Sonnet 43

Sonnet 43

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Background

Elizabeth Barrett’s love affair with the poet Robert Browning against the will of her father is well documented. The strength of her love is well evoked by the collection of sonnets she wrote entitled Sonnets from the Portuguese of which this is number 43.

She had health problems from an early age and was deeply upset by the death of her brother, Edward, who was killed in a sailing accident. Because of these factors and the strictness of her father, she became very reclusive. She did, however, write poems, one of which praising a work by Robert Browning caught the latter’s attention and led to a correspondence between them. This, in turn, led to a strong and lasting love between them which had to remain secret at first because of her father’s opposition.

The collection of sonnets was published in 1850, four years after the two lovers eloped together. 

We can assume that “my old griefs” and “my lost Saints” refer to her childhood bereavements.

The form of the poem is extremely important.  This is a sonnet, of the Petrarchan form.  You should work out the rhyme scheme and the meter very carefully indeed.  For this you will need to ascribe letters to the rhyming sounds at the end of the lines.  You`ll notice a pattern.  We must remember that there are many different accents and differences in pronunciation of certain words in English and so we need to accept that the poet in this case intended “ways” to rhyme with “Grace”. 

In terms of content the opening line is striking.  What is the effect of this line and what tone does it establish?  A catalogue of emotions is introduced in the poem, enumerating the ways the poet loves her partner: count these and write them down and see if there are any patterns or a trend of any sort.

You may wish to look, for example, at dimensions in L2 and explain the effect of the repeated ampersand: what does this emphasise? With reference to these dimensions, what does “out of sight” emphasise?  The reference in L4 is important: why has the poet used capital letters (in one respect, this was a Victorian tradition); what is being referred to here; is it some physical or non-physical?  What are the connotations of these nouns in line 4?

Now you have written down all the ways the poet loves her partner you should analyse them and look at the differences between them.  There is certainly a striking contrast between lines 4 and 5: what does this suggest about the poet`s love?  Look at the adverbs in lines 7 and 8 and try and explain what they say about the poet`s love.

There is a clear difference in the rhyme scheme in the last six lines and this serves in the case of this poem to convey a sense of climax.  Explain in detail how this is achieved.

So, We’ll Go No More A-Roving

Lord Byron

Background

George Gordon Byron was born in 1788 and became Lord Byron on the death of his father in 1798. He is often thought of as the 'bad boy' of English Romantic poetry. The poem is based on the sixteenth-century sea shanty ‘The Maid of Amsterdam’. In many versions of the song, the words are rather risqué. Byron’s poem was included in a letter to a friend and fellow reveller, Thomas Moore.

'I feel anxious to hear from you, even more than usual, because you last indicated that you were unwell. At present, I am on the invalid regimen myself. The Carnival – that is, the latter part of it – and sitting up late o’nights, had knocked me up a little. But it is over, and it is now Lent, with all its abstinence and Sacred Music. 'The mumming closed with a masked ball at the Fenice, where I went, as also to most of the ridottos etc. etc. and though I did not dissipate much upon the whole, yet I find the “sword wearing out the scabbard”, though I have but just turned the corner of twenty-nine.'

The opening word of the poem links back to  a text which is not presented with the poem, this gives a sense of conversation, a  light, informal tone and a sense of continuation.

The meter and rhyme are particularly striking in their simplicity.  The fact that is this a poem with its roots in sea shanties is something that resonates through the three stanzas.  This is a poem that could easily be sung – and you may wish to do so; it would certainly help the audience get a clearer idea of the mood of the poem!  Importantly, we must consider what the effects of this structure and mood are on the poem.  Can you find out anything about sea shanties?

The structure of the poem is regular: three quatrains with a regular rhyme scheme – what is the rhyme scheme and what are its effects on the mood of the poem?  If it is particularly simple does this say something about the content of the poem?

The meter is also very regular and simple.  You should count the number syllables in a each line, do this very carefully, and see if at any point there are any irregularities.  If, for example, there is one line with fewer syllables than you might expect you can assume this was something intended by the poet.  If so, where is this line, or lines, and what is the effect of this?

In terms of the content of the poem, what are the important and striking features?  How is time presented for example?  Is this related to the theme at all?

The tone of this poem is also very important.  This is related to the form of the sea shanty, and seems to mix a carefree attitude with some resignation, self-criticism and even regret.  There are other adjectives which you may use to describe this: you must try and explain how these tones are achieved and what they say about the theme of the poem and even the poet himself.

Finally, how does this poem make you feel?  This is a more complicated question than you might think.  

The Flower-Fed Buffaloes

Vachel Lindsay

Background

Vachel Lindsay was born in 1879 in Illinois, USA. He often sold his poetry on the streets and made long walking expeditions, trading his poetry on the way in exchange for food and lodging.

Line 1: It is hard to estimate how many buffalo once roamed North America but it is thought that there would have been between 30 and 75 million. By the time Lindsay was writing there were about 300.

Line 3: the first railroad in the area was the Illinois and Central Railroad chartered in 1851. The construction of the railroad hastened the depletion of the buffaloes. Shooting the beast from the windows of the railroad by passengers was popular and widely advertised.

Line 14: Blackfeet and Pawnees are two American native tribes. The population of the Pawnees in the early nineteenth century was about twenty to twenty-five thousand, but it declined rapidly in the later part of the nineteenth century mostly because of smallpox and cholera, but also through falling prey to traditional enemies.

Sound is extremely important in this poem.  Much Lindsay`s poetry was written for the voice and he presented most of his poem orally.  What are the dominant sounds in this poem and are there any patterns of sound?  Once you`ve found these sounds and patterns try and explain what you think the effect of this technique is.  Does it emphasise any aspect of the poem?

Setting is vividly created in the opening four lines.  Together with the dominant sounds in these lines ( a sibilant “ess” and an almost recumbent “oh”) what scene is being created and what is the emotion felt by the poet?  At the end of the third line there´s a slightly discordant clashing of ess sounds, which contrasts with the more poised concord of sounds in the first two lines.  Identify this and explain what the effect is.  Is the season important in any way?

Subject and theme – concerned with the passing of time and the loss of habitat.  How does the poet evoke these ideas and what is the tone of his comment?  What are the words used to describe the buffaloes?  How effectively and completely do you think the poet has captured their character in the poem?

Repetition – related also to sound but important by itself.  There seems to be a slight shift in the meaning of  the idea to “lie low”.  What is the context of this and how does that meaning shift from line 4 to the last three lines of the poem?

General comment on the poem can perhaps relate to the idea of development  and human intrusion into wild habitats and environments.  What is the poet`s comment and what do you think of it?  Could you use any visual stimuli to help show this?

On the Grasshopper and the Cricket

John Keats

Background

Keats was born in England in 1795 and died of tuberculosis when he was just 25, by which time he had composed an astonishing amount of powerful poetry. This particular sonnet was written when he was 21. It is in the Petrarchan or Italian form of the sonnet with an octave (here quite clearly divided into two quatrains) and a sestet, without a rhyming couplet at the end. Like Milton, who also used this form, he wrote sonnets about many different subjects, not specifically, as early sonnet writers tended to, about love.

The poem was written as a response to a sort of competition between himself and his great friend, Leigh Hunt, as to who could write the best verse, in a short time, on a specified topic. Keats won on this occasion, although he generously avowed that he preferred the other poet’s attempt.

The structure of this poem is extremely important.  Students need to count the syllables of each line and work out very carefully the rhyme scheme.  This is a Petrarchan sonnet, lines 1,4,5 and 8 rhyme with each other.  The word dead, for example, would have been pronounced with more northern English accent, perhaps more similar to modern Scots.

As the rhyme scheme changes there will be some small shifts in tone and meaning.  This especially apparent between lines 8 and 9.  This shift is reflected in the layout of the lines;  they seem to walk across the page – what is the effect of this?

Meter of the poem is important – rhythm and pauses: students need to practise  a reading to subtly emphasise the natural pauses and stresses.  This is a very finely wrought poem so we can fairly assume the poet has made no mistakes with his intentions.

Subject:  what is the difference between a  grasshopper and a cricket?  It`s related to the time of day they are most active: how is this reflected in the poem and why do you think the poet has chosen this subject?

Tone and mood – there are two distinct moods in the poem.  Students should identify them, explain the diction which has evoked them and then explain the effect of the juxtaposition.  They may be guided by the contrast of “hot sun”, with “the frost”. 

Repetition and sound – this is an extremely rich aspect of this beautiful poem.  The first lines of the octave and sestet mirror each other.  Whet effect does this have and why has Keats changed line nine slightly?  What is the effect of the alliterative consonants (for example, “faint with the hot sun”) and the assonance of the vowels (“hide in cooling trees”)?  There are some sounds which reflect the sound of the grasshopper and we hear these in the closing line of the poem.  Perhaps that has an effect of circularity – why is this?

Look for as many striking sound features as possible and try and explain their effects.

Overall, what is the effect of the poem?  What kind of sentiment is Keats trying to communicate and has he done a good job?

Full Moon and Little Frieda

Main idea of the poem – this can be stated briefly and then explored through the following aspects
Poet`s description of setting

The use of the senses – this is rich and reflects the alertness of the little child. How has the poet achieved this through the entire poem?

Imagery – similes, metaphors and personification. The poem is rich in imagery. In what way does this reflect the child`s way of seeing the world? Identify some of the most striking images – such as the description of the cows. What are the different ways the poet has described them; how does this reflect the child`s view of the world? Suggest that groups draw or find pictures of these images to illustrate to the class.

Characters and relationships – there`s a relatively complicated relationship with the personified moon described at the end of the poem. How does this illustrate the child`s relationship with the universe and with the poet? Think very carefully about the image of the artist gazing at his work.

Structure – irregular, free verse structure. How might this reflect the young girl’s way of looking at the world?

Repetition – of sounds: alliteration, assonance and the overall consonance. What is the effect? The opening line is particularly striking for its sounds: how and to what effect? Are any key words repeated? Why do you think this is and what is the effect?

The overall tone or emotion of the poem. Looking at the poem as a whole, what is the general feeling of it? Is it a happy or a sad poem; is there a sense of wonder and peace in the poem?