The Contrast of Pre-Twentieth Century Love Poetry
In the pre-twentieth century societies there were different views and
approaches to love, for example contrasting approaches to virginity.
In this essay I will compare and contrast four pre-1914 essays.
There are some features which may be expected to he found in
pre-twentieth century poetry. For example, imagery was mainly
nature-based, evolving around things such as time, weather, with
religion being a popular choice as it played a much more significant
part of people's lives then compared to now. With romantic poets other
themes/imagery are likely to be the cosmos, dreams, heart and soul
etc. I expect the poems to be metrical, with pre-twentieth century
poetry often having an iambic pentameter, in particular with love
poetry. An example of a typical poem would be a sonnet used to address
love, with 14 lines, an octet and sestet, iambic pentameter and
nature-based imagery.
One way in which the poems differ is in their use of imagery. A good
example of this is how 'To Autumn' (written by John Keates, considered
by Tennyson as the 19th century's greatest poet), which although not
strictly a love poem, is still contains many of the features of the
other poems and therefore suitable for comparison. It uses imagery to
do with nature very differently to 'The Sick Rose' (written by Blake,
regarded as a revolutionary and romantic poet). 'To Autumn' shows
nature very positively, using words such as 'mellow fruitfulness';
'rosy hue'; 'soft-lifted by the winnowing wind' to give pleasant, calm
images of the character (autumn). This effectively portrays the
character and feeling of calm, ...
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'quaint honour turn to dust' and 'into ashes all my lust'. 'The Flea'
also has a strange feature, the flea itself being very strange for use
in a love poem.
'The Sick Rose' is extremely different to a usual love poem' It is
very blunt (just 8 lines), to get his blunt powerful point across. It
uses forceful, violent imagery such as 'howling storm' and 'destroy',
which certainly isn't normal for a love poem. Blake doesn't use
rhyming couplets or iambic pentameter in this poem, further separating
it from a typical love poem and emphasizing his message.
These similarities and contrasts in features like imagery and voice
have shown that authors have different views of love and different
ways of showing those views. This difference in views is also shown by
the variation in how the poems fit to their typical genres.
Both authors use figurative language to help develop sensory details. In the poem It states, “And I sunned it with my smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.” As the author explains how the character is feeling, the reader can create a specific image in there head based on the details that is given throughout the poem. Specifically this piece of evidence shows the narrator growing more angry and having more rage. In the short story ” it states, “We are below the river's bed. The drops of moisture trickle among bones.” From this piece of text evidence the reader can sense the cold dark emotion that is trying to be formed. Also this excerpt shows the conflict that is about to become and the revenge that is about to take place. By the story and the poem using sensory details, they both share many comparisons.
makes each poem unique the central idea is identical, they both emphasize the particular bond
The Poets' Treatment of Love in I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke, The Thickness of Ice by Liz Loxley and How do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Attitudes Towards Love in Pre-1900 and 1990's Poetry “The Despairing Lover” written by William Walsh was written pre 1900 whilst the second poem “I Wouldn’t Thank you for a Valentine” by Liz Lockhead was written in the 1990’s. These poems are almost a century apart. Attitude towards love changes over time and these poems represent this. I Wouldn’t Thank you for a Valentine is about how people think about Valentine’s Day in the 1990’s, while The Despairing Lover is showing what people think and how important they see love in the 1990’s.
There are no differences in the poems themselves as they are both set in the same scene but different centuries one has a negative point on the poem whereas the other has a positive however they tell the same story but in different words.
To conclude the comparison of the three given poems it must be said that they are very similar, and in certain aspects even identical. The only exception to this seems to be the second poem, which was a reply to the first. Despite talking about the same topic, and being directly linked to the first poem, it is very different, as it is not attempting to proclaim the poets love, but is turning it down. Equally the last poem differs slightly due to different circumstances. Yet all of them are attempting to show the reader (or the person it is meant for), what the poets feelings towards that person is, by using very descriptive language.
she hurt the knight in the process of her fun and games. At the time
The way in which both authors manipulate and arrange the words of choice within their poems
The imagery used in the two poems is very similar at times. Both authors describe to the readers a picturesque view of nature, like plants blooming in the springs. Proof of this is found in “Lone Bather'; : “ is plant with lilies bursting from its heels.'; Similarly, in “The Swimmer'; the first
When considering the structure of the poems, they are similar in that they are both written loosely in iambic pentameter. Also, they both have a notable structured rhyme scheme.
...ast each other well. Both poems use imagery, repetition, alliteration and rhyming and both have many biblical references and rhetorical questions. Although each poem is different in its structure, theme and the way it is written.
Therefore, one can see that these poems although similar in their title and central image of the star differ in their themes, form and treatment of the author's ideas.
shows that the poet is so fixated in one woman that he is blinded by
He also tells the reader that he is 'deep in love' when in fact he
First of all, based on both poems, the attitude of the poets is influenced by the diction of the poems as well as tone and mood.