Context:
-English poet
-From Yorkshire
-Writes about contemporary
-Writes for film + TV, including a documentary on injured soldiers
-This poem is spoken from a women's perspective, although its written by a man
Form:
- 13 Couplets
- A vague rhyming pattern, but inconsistent + fragmented
Title:
Manhunt = A Child's game to capture someone
"The frozen river which ran through his face"
"The damaged, porcelain collar-bone"
Juxtapositions of love + pain
Precious, but fragile
The use of the metaphor 'porcelain collar-bone' implies that he's fragile
and delicate and needs to be handled with care. 'porcelain' is often hard,
but also chips easily and is cold to touch. Perhaps it is a reminder of the
'frozen river which ran through his face'
"Then, and only then, did I come close"
Enjambment - A continuous effort for the wife
Sonnet 43
London
Nota:
Context:
- A poet & artist
- Speicalised in illuminated texts, often of a religious nature - but rejected established religion for various reasons
- One reason why he did this was because of the failure of the church to help the children of London who were forced to work
Structure:
- Very regular poem, almost song-like in rhythm
- Strict ABAB rhythm in all 4 stanzas
- Each verse offers a different view of Lodon
Title:
- First person narrative
- A negative view of the city,.
- Physical, moral & spiritual decay
- Describes a journey around London; observed terrible conditions (child labour, restrictive laws, prostitutuion)
The Solider
Nota:
Context:
- A soldier during ww1
- Died of blood poising
- Buried in Cyprus
- Never involved in active service but very patriotic about England
She Walks in Beauty
Living Space
Nota:
Context:
- Born in Pakistan and brought up in Scotland
- Poetry often focuses on religion, faith + culture
- Here she writes about poverty and living conditions in Mumbai.
As Imperceptibly as Grief
Nota:
Context:
-Born 1830, raised in a Puritain household, New England
- Reclusive; didn't leave her home for 30 years
- Written around 1850
Death was a constant companion - she lived near a graveyard but also experienced loss from a very early age
- Uses words in a deliberately vague way to allow the reader to interpret their own meaning
Form:
- Does not use rhyme, but it isn't a free verse
- There is a definite more between alternating lines (blank verse)
- Metaphors - explores the passing of time through the metaphor of the seasons