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Poem QuoteContext Link The Manhunt By Armitage“handle and hold”“Parachute silk of the punctured lung”“only then would I come close” Eddie’s wife Laura is discovering how fragile Eddie is after being shot. The first line of each couplet reinforces this and the structure also indicates that they are a couple getting through this together.The bullet that shot Eddie Beddoes ricocheted through his body, damaging many of his internal organs.Emotional damage and trauma suffered by Eddie as a result of being shot on a peacekeeping mission – he feared balloons at his children’s parties and suffered PTSD because of the trauma.Sonnet 43By Barrett BrowningSonnet 43 “How do I love thee?”“as they turn from Praise” The sonnet is the penultimate poem in the collection of 44 poems in a collection entitled “Songs from the Portuguese”, which Elizabeth wrote about her love for her husband.Barrett Browning feels intense passion and love for her husband Robert, who she loves so intensely. She was baptized at a young age and a prolific Bible reader, but rejected her religious upbringingLondon By Blake“charter’d streets…charter’d Thames”“Blacken’ng Church appals”“Marriage hearse” The streets and river itself (a natural element) seems to have been organised around the people inhabiting the space, as opposed to the space dictating to the people how to live.Industrial Revolution is physically changing the look of the churches outside and the smog is discolouring the buildings. Religion was significant, and England was predominantly Christian, so the idea of religious discord being implied here creates an understanding that Blake is critiquing the way Churches behaved in Victorian London. The end line of the poem indicates one of the two certainties in life that we all die and contextually this could also be important as marriage is a religiously significant ceremony, so perhaps this is symbolic of Blake’s negative outlook on life and the fact that this is a poem from Songs of Experience. The Soldier By Brookes“forever England” “blest by suns of home” “English heaven” The patriotism in the poem suggests that even in death glory will come to the soldiers who have fought and died for their country. Brooke’s never experienced the true horror of war and this is clear from the hyperbolic tone in the poem – the tone here indicates that the poem was written prior to the outbreak of war. Propaganda poem to encourage young men to sign up to become soldiers and the overtly sentimental feeling in the final line may have encouraged men to see becoming a soldier as a higher calling. She Walks in Beauty By Byron“She walks in beauty” “thoughts serenely express” “A heart whose love is innocent”Title implies that he has seen the persona and become obsessed with her, which links to Byron’s status as a Romantic poet (interested in aesthetics and feelings)This is a hint at the voyeuristic nature of Byron looking at the female, but not knowing her, as he implies how she feels based purely on how she looks. Famously, Byron was a lothario and described as “mad, bad and dangerous” which could make these lines appear more sinister, due to the way he is looking at the women, alternatively it could be seen as romantic from Byron’s point of view.Living Space By Dharker“There are not enough straight lines”“towards the miraculous”“walls of faith” This directly references the way that the shanty towns in India have little order or structural safety in the way they are built. The homes are constructed out of waste materials and all appear to be rickety and dangerous, emphasised in this line. Dharker when visiting the poverty and hardship evident in the shanty towns was struck by the optimism and faith of the people living in these conditions. This shows the importance of having faith in humanity, something that Dharker has and uses in her work to raise awareness of the plight of people in more difficult circumstances than our own.As Imperceptibly as Grief By Dickenson“As imperceptibly as Grief” “The Summer lapsed away”Grief is a well know dark feeling that people will understand, and Dickenson seems to show this as an abstract non-understandable emotion that defies understanding. The changing of the season is shown here which is a preoccupation of Dickenson’s as she was an observer of life rather than a participator. She was reclusive and stayed in her room corresponding, rather than actively participating in life. Cozy Apologia “for Fred” Today a hurricane…Big bad Floyd”“I fill this stolen time with you.”Written by Dove to her husband Fred during a traumatic weather event.Hurricane Floyd happened in 1999 and this line references the anticipation as they waited inside for the weather to abate. Recognition that the weather has made everything else around them – ordinary life – grind to a halt and stop. Valentine By Duffy “Not a red rose or a satin heart” “I give you an onion”“shrink to a Wedding ring” Traditional symbols of commercial Valentines gifts being rejected here. An ordinary every day object that is practical and normal – counters or subverts the traditional expectation of Valentine’s gift. Traditional symbol of love and marriage referenced here. Love is seen as realistic throughout the poem and this is reinforced by the metaphor (as when something shrinks it diminishes) but a wedding ring is again only the symbol of the marriage and it is the work that the couple put into the marriage that is important. A Wife in London By Hardy “The Tragedy”“The Irony” “in the far South Land”A telegram was received from the war office, which for a wife at home with a husband away in the Boer war in South Africa, would have signalled bad news. A letter is received by the wife the day after the telegram explaining the excitement of the husband to be coming home. South Africa is referenced here and would have reinforced the reality for many women, whose husbands were away fighting in the Boer war, with little correspondence or understanding of when they would be back. Death of a Naturalist by Heaney “warm thick slobber of frogspawn”“Miss Walls” “The great slime kings” Childhood memories of collecting tadpoles is references here, which is a common occurrence that many people have experienced. This links to the idea of childhood and innocence where experiencing gathering frogspawn is exciting and non-threatening. A teacher giving knowledge to the children about nature. She appears to the child to be an expert in the subject. Memory of school is also important here as a calming and enjoyable experience. As an adult the experience is different, and the frogs are disgusting and threatening. Perhaps, this reinforces the difference in adult experiences and childhood experiences, where life becomes more sinister and less of an exciting adventure than as an adult. Hawk Roosting By Hughes “I sit in the top of the wood” “Now I hold Creation in my foot” “I kill where I please” This bird of prey is waiting patiently in the skies at the top of the trees biding its time until it is ready to hunt. This is reflective of the actions that Hawks take waiting to hint until they need to. References the way that the Hawk will swoop down and grab their prey not caring whether it is a fellow creature of God or not, as this is the nature of a bird of prey. Hughes was fascinated with nature and this is evident throughout the poem as he wonders at the arrogance of the bird, who appears to do as he pleases and takes what he wants. To Autumn By Keats“Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness”“later flowers for the bees” “last oozings hours by hours” Celebrating the way, the sun allows the food and harvest to grow in the summer to provide food for the next season. An understanding that all of nature has a part to play in the cycle of life. Bees need to use the flowers to give them honey and there is the idea that nothing in nature is taken for granted. Patience that is needed at the time to ensure that the harvest is taken in and transformed into food that will take them through the winter season. There are no local shops filled with produce therefore the whole community had a responsibility to help each other with the harvest. Afternoons By Larkin “young mothers assemble” “Our Wedding” “pushing them To the side of their own life”A scene played out across the countries where mums gather with their children at playgrounds to allow their children to run off steam and play. Traditional family roles being referenced and the idea that the marriage becomes less important when family life takes over. As the young have children of their own, the needs and wants and desires change for people. Life continues to change and adapt as you grow up and your own children become more important than yourself. Dulce Et Decorum Est By Owen“like old beggars under sacks”“But limped on, blood-shod” “The old lie”Reflects that young men looked worn out and old before their time as a result of the terrible conditions and events they endured during the war. Having lost their boots or having constantly wet feet many men suffered horrific injuries such as trench foot which was a disease that meant amputation for many, however at the time they had to carry on in spite of the hardships and pain. Reinforces the fact that the army and the government were unaware of what was going to happen in the war and that when they did know they continued to use propaganda to encourage men to go to war. Thousands of men lost their lives due to the ‘lies’ or propaganda that encouraged them to go to war. Ozymandias By Shelley“I met a traveller from an ancient land”“king of kings”“Colossal wreck”Calls on the tradition of oral storytelling to open the poem and would have been understood by Shelley’s audience as he loved the tradition.References the Pharaoh Rameses iii who was a cruel and cold ruler and had his likeness immortalised in sculpture. No matter how extensive and grand the work you have made to immortalise yourself (in this case a giant sculpture) time and weather will work to destroy it and this could be seen as a warning against the desire for power. Mametz Wood By Sheers “For years afterwards”“to walk not run”“absent tongues” The effect of the war was devastating and long-lasting as even when war had finished many bodies of men who fought in war had not been recovered. Links to the instructions given to the soldiers by the commanding officers who had no idea of the brutality that was to come. It could suggest that the officers were incompetent or that the horror and barbarity with the new machinery (like machine guns) was unprecedented. Sheers wanted to reinforce the fact that many of the Welsh soldiers who went to war were not given a voice and were not remembered for the part that they played in the war. By reinforcing this in the poem it gives them back a voice and tells the story of what happened to their brigade at Mametz Wood. Excerpt from The Prelude By Wordsworth “like an untir’d horse” “cared not the summons – happy time” “precipices rang aloud” Comparing skating on the frozen lakes of the Lake District to animals and nature links to the romantic poet movement that Wordsworth was a part of and this would have appealed to his senses as the beauty of the moment is captured. Reflects an innocence in childhood in a time prior to the death of both Wordsworth’s parents where he was happy, carefree and able to throw caution to the wind and just enjoy himself with his friends in the great outdoors. The wide-open spaces of the Lake Districts could be intimidating and this is reflected in the echoing sounds of the hills which are a source of fascination for Wordsworth who was famously in love with the area that he grew up in. ................
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