education brings. This line conveys the idea that knowledge is indestructible, and that no matter how much violence is used, it cannot silence the desire to learn.
QUOTE: The Jewellery Maker
“neat as soldiers”
METHOD: similie
EFFECT:soldiers emphasises his discipline and organisation.
lays out pointed tools the way a surgeon might”
METHOD: similie
EFFECT: compares the jewellery maker’s precision and care to that of a surgeon, suggesting that his craft requires both skill and focus, elevating it to a form of art.
QUOTE: with birds your never lonely
“What books would they write if they had to cut us down?”
METHOD: rhetorical question
EFFECT: highlights the poet’s reflection on humanity’s relationship with nature. It suggests that trees, if they could speak or write, might have a critical view of how humans treat the natural world.
the earthy Kauri trees, their endless brown and green trunks of sturdiness.
METHOD: imagery
EFFECT: The speaker admires the trees & strength of nature
QUOTE:a portable paradise
“Shine the lamp on it like the fresh hope of morning”
METHOD:symbolism
EFFECT: “morning” symbolises fresh start Take comfort in your identity, intangible memories.
QUOTE: like an heiress
“like an heiress drawn to the light of her eye catching jewlles”
METHOD: similie
EFFECT: inheriting her culture, her homeland the “jewlles of where she comes from. her culture is valuble like a fortune to her.
“lone wave of rubbish against the old sea wall”
METHOD: symbolism
EFFECT: symbolic of pollution waste and climate issues
QUOTE: thirteen
“thirteen”
METHOD: repitition
EFFECT: Laughing- childlike reaction. Repetition of ‘thirteen’ and use of previous ‘?’ suggests disbelief at being treated like a man when he is just a child.
You’ll be patted on the shoulder, then, by another fed
METHOD: imagery
EFFECT: Imagery of police exerting physical control; connotations of fear and anxiety. ‘Fed’(slang) implies a lack of respect for authority, systematic distrust. Two police officers- emphasises disproportionate measures.
