Poetry Context Flashcards
(15 cards)
1
Q
Love’s philosophy context
A
- Romantic poet: focused on how nature is awe-inspiring and the sublime. Typically anti-establishment
- Grew up in the countryside: learnt to fish and hunt in meadows and would often spend time with friend, Thomas Medwin
2
Q
Porphyria’s lover context
A
- Browning has been labelled as a forefather for the pre-Raphaelite art movement, which was obsessed with the female form and sexuality. Women like the Porphyria can be seen partially undressed with their long yellow/red hair in the paintings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais and Gustav Klimt
- The Victorian were a repressed generation of people and that meant that their view of sex and sexuality was, at times, dark and gothic
3
Q
Before you were mine context
A
- As the eldest of seven, it was likely that Duffy became very much aware of the sacrifices her mother had to make in order to care for her children
- This poem refers to the experiences of a woman living in the 1950s, Duffy having been born in 1955. During this era, women were expected to live as housewives immediately after their marriage and entrance into motherhood
4
Q
Winter Swans context
A
- ‘Winter Swans’ belongs of his interpretation of the symbolism behind the Welsh mountain ‘Skirrid Hill’. The word ‘Skirrid’ meaning divorced or separated
- Identity and relationships is a common trope in his work
5
Q
Walking away context
A
- Day-Lewis was raised by a single father after his mother passed and therefore has a particular interest in father-son relationships, as seen in his poetry
- The poem originally had the sub title “for Sean” who was his won who went to boarding school
6
Q
When We Two Parted context
A
- A year prior to the writing of this poem in 1817, Lord Byron had separated from his wife after his exile from ENgland, so it is likely that she is the ex-lover he speaks of
- Byron’s ex-lover is known to have had an affair, perhaps contributing to the tone of bitterness the speaker takes towards this figure
7
Q
Neutral Tones context
A
- Thomas Hardy, despite writing not long after the Romantic era, was known for his rejection of Romantic ideals.
- Hardy separated from his first wife, perhaps fuelling his cynical attitude towards relationships and making Neutral Tones in particular a lot more personal
8
Q
Singh Song context
A
- The pun in the poem’s title plays on the stereotypical Indian name ‘Singh’ and the rising and falling inflection associated with the Indian accent
9
Q
Farmer’s Bride context
A
- Mew had siblings who suffered severely from mental illnesses. She had deep-rooted fear for marriage and its relation to mental illness
- Her work is heavily influenced by her family related trauma
10
Q
Sonnet 29 context
A
- Author was married to poet Robert Browning, who is likely to be this poem’s subject
- Romantic era: bound to include elements of romantic writing in her poetry
11
Q
Follower context
A
- Heaney writes an account of how traditional rural life was in the sixties, when the poem was written
- Heaney often writes about nature and rural life as he grew up in County Derry which is a town surrounded by vast rural lands
12
Q
Mother, any distance context
A
- written about the relationship with his own mother, the desire for independence yet maintaining a strong relationship with his mother
13
Q
Climbing my Grandfather context
A
- His immense appreciation and passion for nature is reflected in his writing
- Semi-autobiographical, can be linked to his own relationship with his grandfather
14
Q
Eden Rock context
A
- His father died in action in WWI and Causley served in WWII with the memory of his father’s death at the forefront of his mind
- He was a Christian, we can see an abundance of religious imagery in his poem
15
Q
Letters from Yorkshire context
A
- semi-autobiographical as it is about her receiving letters from a friend in Yorkshire (while she works in London) and the disparity between her urban life and his rural life as a farmer
