Examples - A Level Literature at Keswick School - f662 ...



HYPERLINK "" Prospice Edit 0 0 5… First Published 1864, in Dramatic Personae.The title of this poem is Latin for 'look forward'.Prospice seems to be an unusually biographical poem. Certainly, we can recognise in the speaker, Browning the poet, mourning his dead wife.- First poem published after death of Elizabeth Barrett - Prospice seems to be an unusually biographical poem. Certainly, we can recognise in the speaker, Browning the poet, mourning his dead wife.- Probably also Browning’s most rhetorical piece. The language used in the poem almost appears to be a battle cry to deathPoints for consideration- The title of this poem is Latin for 'look forward'. Why is this appropriate?- Think about persuasive devices (rule of three, superlatives etc)Poems for comparison- The Lost Leader – Sense of grandeur and self-importance.- The Grammarian’s Funeral – Mountainous setting as backdrop to monumental event.- A Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister - compelling and outspoken dramatic persona- Dubiety – old ageWhat comparisons can we make from reading Alfred Tennyson's poem Crossing the BarThe language used in the poem almost appears to be a battle cry to death. How does the language from these film scenes compare to the language used in the poem? Think about persuasive devices (rule of three, superlatives etc)Lord of the Rings - Return of the KingArmageddon - The presidents address to the worldGladiator - 'for you are in Elycium and you are already dead'Henry V 'Band of Brothers'What film clips can you think of? Alfred Tennyson, Lord TennysonCrossing the BarSUNSET and evening star,????And one clear call for me!And may there be no moaning of the bar,????When I put out to sea,But such a tide as moving seems asleep,????Too full for sound and foam,When that which drew from out the boundless deep????Turns again home.Twilight and evening bell,????And after that the dark!And may there be no sadness or farewell,????When I embark;For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place????The flood may bear me far,I hope to see my Pilot face to face????When I have crost the bar."PROSPICE" (look forward) is a challenge to spiritual conflict, exultantwith the certainty of victory, glowing with the prospective joy ofre-union with one whom death has sent before. We cannot doubt that thispoem, like the preceding, came from the depths of the poet's own heart."Prospice" (pro~spik'e~) means "Look Forward". Browning wrote this shortlyafter Elizabeth Barrett Browning's death in 1861. The "soul of my soul" inthe last two lines is Elizabeth Barrett Browning in fact ...This poem ranks with William Ernest Henley's "Invictus" and Tennyson's"Crossing the Bar" as one of my favorite poems about men facing death withsheer courage. "I was ever a fighter, so -- one fight more, The best and the last! "A fight he knows he cannot win, and doesn't care, eagerly looking forward todeath.Hap Notes: Well, this is Browning's "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," written in 1861, fifty years before the birth of Dylan Thomas. Except he is directing himself to meet death/old age as the last great struggle. He charges himself to fight death but he also knows that nobody gets out of that fight alive. The important part, to Browning, is to "Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life's arrears/Of pain, darkness and cold."So he's telling us that the price for life's joys is the struggle one must face, one last time, with the arch forces of death and aging. "Guerdon," if you are unfamiliar with the word (I was) means reward. So he's sort of saying "Chin up, face to the wind, go forward into the battle of life and death." Prospice is Latin for "forward," by the by.Browning wrote this poem after the death of his wife, poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and theirs is one of the truly great love stories of their day. Some say that Robert's influence was not always a good one on her work but this sort of posthumous sifting is frustrating since Elizabeth, in spite of her physical frailty, was pretty much able to hold her own. She wrote possibly the most famous love poem of all time "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways" to Browning. She was 38 when he met her (he was a fan of her work). He was 32. After they married she was disinherited by her father (her dad did this to all his children who married- he was more than a bit of a fascist as a dad). She was 43 when she had her first child. She opposed slavery and encouraged the rights of women. Browning was quite drowned in love for her and her poetry. Today's poem's last lines express his fervent hope to be reunited with her, the "soul of his soul," in death.I'm a great fan of both of the Brownings, although I lean somewhat towards Robert. After struggling through all ten poems of his book-length "The Ring and The Book" one either loves him and admires him or never wants to read another word of him and admires him. Of those two I am the former. But that's not why I chose this poem at this time.Okay, you'll have to sit through a bit more about Amitabh Bachchan here – just warnin' you. Because he quoted both Browning and Tennyson on his blog a couple of days ago (yes, even my movie stars have to like poetry.) He comes by it naturally since his dad, Harivansh Rai "Bachchan" Shrivastav, is a very famous Hindi poet. So, he's going through one of his father's books and he sees, written in his father's hand, a quote from Browning, "I was ever a fighter, so -- one fight more." It moved him (as it would anyone, I suppose) and reminded me, once more, of my love for this very heartfelt poem. (The Tennyson his dad quoted is in my top ten poems of all time- we'll get to it someday.....) It amuses me that even my love for a Bollywood icon is another thread in the tapestry of the poetry that creates the universe.Harivansh Bachchan, by the way, wrote a wonderful poem "Madhushala" (The Tavern) which is a deeply drawn metaphor on poetry, life and love that I am not qualified to talk about. This does not stop me from singing it (yes, it's been set to music, poetry's easier to understand cousin) and if you hear Amit-ji singing it you will too– warning you ahead of time that it's infectious: watch?v=19sMzT5Iln0&feature=relatedHere's an English translation of the poem- I don't know how good it is, my Hindi is limited to "no," "potato," "come here," "darling," "everything," "tea" and "wrong format," so I'm incapable of knowing it is a good one although the poem's metaphor comes through loud and clear: poem/8586937-Madhushala__The_Tavern__-by-Harivansh_Rai_BachchanRobert Browning's "Prospice" is a dramatic monologue written about a man's thoughts on his impending death. Browning was an ambitious poet who wrote with both great range and variety. Through the vividness of imagery, swiftness of movement, and notes of hope and courage, Browning expresses his optimistic outlook on death and the afterlife.Born in Camberwell, London, on May 7th, 1812, Browning inherited his scholastic tastes from his father-- a clerk in the Bank of England. Browning's personal life revolved around his relationship with the poet Elizabeth Barret, whom he secretly married in 1846. The pair resided in Italy until 1861, when Elizabeth passed away. This resulted in Browning leaving Italy with a heavy heart, and settling in London, where he continued his writing. The verse novel The Ring and the Book, which was written in the last few decades of his life, achieved Browning his true literary prestige. Although heart broken after his wife's death, Browning could be described as a congenial, gregarious man. In the words of William Sharp:"Everybody wished him to come and dine; and he did his utmost to gratify everybody. He saw everything; read all the notable books; [...] knew all the gossip of the literary clubs, salons and the studios; was a frequenter of afternoon tea-parties; and then, over and above it, he was Browning; the most profoundly subtle mind that has exercised itself in poetry since Shakespeare."Robert Browning died in Venice on December 12th, 1889, and was buried in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey.Browning's "Prospice" is written as a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is a poem with a speaker who is clearly separate from the poet, who speaks to an audience that remains clearly present in the scene. This implied audience is what distinguishes the dramatic monologue. The purpose is to develop the character of the speaker, rather than make a statement about the declared subject matter. For Browning, this type of writing provides a way in which he can explore somewhat controversial ideas, as well as forms of consciousness and self-representation. The rhyming scheme of the dramatic monologue occurs in the rhyming of the last word of every other line.The though content of "Prospice" compares the speaker's impending death to climbing a mountain, and being a soldier in war. It conveys an image of a courageous man embracing death, and what God has planned for him without fear. Browning begins by asking the audience if they think he fears death; comparing it to the elements. The fog in his throat is making it hard to breathe as he ascends the mountain. The cold rush of wind signifies he is nearing the top of the mountain--the final hour of death. As he approaches he sees death waiting at his lookout point, but he does not hesitate to go forward. He is strong enough to submit without a fight, because he has reached the top of the mountain, and allows his guard to be let down. Even though it is necessary to fight the battle before the final award is received, the speaker was always a fighter, so he will do it right the last time. The speaker would hate to have lived his life being blind to and avoiding death, pretending that it would never happen. He wants to see and know all of it, even the grotesque aspects, and face it like his fellow soldiers in their heroic manner. He would bear the pain in his death in order to balance the pain he escaped throughout his lifetime. He believes that the worst things, like death, turn the best men into valorous ones when they are facing their last minutes of life. All the pain and struggles that accompany death will disappear and become a relief as they dwindle. The speaker then sees a light, followed by his predeceased wife. He is able to hold her again, and leaves whatever happens next up to God, for he is with his love once again--"the soul of [his] soul."Browning's theme of the poem is expressed partially in the title, "Prospice", meaning to go forward. He wants everyone to face death bravely and turn the disadvantage into an advantage, for death is God's will, and there is nothing to be afraid of. Browning is telling the audience that death is not something to be feared, but rather to embrace, because it makes it easier to accept and, in the end, one is reunited with the ones they love. The poem is also an antithesis, as it establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between the ideas of the impending doom of death, and the anticipation of it, by joining them together in parallel structure."Prospice" opens with a rhetorical question, presumably mocking the thought of fearing death. The first two lines feature consonance, producing a harmonious effect as the speaker describes the physical effects of the ascension of a mountain. The first ten lines create an almost hopeless tone; making one think that the man is perturbed by death. Death is personified for the first time in line six, then as "the Arch Fear" in line seven; frequently acquiring human characteristics throughout the poem. The reasoning behind this conceivably being that the speaker is visualizing death as the enemy he must stand up to. The tone of dreariness is supported in line ten with imagery of the "barriers fall[ing]."A shift in tone occurs in lines eleven and twelve, conveying the man's changing attitude towards death. The shift is especially evident in the pause in line thirteen: "I was ever a fighter, so--one fight more", when the man seems to gain courage. The following lines compare his surrender to death to soldiers in war, who fight the battle to win the ultimate reward. In the case of this poem, the reward is death. The man wishes to see the true face of death, and suffer the pain that his fellow soldiers had to endure in their deaths. The last ten lines of the poem serve as a sort of denouement to the poem, as the speaker gains peace in the end of the fight, for "The black minute's at end". Repetition is evident in lines twenty-four and twenty-five, with the word "shall", as the speaker loses consciousness. When death has finally taken over, a tone of relief is shown when the speaker is reunited with his wife, and decides to leave his future up to God.Browning expresses his optimistic outlook on his death and demise through his use of vivid imagery, swift movement of words, and tone of courage and hope in his poem, "Prospice". The tribute to his wife serves as a visage into the personality and beliefs of Robert Browning, making one question their own views on death and whether or not it is something to be feared.Works . "Robert Browning: Biography and Much More from ". . 28 March 2007. .Browning, Robert. "Prospice". A Book of Good Poems. Ed. C. T. Fyfe. Toronto: The Copp Clark Publishing Company, 1959.GradeSaver. "Introduction: Life of Browning." . 28 March 2007.1] Written in the autumn of 1861, a few months after Mrs. Browning's death. First published in the Atlantic Monthly of June 1864; also in Men and Women, 1864. Prospice: the Latin imperative of prospicio -- look forward, look ahead.7] The Arch Fear: Death.15] bandaged: a reference to the practice of bandaging the eyes of those who are to be executed by shooting.19] arrears: Browning implies that he has had less of "pain, darkness, and cold" than most people have.Examples“In the lines entitled Prospice it is death the adversary that is confronted and conquered; the poem is an act of the faith which comes through love; it is ascribed to no imaginary speaker, and does not, indeed, veil its personal character.”Robert Browning“How "like one entire and perfect chrysolite" is the little piece called "Prospice"!”The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864“Prospice," by Robert Browning (1812-89), is the greatest death song ever written.”Poems Every Child Should Know The What-Every-Child-Should-Know-Library“It has been said that next to Browning's "Prospice" it is the greatest death-song ever written.”Poems Every Child Should Know The What-Every-Child-Should-Know-Library“It seems to me that if these two poems only, "Prospice" and "Rabbi Ben Ezra," were to survive to the day of Macaulay's New Zealander, the contemporaries of that meditative traveller would have sufficient to enable them to understand the great fame of the poet of "dim ancestral days," as the more acute among them could discern something of the real Shelley, though time had preserved but the three lines --”Life of Robert Browning“_ In "Prospice" death is reckoned an adversary to be courageously met and overcome.”Selections from the Poems and Plays of Robert Browning“Prospice" ( "Look forward") was written in the autumn following Mrs. Browning's death.”Selections from the Poems and Plays of Robert Browning“From the unsparing vigor of these lines we turn for relief to "Rabbi Ben Ezra" and "Prospice.”The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864“It is, among songs over the dead, what Rabbi ben Ezra and Prospice are among the songs which face and grapple with death; the fittest requiem to follow such deaths as those.”Robert Browning“Prospice would not be the great uplifting song it is were the note of struggle, of heroic heart to bear the brunt and pay in one moment all “life's arrears of pain, darkness, and cold,” less clearly sounded; and were the final cry less intense with the longing of bereavement.”Robert Browningwouldn't even call the opening sarcastic--or ironic. It seems to me that the speaker,in the manner of a true man of th nineteenth century (and now I'm begin just slightly ironic), is facing death resolutely, determined not to fear it. Since he describes the transition from this life to the mysterious next as a voyage, it's easy to imagine him standing staunchly in the bow of the ship like Washington crossing the Delaware, or maybe like Odysseus sailing past the Sirens. So I'd call the tone of most of the poem resolute, even heroic. Then in the next-to-last sentence (which begins "For sudden") the tone changes to hopeful as the things to be faced bravely fall behind, and in the last sentence it becomes tender and personal. Up to that point Browning could be any Victorian poet envisioning death*, but suddenly he's only himself, looking forward to being reunited with his dead wife.It's a dramatic monologue, written from the perspective of a soldier facing death- uses the extended metaphor of the approach of death likened to climbing a mountain in harsh weather. Death comes when the summit is reached through bravery and determination - hence death is to some extent an accomplishment.- opens with a rhetorical question "Fear death?" - this seems to be addressed both to the audience and to the narrator himself. The rhetorical nature of the question implies that the notion of fearing death is ludicrous... the speaker would never fear death.- opens with consonance/alliteration - "Fear death? To feel the fog..." The use of the fricative 'f' creates a hushed and calm atmosphere. The contrast between the sound and subject matter introduces us to his unusual attitude towards death.- Use of Latin title (Prospice = looking forward) both conveys the fact that facing death is a timeless issue and also instantly shows his optimistic attitude.- Personification of death - "Where he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form" / "I would hate that death bandaged my eyes"- alliteration - "guerdon be gained" / "Bear the brunt"... the harsh consonants/plosives reflect his determination and strength- Use of punctuation (exclamation marks) to show both resolution and to an extent almost excitement.- Repetition of 'shall' suggests that his notion of what death will be like is not simply a belief, but is knowledge - and shows how deeply embedded this knowledge is- Final exposure of why death is not to be feared: the soldier's soft heart is finally revealed, since death is a place to be reunited with loved ones. ................
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