Examining Porphyria's Lover by Robert Browning And Not To Blame by Joni Mitchell
To begin with, these two pieces of poetry are about two different
women who have suffered terrible violence from their male partners.
This essay compares the two poems identifying their similarities and
differences as they are both written from a different point of view. 'Porphyria's
Lover' is written from a male's point of view, Robert Browning whereas
'Not To Blame' is written from a female's point of view, Joni
Mitchell. Further more 'Porphyria's Lover' has been written in
Victorian times when issues like these were seen differently compared
with 'Not To Blame', as this is a modern poem.
Firstly the connotations of the titles are very interesting. In 'Porphyria's
Lover' the title can suggest two impressions as it could be referring
to the female's partner in the poem or someone she could possibly be
having an affair with. Likewise in 'Not To Blame' the title
demonstrates two connotations as it suggests that the female in the
poem was 'not to blame' or that the male was 'not to blame'. In effect
it makes you more aware of what the poem is about and lets you decide
on what you want to believe the title is trying to tell you.
The structures of the two poems are different. Although similarly they
both use poetic devices to make the poem stand out. 'Porphyria's
Lover' and 'Not To Blame' use carefully chosen phrases making a strong
impact on the reader.
In 'Porphyria's Lover' rhyme is used throughout most of the poem. It
also uses half rhyme, caesura and run on lines. The poems are also
written in free verse.
Caesura is shown in 'Porphyria's Lover' when the poem breaks in the
middle of the line,
'In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,
And strangled her. No pain felt she; '
Using Caesura gives emphasis to 'And strangled her.' or to 'No pain
felt she; ' which makes a strong point to the important and shocking
Most people have fallen in love at least once in their lives. I too fall in this category. Just like any Disney movie that you watch, people fall in love with each other, and they get married and live happily ever after right? Wrong! In real life, there are some strange things that can happen, including death, divorce, or other weird things that you never see in Disney movies. Robert Browning’s literary works are great examples of “Non-Fairytale Endings.” Not only does Browning have endings in his stories that aren’t the norm in children movies, but he also has some twisted and interesting things happen in the story of lovers. In Robert Browning’s works, Porphyria’s Lover, and My Last Duchess, the speakers can be both compared and contrasted.
The Battle of Franklin was fought on November 30, 1864, at Franklin, Tennessee, as part of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. It was one of the worst disasters of the war for the Confederate States Army. Confederate Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee conducted numerous frontal assaults against fortified positions occupied by the Union forces under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield and was unable to break through or to prevent Schofield from a planned, orderly withdrawal to Nashville.
From the very first word of the poem, there is a command coming from an unnamed speaker. This establishes a sense of authority and gives the speaker a dominant position where they are dictating the poem to the reader rather than a collaborative interacti...
focused on the causes of her father’s dependence on alcohol. In the first seven lines of the poem
The poems make for a simple addition to the narrative and allows for a much more meaningful experience for a reader and makes for a much more engrossing story, thus adding to the experience as a whole.
to be more clearly presented. He made the scene of the poem less dream-like and more like an
The poem as a lot of imagery in it, the poem gives you a visual of what’s actually happing as you read it. Stafford poem traveling though the dark is about life and death being connected. It’s also
The Shadow of the Galilean by Gerd Theissen is a fictional narrative about a Jewish merchant, Andreas, searching for information about a group of people known as Essenes, John the Baptist, and Jesus of Nazareth. While traveling through Jerusalem Andreas was imprisoned by the Romans thinking he was a part of a demonstration against Polite when his mission was to find Jesus. Andreas writes, “I never met Jesus on my travels through Galilee. I just found traces of him everywhere: anecdotes and stories, traditions and rumors. But everything that I heard of him fits together.
Two boys stare at an unfamiliar girl sitting by herself and whisper, “She must be new,” to each other. They walk over to her, wanting to know about her, and ask her where she is from. The human tendency of wanting to know about the unknown is an idea writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne use in their works. Hawthorne uses the style of Romanticism, which was most prominent during the early nineteenth century and includes specific traits such as devotion to nature, feelings of passion, and the lure of the exotic. It also emphasizes traits including the idea of solitary life rather than life in society, the reliance on the imagination, and the appreciation of spontaneity. “Rappaccini’s Daughter” by Hawthorne is about Doctor Rappaccini's garden and daughter Beatrice who live in Italy. A man named Giovanni living near the garden falls in love with Beatrice, but Beatrice is infused with poison and unintentionally kills living things that touch or go near her. “Rappaccini’s Daughter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a work of Romanticism because it includes Giovanni’s lure to the exotic, solitary life as a theme, and appreciation of nature in descriptions.
makes the paly thrilling to read. It keeps the reader hooked to the play and the
result it has on people. In all three poems the last line of the poems
When reading or listening to poetry, the main objective for me is to feel moved. Happiness, longing, sadness are some of the feelings that can be achieved just by listening to others’ words. It is within these words that creates another world, or separates us from our own. Words all have a certain kind of attachment to them, so if used properly an author can stimulate a reader beyond belief.
...each a resolution by the end of the poem. Both meter and rhyme are very essential in building a solid, yet fluid structure to each poem.
It was a tale of two lovers uniting in the night to express their affection and devotion. So how exactly did this tale of love, end in cruel, cold-blooded murder? Good evening and welcome to Poetry Break Down, I’m your host Mary Doe. Tonight, we will delve into the fascinating world of classic Victorian literature. Under the microscope is canonized poet, the late Robert Browning. Browning’s poetry was a reflection of his life and times living in Victorian England. Later on this evening we will analyze just how his times came to play a major role in some of his greatest works, in particular his revered poem Porphyria’s Lover. Released in 1836 (Catherine Maxwell, 1993, p.27), this esteemed text follows the murder of beloved Porphyria, the lover of the enigmatic speaker who, after inviting her to his cottage for a romantic rendezvous, strangles her. Stay tuned, for tonight we explore just how this poem come to be a perfect representation of a society that was obsessed with the dominate preoccupation of male dominance.
... since it deals with the growth of the mind. Therefore, the poet uses syntax and form to emphasize on the important matters that occurred in each stanza.