When Oscar Wilde was 12, and his younger sister Isola was nearly 10, she suddenly became ill with a fever and died. Wilde was affected very badly by her death and became very lonely and sad, and would spend a lot of time visiting his sister’s grave. When he was 19 he wrote this poem, and called it Requiescat, which is latin for “May she rest”. The background helps us understand why the poet would have such strong feelings and such a deep sense of loss. The theme of the poem is universal and everyone can relate to it.
How is language used to show the relationship between Olivia and Viola? It is in Act 1 Scene 5 that one of the major themes in Twelfth Night is first established; the subject of how Olivias attitude is changed by her relationship with Viola. First of all, both Olivia and Viola are both mourning a brother which immediately foreshadows a relationship between them before their first encounter because they both share the same pain and grief- the loss of a loved one. However, there are differences in the manner of their mourning. Olivia is entirely submerged in mourning; she “shall not behold her face at ample view”- she wears a black veil to conceal her sad face.
Caitlin McGregor Emily Dickinson Analytical October 11, 2012 “I Died for Beauty—but was scarce” by Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson’s poem, “I Died for Beauty,” is a depressing piece about what happens to people after they die. Not literally but more figuratively. The poem tells a story of two dead people who were completely different in the way that they lived their lives who are now speaking to each other about their previous lives. This poem follows Dickinson’s most popular theme, death, along with one’s unimportance and insignificance after they’re gone. The poem begins with the narrator saying “I died for Beauty—but was scarce.” The way this line is worded shows that the narrator was not satisfied by the way she lived their life.
Prithvi Singh Dr. Easterling Honors English I 8/25/11 “Before the Birth of One of Her Children” Anne Bradstreet’s life on the verge of a change; a change, she confesses, that could have a grave impact on her life. Though her change is pregnancy, Bradstreet’s main concern is death, particularly, the concern she has for the welfare for her children and husband. At one point in the poem, she shows her affection toward her unborn child by stating her wariness for a stepmother. (From this poem, we see Bradstreet’s point of view at the state of her depression.) Throughout the poem, Bradstreet clearly states that death is “inevitable”.
A Rose for Emily In A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner uses characterization, theme, and symbolism to show how Emily was constricted by her father, and when he dies she kills her only love, Homer. A Rose for Emily, is greatly influenced and set up around the plot of the story. One of the two main themes of the story are that people may resort to desperate measures to prevent being alone in life and to prevent being away from the ones they love. The second main theme is that things, people, and events are not always what they appear to be. This story portrays the love and commitment that Miss Emily has for her lover Homer.
Freedom in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an hour” “The secret of happiness is freedom” - Carrie Jones 2008, Need. The short story “The Story of an Hour” clearly illustrates this quote in this story. That happiness is the key to freedom. One major theme in Chopin’s story is freedom. In the beginning of the story, Mr. Mallard receives devastating news that her husband has died in a railroad disaster.
We can see that the reader got this idea form this particular phrase in the story because it illuminates the idea of her sorrow tuning to happiness. After learning of her husband’s death in a railroad disaster, Mrs. Mallard sinks into a deep state of grief, as one would be expected to do upon receiving such news. She weeps uncontrollably until she can weep no more. Finally, she
The Senses of the Dead: A Look into the “After Death” Christina Rossetti’s, “After Death” is a Victorian-style poem written in the 19th century. Rossetti gives a unique female perspective uncommon for that time period that paints a picture of what the dead see in their journey to the afterlife. “After Death” opens up with a simple setting before introducing the poems two characters, the man and the child. The child tells how she watches the man after she has died. He lingers over her body, mourning her death.
The title could also be about Greenwich Mean Time - it could be a metaphor for when the clocks go back and we lose an hour of our daytime; darkness comes quicker (like the darkness had come into the poets life since she lost her lover) and what should be the ‘right’ time (GMT) is suddenly ‘lost’, like her lover was lost. The line ‘The clocks slid back an hour’ reiterates my previous thoughts; autumn time is when nature starts to die and fall away, much like the relationship in the poem; it has died and decayed and left the person to mourn the death of their lost love. Duffy then carries on in the second line to personify the clocks ‘...and stole light from my life’ which makes it more personal, as if someone physically ‘stole’ the writers partner. The use of the word stole is powerful. It is a dramatic word that implies that the narrator had been personally attacked.
“Compare Hardy’s representation of Emma in two or more poems we have studied” Thomas Hardy’s poetry represents his late wife Emma in several different ways, his opinions of his wife seem to have changed over time, and similarly his perception of her death also seemed to have changed. The death of his first wife Emma seems to have inspired him to create some of his most famous works. Hardy’s poems explore the guilt he feels for the neglect throughout the later part of their marriage, he uses his writing to pardon himself of this guilt and to come to terms with the fact his beloved wife is dead. A frequent representation of his wife is a ghostly presence that remains with him while writing his poetry. There are often contrasting interpretations to be presented throughout his poetry, and he uses many of his own experiences in relation to the memories they once shared.