The Point of View in Porphyria's Lover
"Porphyria's Lover" is an exhilarating love story given from a lunatic's point of view. It is the story of a man who is so obsessed with Porphyria that he decides to keep her for himself. The only way he feels he can keep her, though, is by killing her. Robert Browning's poem depicts the separation of social classes and describes the "triumph" of one man over an unjust society. As is often the case in fiction, the speaker of "Porphyria's Lover" does not give accurate information in the story.
The speaker is a deranged man who will stop at nothing to keep his dear Porphyria. Although the introduction refers to the weather, it also does an effective job in describing the speaker. In this case, it is nighttime, and the thunder is roaring. The speaker starts by saying: "The rain set early in tonight,/The sullen wind was soon awake,/ It tore the elm-tops down for spite,/ And did its worst to vex the lake(Barnet 567):" This description gives the reader the first glimpse of what is yet to come. These turbulent words help give the poem a gloomy feeling.
When Porphyria arrives at the speaker's cottage, she is dripping wet. The speaker makes it an important point to describe her after her arrival. The description of the articles of clothing that Porphyria is wearing helps the reader know that Porphyria is from an upper-class family. She was wearing a cloak and shawl, a hat, and gloves. It is apparent that the speaker works for Porphyria's family. He lives in a cottage, somewhat distant from the main house. The cottage is cold until Porphyria warms up the room with her presence and by stirring up the fire. The way the speaker introduces Porphyria is very unique. He states that Porphyria "glided" into the room. With this description, the lover insinuates to the reader that the he sees Porphyria as some kind of angel who moves swiftly and gracefully across the floor.
The speaker is upset about the party going on in the main house. Porphyria will be married soon, and he feels that if he were an upper-class citizen, Porphyria would be able to marry him.
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 narrator is called for help by his old time friend Roderick Usher. There is a split feeling in the narrator’s mind between the rational and the supernatural. When he first arrives to the house, he sees a face in the tarn, a split crack in the house and the double image of his own face on the image of the house. Unlike Roderick, the narrator appears to be a man of common sense. He seems to have a good heart in that he comes to help a friend from his boyhood. Being educated and analytical, he observes that his friend Roderick has a mental disorder. The narrator tries to find scientific explanations for what Roderick senses, but when he can’t find one, he criticizes Roderick for his fantasies, and claims that Roderick is “enchained by certain superstitious impressions in regard to the dwelling which he tenated”. The narrator tries his hardest to help but he can’t because he ...
Hanna, F. J., & Bemak, F. (1997). The quest for identity in the counseling profession. Counselor Education and Supervision, 36(3), 194. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/201301734?accountid=27965
Since the protagonist leads the story as a narrator, the loneliness of the narrator is depicted through internal and external conflicts that arise by situations and the feelings of being alone. The first person point of view allows readers to be immersed in her situation easily. For instance, no one gives her love after she gets measles first which further get extended to Porphyria. The narrator’s father does
The house was a representation of Roderick, as it was dark and its physical features were declining, just as his mental and physical health was; while he perished, the house collapsed to the ground, which represents the deceased Usher family generation. His phobia began to build as the death of his sister neared, making her an allegory of his mental torture and the reason for his foreshadowing of his own collapse. Madeline also, in a way, represents Poe’s wife and cousin, Virginia, since incest was possible at the Usher household. As Roderick becomes more afraid of the house and what it contains, it can be said he is also not content with his family tree, since he would be the last living Usher, after Madeline’s soon demise. The ultimate result of Roderick’s last breath is a symbol of him being forever imprisoned in his fear, more likely the House of Usher, and will unfortunately never live again to know the meaning of true
Obesity is a hot topic these days and everyone has a thought on how to solve this. “We didn’t end up with an obesity problem because of a single fatal flaw, and we’re not going to solve it with a magic bullet” (McMillan 3). I believe it’s not so much obesity that is a problem but malnutrition. Malnutrition comes in all forms from starvation to overeating. “Obese people, who consume more calories than they need, may suffer from the sub-nutrition aspect of malnutrition…” (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com). Our focus shouldn’t be entirely on obesity, rather on the access by all classes to healthful and affordable food. Although, personal choice plays an important role, supermarkets effect our nutrition as well.
“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe was published in 1839. In it, the short story’s narrator visits a childhood friend, Roderick Usher. The narrator travels to the Usher house, where the story takes place. As in other Poe stories, the settings reflect a character. Throughout the short story, there are many instances when the Usher house and Thought, the castle in Roderick’s poem, reflect Roderick Usher and his family. In “The Fall of the House of Usher,” the setting of the Usher house along with the setting in Roderick’s poem reflect Roderick Usher in appearances, relations with family, and physical existence.
The story starts out with the Narrator receiving a bizarre letter from his old school friend Roderick Usher, “The MS gave evidence of nervous agitation. The author of the letter speaks of acute bodily illness-of a mental disorder which oppressed him.” (Narrator, The Fall of the House of Usher). From the very onset of the story there is a supposition that something is wrong with Roderick, things seem out of the ordinary. The Narrator commiserates with Roderick’s request and decides he will ingratiate him with a visit. When the Narrator first encounters Roderick, Roderick explains, “I feel that the period will sooner or later arrive when I must abandon life and reason together, in some struggle with the grim phantasm, FEAR.” (Roderick Usher, The Fall of the House of Usher). To surmise, Roderick is living in fear and believes that he will soon die. At this point the reader is curious, what could be so awful to trans...
Madness seems to inject itself into Poe’s tale, The Fall of the House of Usher, from the very beginning. The narrator of this tale begins by using extremely detailed comparisons and descriptions of the home of Roderick Usher, to relay the “insufferable gloom” and “utter depression of soul” (654) he feels when he first sees the place. He describes the outside, with its “vacant eye-like windows,” and “white trunks of decaying trees” (654). Literary critic Victor Strandberg states that Poe “unmistakably depicts the gloomy mansion as representing the house of the psyche.” Strandberg believes the references refer to Usher’s mysterious mental condition and Poe’s intent to compare the two, are solidified with Usher’s telling of his “The Haunted Palace.” Roderick Usher states in “The Haunted Palace,” that his home was “on...
The death of the female beloved is the only way deemed possible by the insecure, possessive male to seize her undivided attention. This beloved woman represents the "reflector and guarantor of male identity. Hence, the male anxiety about the woman's independence for her liberty puts his masculine self-estimation at risk" (Maxwell 29). The jealous and controlling males in Robert Browning's "Porphyria's Lover" and "My Last Duchess" possess a fervent desire to fix and monopolize their unconstrained female beloveds. Due to a fear of death, both speakers attempt to achieve control and deny object loss; by turning their lovers (once subjects) into objects, they ultimately attain the role of masterful subject.
Portrayal of Women in La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Lady of Shalott, My last Duchess, and Porphyria's Lover
Situational theory tends to look at the situation in isolation from the leader and the followers. Just as the trait approach views personality traits in isolation, so too, the situational approach fails to give adequate attention to the total process that results in leadership. Once again, we need to emphasize the idea of leadership as an interaction influence system involving a leader, follower, and situational variables.
Edgar Allen Poe, a famous novelist from the 18th century, is known for being a treasure trove for allusions, illusions, clues, and all sorts of literary fun. Born in 1809, this Bostonian never had it easy. Marriage to a 13 year old cousin, family problems, and deaths surrounded him. Over time, such tremendous struggle began to reflect in his writing, creating the dark and moody tone we now see today. One such piece, The Fall of the House of Usher, tells the tale of a man who goes to visit a dying friend on his last days. Roderick Usher is the name of this dying man, although he doesn’t seem dead in the beginning. However, the deathly state should be of no importance to the reader; death is the very essence of Poe’s writing. Rather, the reader’s attention should be deviated toward the unusual twin of the story,
In the poem Porphyria’s Lover, this desire for love is shown when Porphyria’s lover says, “Be sure I loo...
In ‘Porphyria’s Lover,’ the speaker appears to be honestly and simply recounting the events of his final encounter with Porphyria. However, Robert Browning’s careful use of meter (Iambic Tetrameter), rhyme and repetition betrays his true state of mind. He uses phrases like “Mine, Mine!” to help enforce this.