Poem Summaries and Analysis

The Lady of Shalott

o Alfred, Lord Tennyson o Poem o Summary § Illustrates the isolation of a woman in a tower far from what she wants to live and experience. She lives her life imprisoned by a curse she knows no consequence for and so hesitates to live her life the way she would have liked. § Camelot has a road which is full of natural beauty and the constant flow of people traveling in and out. Shalott is mentioned almost as if in passing and is portrayed as just a place that is merely noticed by people on their journey to and from Camelot § The lady of shalott is described to be sheltered in a building or structure, which is described to have four gray walls and towers and is located on a lifeless island. § The river and road to Camelot is busy with boats, horses, and small boats flying down the river. § The only people who saw her wave her hands, stand by her window, or just acknowledge her existence was the "reapers" who were harvesting barely in the early hours. These men would hear the echoes of her singing being carried out from shallot. § She busies herself in weaving a magic colorful web. She has been cursed with a curse she doesn't know the consequences of. All she knows is that she can not look down from her towers at Camelot. § She owns a mirror that hangs in front of her as she weaves. The quality of her shows her shadows of the world around her, so the images are unclear or blurred. There are various kinds of people the lady can make out in her mirror. Some are impolite and rude, most are peasants. Others are described as girls from the market who are passing by shalott, wearing red cloaks § She also sees women and abbots riding horses. She is drawn to Sir Lancelot, a handsome knight. She points out she has no knight of her own, who would show her love and loyalty. Her mirror is blue § Her weaving is based on sights she sees in her mirror. They are often funerals or weddings. We learn she is tired of these shadows in her mirror. § Sir Lancelot, is bold and dazzling in the sun close to where she resides. § A small silver trumpet hangs from his strap belt (baldric). § The leather of his saddle was shining bright and his helmet had feathers on it that looked quite fierce. Him riding to Camelot is compared to a trailing light in the sky § The speakers continues to give compliments to Lancelot. His broad clear brow glowed in the sunlight, his horse's hooves were polished and glossy. His black curly hair flowed beneath his helmet. He makes an appearance in her mirror while singing § She leaves her loom and walked to the window. She looks out to the world. She witnesses a water lily bloom, lancelot's helmet and Camelot. While looking out, her web flew out and floated away and her mirror cracked. She has been cursed and realizes what she has done. § There is stormy weather. She leaves her toward and finds a boat and writes Lady of Shalott on the front § She gets in the boat but looses the chain and her boat takes her away. She is dressed in white as she lay in the bottom of the boat. § She continues to sing as she drifts down the river towards Camelot until her blood slowly freezes and light from her eyes darkens. § Her boat makes it Camelot and everyone comes out and crowded to see § Everyone was afraid but Lancelot comes to look and declares that she is beautiful and prays for God's mercy and grace to be with her. o Purpose § Her situation is like that of many individuals who struggle to step out of their comfort zones to experience life to its fullest. They lose out on seeing their dreams and come to existence through the chances that they took without letting doubt and fear get in the way. § Isolation, detachment, and the supernatural elements § Shows womens lack of agency. They are often locked away to protect their purity § Reaches out for human connection or looking for social acceptance, and freedom

The Passing of Arthur

o Alfred, Lord Tennyson o Poem o Summary § King Arthur is on the verge of his death, asking Bedivere to follow his last orders. It involves the king to get over three of his spiritual challenges to trust his faith: to trust in God's presence, to fight his last grim battle, and to finally cast his trusted sword named Excalibur into the lake. Bedivere is by Arthur's side although Arthur crossed each step by himself. § Bedivere over hears Arthur lamenting in his tent. The King is perplexed and confused by recent events, the failure of the institutions he has founded, and the people whom he trusted. § Another night the ghost of Gawain, killed in the war with Lancelot, comes to plague Arthur. Arthur cries out and Bedivere tries to comfort him by reminding him of his past glories. He points out that the rebels still recognize Arthur's sovereignty, and that he should rise and conquer. § Arthur says this battle is different than any other. In the past, they only fought enemies, but now they must fight his own former subjects. § No matter though, Arthur continues, they must go on in whatever path destiny has outlined for them and attempt to solve each new problem as it arises. § The two armies meet in the wilderness near Lyonnesse. The battle is fought under the weirdest and most terrifying conditions; the air is cold and still, and a thick white mist covers the entire field so that no one can see his adversary. Blinded by the fog, many warriors kill their own friends or relatives, and others have strange visions of ghosts and past events. The battle is savage, and many deeds of great nobility, as well as many of cowardice and evil, take place on the field. § Finally, the day comes to end and he stands with Bedivere, the two look at the bloody corpses. They are victors, but Arthur sadly ppints out that he seems king only among the dead. Suddenly they notice Modred too has survived. Modred attacks the traitor and kills him, but Modred mortally wounds the king. § Sir Bedivere carries the king to a nearby chapel and attempts to tend to his wounds. Arthur realizes that his end is nigh and instructs his faithful follower to take his royal sword, Excalibur, and throw it in the lake. Bedivere feels it should be saved as a memorial of Arthur and his ideals for future generations. Twice he pretends and both times Arthur realizes. He insists he carry out this last order. Bedivere throws the sword toward the center of the lake and an arm wrapped in white cloth reaches out and grabs it. Arthur ask Bedivere to carry him to the water. § There they see a barge draped in black slowing drawing up to them. On the deck stand three queens dressed in black and wearing gold crowns. They lift Arthur into the barge, wash his wounds, and weep as they do. § Bedivere asks Arthur what is to become of him now that the Round Table is destroyed and justice has vanished from the world. Arthur tells him to pray. The barge sets sail and Arthur is never seen again. § Bedivere stand watching for a long time, reliving memories until the boat is just a tiny dot § In the distance Bedivere hears osunds like that of a great city's populace welcoming a king on his victorious return from the wars. He looks again and for a moment sees a speck that must be the barge far off on the horizon. Then the spot sails on and disappears and the new sun rose bringing in the new year. o Purpose § The poem sends a message of solidarity of self even when present in a community. Tennyson Portrays message of human community that paradoxically needs to happen in isolation. § Real struggle over one's morality but not in the physical but in the mental and emotional aspects. § Change is the only constant in this world. Everything changes in this world with the passage of time. The older order changes and it makes place for the new one.

The Coming of Arthur

o Alfred, Lord Tennyson o Poem o Summary § Leodogran, King of Cameliard, has one daughter, Guinevere, and she happens to be the most beautiful woman on earth. § Before Arthur came along, petty kings waged war, laying waste to the land. Heathens from overseas destroyed what was left, until wilderness and beasts reclaimed it. In other words, England was in a sorry state. § Both King Aurelius and Uther after him failed to unite the people. Only with Arthur's Round Table did the land know some measure of unity and peace. § Before Arthur, Cameliard was a wasteland full of scary beasts, where wolves eat children or nurse them as their own until they grow up int wolf-men. § King Urien attacks Cameliard, and then the heathen hordes descend upon it. So Leodogran calls Arthur for help, and he comes. § On his way to battle, Arhtur passes by Guinevere looking down from the castle walls. She doesn't notice him, since he is dressed as a simple knight. But he notices her § Arthur drives the heathens out of Cameliard and kills the scary beasts § Meanwhile his barons band together in war against him, claiming that hes not the legitimate heir to Uther § As Arthur rides into battle with them, he decides he wants to marry Guinevere, reasoning that together they will have the power to bring unity and prosperity to his troubled land. § After making the decision, Arthur's vision is clear. With help of thunder and lightening, he defeats the rebellious faction § Arthur praises his most beloved knight for serving him so well in the battle, and the two swear undying love to one another. § After the battle, he sends Ulfius, Brastias, and Bedivere to leodogran to ask for Guinevere's hand in marriage. Despite feeling beholden to Arthur, Leodogran is not sure whether he should give his daughter to a man of questionable parentage. He asks for the advice of his old chamberlain (manages his household) § Chamberlain tells him that only two men know the secret of Arthur's birth: merlin and Merlin's master, Bleys, who wrote down everything Merlin did in a book § Leodogran also asks Ulfius, Brastias, and Bedivdere if they believe Arthur is Uther's son. So Bedivere tells the story of Arthurs birth: Uther went to war with Gorlois because he fell in love with his wife, Ygerne. After the battle in which he killed Gorlois, he forced Ygerne to marry him. A few months later, Uther died, bemoaning his lack of an heir. Ygerne gave birth to Arthur early because of all the sorrow she suffered. Knowing Arthur could be killed by the baroms, Merlin spirited him away into the care of a loyal knight, Sir Anton, whose wife raised Arthur as her own. Just this year, Merlin brought Arthur forward, declared him Uther's heir, and had him crowned king in spite of the dissent of the rebellious barons. § While Leodogran is still mulling over what he learned, Ygnere's daughter and the Queen of Orkney, come to visit. Bellicent recounts how the faces of Arthur's knights seemed to bear his likeness as they swore their oath of allegiance, and how three rays of light fell upon the faces of three fair queens who will protect him. She also tells how Arthur holds the loyalty of Merlin and the Lady of the Lake, a powerful sorceress who gave Arthur his sword, Excalibur. § Leodogran asks Bellicent to speak of Arthur's parentage, at which point she sends her sons out of the room. Mordred listens at the door. Bellicent remarks that she, her mother, her father, and Uther are all dark, whereas Arthur is light. She recalls how Arthur comforted her as a child, and how they grew close to one another as they grew up. § She recounts a story she learned from Bleys, the old magician, on his deathbed: Bleys and Merlin went outside the castle after Uther died crying for an heir. There, they saw a dragon-shaped ship full of shiny people descend from the sky then disappear. When they walked down to the short, a baby was cast at their feet by a wave. Merlin declared him to be an heir for Uther. § When Bellicent ask Merlin if these things were true, he answered her in a riddle about the senility of old men and the impossibility of knowing the truth about anything. § Bellicent tells Leodogran to marry Guinevere to Arthur, saying he is the one whom folk tales prophesy of. Merlin has said that he will never die but only pass away to another place to return again one day when he is needed. § Leodogran is unsure about what to do. That night, he has a dream which he sees Arthur driving a herd before him, then standing on a high peak as some barons question his legitimacy. Eventually everyone and everything fades away, leaving only Arthur. § When he wakes up, he resolves to marry Guinevere and Arthur. In May Arthur sends his most beloved Knight, Lancelot, to fetch Guinevere. Lancelot returns with her in April. § Dubric head of the British church marries them in a ceremony witnessed by the lord of Rome and Arthur's knights § The lords of Rome demand a customary tribute from Arthur, which he refuses, citing their weakness and inability to defend their own lands from barbarians. § For a while, Arthur and his knighthood rule in unity and peace. They drive heathens from their land in 12 great battles o Purpose § Draws parallel between the martial union of Arthur and Guinevere and the political unification of England. Arthur feels powerless and doubting his abilities to fulfill duties of kingship, but Guinevere believes in his ability to accomplish great things.

I'm happiest when most away

o Emily Bronte o Poem o Summary § She draws into the depths of herself while simultaneously drawn out of the confinement of her body. § We get a feeling of peach in her description of such solitude; where some might take time to meditate or slip into the unfamiliar world of partial consciousness where a more right-minded brained view of the world takes over § She stresses the importance of being alone. She is most comfortable when left to recede into her altered consciousness. At the end, she is finally able to let herself go into the deep relaxation of selflessness o Purpose § Happiness in isolation § People should embrace being alone and the peace it can bring

Stars

o Emily Bronte o Poem o Summary § She wonders why the stars part when morning comes. The speaker gazed at the stars all night, an experience she describes as divine. She is at peace with the stars, which give her life and watch her dream. She describes how she dreams at night. She wonders why the harsh morning has to interrupt her dream. § She personifies the sun as a harsh male figure. It rises, the whole world rejoices except for the speaker. She cant escape the sun, it is still there even when her eyes are closed. She calls back the night and wants to go back to the sanctuary it provides. As much as she doesn't want it to, the morning comes. Flies are buzzing around her room in the daylight, trapped until she opens the window. § She begs for the stars and night to come back to hide her from the burning light of day. § She describes day as feeding off of tears and suffering men's blood. She wishes to sleep through the day and only wake at night. o Purpose § Nighttime and reams and their serenity can provide a haven from the troubles that occur in a person's life at the daytime. § Sleep heals and helps us to recover from the day's work. § Love and intimacy, the comfort of night, abandonment and absence, and escape and refuge.

Casabianca

o Felicia Hemans o Poem o Summary § Based on an incident during the Battle of Nile between British and French navy § A boy and his father stayed on a burning ship for the sake of their nation. Casabianca stays on his post for obeying his father's order. § His father told him not to leave the ship until he returned § He kept asking for his father's permission to leave the ship § Out of his sheer obedience for his father, the boy remained at his position even after the ship caught fire and burnt him. o Purpose § Common sense and obedience § If he had common sense or a little bit of realistic about the events happening around him, he would have saved his life. However, for not being realistic, he had to lose the precious thing, life.

La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad

o John Keats o Poem o Summary § The speaker comes across the knight wandering around in the dead of winter. The knight responds to the speaker telling him how he met a lady in the meadows who was beautiful and a fairy. § He reminisces on the lady's beauty and her apparent innocence - her long hair, light feet, and wild eyes - and on her otherworldliness § He describes his sweet memories of the Lady: feeding each other, giving her presents, traveling with her, and being together. § The lady weeps for she knows they cant be together as she is a fairy and he is a mortal. § She lulls him to sleep where he does not immediately awake. In his dream, he sees pale people like kings, princes, and warriors. He wakes up alone on the cold hillside and tells the first speaker that is why he stays there wandering looking for the lady. o Purpose § "A Beautiful Lady Without Mercy" § Illusion versus reality, death, love, and seduction § The lady with her beauty, enslaved the knight, and left him to die at the lake § His dream indicates this was not the first time she trapped a man

Love's Last Lesson

o Letitia Elizabeth Landon o Poem o Summary § Speaker is a woman writing a letter to a former male lover § Since they parted, her life is a misery by day and by night, where she relives the pain in her dreams. § She swears by all the bad things which the love brought her -ruined health, blighted happiness, etc.—that she will forget him, but then she realizes she cant § She interrupts because she thinks whats the point? She wont humiliate herself by showing him how much he's hurt her, and she isn't tough enough to repay him in words as cold as the ones he spoke to her. She puts her head on arm and bursts out crying. o Purpose § Heartbreak, death, and FORGETFULNESS § She pines for this unknown person so much that she prefers death and to be put out of her misery, than to live any longer and continue to suffer

Darkness

o Lord Byron o Poem o Summary § Begins with a description of the sun, stars, and moon being extinguished and the earth being left to stumble through space without direction. They have been doomed to live in darkness § They burn everything around them, from palaces to huts and eventually religious materials. They are desperate for any kind of light to see by § All are made equal by this darkness, kings are brought to the level of peasants and all suffer together. § The men burn forests and weep as they go out. Some are driven made by the eventual starvation they will, and do, face. The beasts of the forest become tame but are slaughtered by the men and all "sate" themselves for what will be one of the last times. Many men die from starvation until all world is reduced to two men that become enemies § They find themselves at the same place amongst the ashes of religious items. They manage to start a fire and are horrified to see one another, dying right thereof fright. § The human race is now extinct, as are herbs, animals, and all plants. All water is still and the tides no longer go in or out because the moon gone. The clouds are gone. Universe is darkness o Purpose § Serves as a warning against the growing inequality in Byron's time and a prediction for what will happen to the planet if the human race does not change § Apocalyptic theme...darkness is an equalizer between men

The Mortal Immortal

o Mary Shelley o Poem o Summary § Deals with the cursed life of Winzy, a young man who has lived for 323 years. He recollects the events that led to his immortality. He worked for a professor and alchemist Cornelius Agrippa. At first, he did not accept the job, but his love for Bertha, his childhood sweetheart and love of his life, prompted him to accept the offer in hopes that the money he made could be sufficient to give her a comfortable living. § Cornelius spent many days working on an elixir. Winzy was not aware of the purpose, but he chose to drink it when he felt that Bertha had left him for Albert Hoffer, a favorite of her protectress. Winzy drinks it in an attempt to cure himself from love. § To his surprise he wakes up the next day rejuvenated, but with no knowledge of what he has consumed, discovering that Bertha is still true to him. § Agrippa sets back to work, unsuccessfully, on the elixir once again since Winzy drank half of it and dropped the rest. Five years later Agrippa is on his deathbed and reveals the purpose of the elixir. Winzy has to live with the fact that Bertha is getting older while he continues to look 20 years old. § Bertha is confused, but doesn't know why he still looks young. She believes it is a spell that he must break in order for him to get old with her. Winzy confesses the truth to her and tells her he must leave her so that she can continue on with her life. Bertha accepts the situation and tells Winzy that she wants to start a new life with him somewhere neither one of them can be recognized. § They move to western France to being their new life. He witnesses the slow death of Bertha. He cares for her until she dies. Her death causes him to realize there will never be another woman that he can love the way he loved her. He also discovers that he feels the effects of old age taking a physical toll on him despite his outward appearance. The elixir does not prevent the aging process, but only keeps the drinker from dying. o Purpose § Lies in Winzy's struggle between wanting to die and fearing death. Winzy has outlived his whole family and loved ones and now lives in misery and loneliness. He claims to wish for death. He sees death as a final rest from the woes of life. § Immortality as Blessing and Curse · After drinking the elixir, his life dramatically improves. He wins Bertha's love and hand in marriage, and they enjoy some years of happiness together. However, soon after the unfortunate effects of his eternal youth become apparent: they move to new countries, Bertha continues to age and her winzy declines, and she eventually dies. Although he wishes to die as well, having lost his family and loved ones, he has not succeeded in doing so. Thus, what began as a pathway to happiness morphs into a curse, which he is forced to endure forever.

Isolation. To Marguerite

o Matthew Arnold o Poem o Summary § A poem about a lover's keen awareness of human isolation § Usual heartbreak when a long-distance relationship breaks down § He says his heart actually felt remorse every time it moved from its "remote and sphered course" to the place of passion, but now its back to its accustomed solitude, feeling a bit ashamed, like the Goddess of Luna. § He has learned that he is always going to be alone. He will enjoy some things of life just not romantic partners § He says they are better at cheating themselves into believing that love can be forever, and not realizing their actual loneliness. § Describes a man who has recently found out that his love has betrayed him and left him. He regrets trusting Marguerite for loving him everytime she is far away. He has hoped she to keep her promise and to save a room for him in her heart, yet she has not redeem her promise and he has to suffer the consequences of being alone. o Purpose § Isolation § The speaker experiences isolation in more than one form over the course of the poem.

Dover Beach

o Matthew Arnold o Poem o Summary § Opens with a quiet scene. A couple looks out on the moonlit water of the English channel, and listens to the sound of the waves. Then all of the sudden it zooms out. § The sound of waves makes the speaker think first of ancient Greece. Then he turns the sound of the surf into a metaphor of human history, and the gradual, steady loss of faith that his culture has experience. It ends on a gorgeous, heartbreaking note, with the couple clinging to their love in a world of violence and fear and pain. § The speaker describes the moonlight, stands on the cliff of Dover Beach. He observes nature, looks out upon a calm sea and examines the fullness and highness of the tide. § He also observes that the moonlight reflects on the water. The speaker then looks across the English Channel to the French coast, the speaker sees that the lights of the French coast have faded away. However, the cliffs of the English coast stand bright and tall. the bay also seems calm. § the speaker calls someone else. After this, the speaker's mood suddenly changes. The speaker senses something is not quite right. § The speaker instructs the other person to listen to the sound of the pebbles. The pebbles make a displeasing sound when the waves pick them up as they move across the shoreline and deposit them as the waves go back. This repeatedly slow-motion evokes eternal sadness in him. This eternal sadness reflects the misery of humans throughout history rather than the personal problems of the speaker. § the speaker considers the ancient Greek tragedy writer, Sophocles. He wonders if Sophocles may have heard the same sadness in the Aegean Sea which the speaker hears now on the English coast. § Describing this next thought, the speaker likens religious faith to a sea and calls it "The Sea of faith" that was once filled with the tides. At the present moment, the speaker only hears that the sea draws back melancholy. The Sea of Faith becomes smaller and it disappears into the atmosphere. In this way, it leaves the boundaries of the world uncovered. § He suggests desperately that the two of them need to deal with each other with honesty and originality. The speaker states that the world before them seems like a beautiful and a new dream which is full of joy. However, this is not the truth. The world does not offer any happiness, love, and clarity. Also, this world does not provide any assurance, calmness, and consolation for pain. The speaker then compares the present situation of humanity with a standing position of a person on a flat and dark piece of land that is trapped in the chaos of a battle. Here, the fight between the unknowing groups continues in the darkness of the night. o Purpose § Man, the natural world, and loss of faith § The pillar of faith supporting society was crumbling under the weight of scientific thinks. Stance of God and Christain beliefs were being doubted. § Arnold was deeply religious and believe their faith was dying

Holy Willie's Prayer

o Robert Burns o Poem o Summary § An elder, Willie Fisher, wad a hypocrite and himself a sinner who spied on people and reported them to the minister if he thought they were doing wrong § He is praying for forgiveness for his own sins of sexual promiscuity. § Willie's God -more cruel than righteous—punishes sinners according to the doctrine of predestination of saints § Willie exults in thoughts of revenge toward the miserable souls who are doomed to such eternal torment. § The victims over whom he gloats are, from the reader's point of view, far less deserving of hellfire than Willie, a hypocrite, lecher, and demon of wrath

Tam o'Shanter: A Tale

o Robert Burns o Poem o Summary § The lead character sets off late on a dark night, full of drink, on his horse Meg, but on his travels, he spots a wild gathering of witches and warlocks partying with the devil. § He mistakenly calls out to one of the witches, so sets off at speed to go home but with the gathering in pursuit § Tam is being chased on a small horse in the midst of mother nature while thinking about his wife at home. § Wife is Kate § Tam is drinking with his friends in a pub in Ayr, some miles from his home to the south. He realizes he has to leave. He sets out in a storm riding his faithful mare Meg (Maggie) § As they approach the kirk at Alloway, where they must cross the River Doon, Tam hears the noise of dancing and loud above the storm and sees strange lights through the trees § There is a reminder that alcohol can have unfortunate consequences § Tam urges Meg on. He sees full-blown witches' Sabbath taking places in the church, with the Devil himself playing the bagpipes. It is lit by corpses, standing upright in their coffins, who each hold a candle. On the church altar is an array of objects associated with murder and death, such as knives, bones, and ropes. Burns could not resist the temptation to have a dig at the two classes of people who offended him. § The music increases and the witches undress in their sarks or undershirts § Nannie, a witch, attracts Tam's attention. She entices Tam that he cannot take his eyes off her. He forgets himself and shouts at them. They realize they are being watched § Maggie runs toward the bridge and the witches chase. Nannies grabs Megs tail and pulls it off. o Purpose § A celebration of life-affirming enjoyment of the joys of this world and a recognition that human pleasure is fleeting, but all the more precious for that § It appears to warn of the consequences of our actions but this moral is undermined

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

o Samuel Taylor Coleridge o Poem o Summary § Three men are walking to a wedding, when one of them is detained by a grizzled old sailor. He demands the sailor must let go of him and he does. § The mariner says he sailed on a ship out of his native harbor and into a sunny and cheerful sea. Hearing bassoon music drifting from the direction of the wedding, the Wedding-guest imagines that the bride has entered the hall, but he still wants to listen to the mariner's story. § The mariner recalls that the voyage quickly darkened, as a giant storm rose up in the sea and chased the ship southward. Quickly, the ship came to a frigid land. The ship was hemmed inside this maze of ice. § But then the sailors encountered an Albatross, a great sea bird. As it flew around the ship, the ice cracked and split, and a wind from the south propelled the ship out of the frigid regions, into a foggy stretch of water. § The Albatross followed behind it, a symbol of good luck to the sailors. The man telling the story has a weird face and he confesses that he shot and killed the Albatross with his crossbow. At first the other sailors were furious with him because the bird made the breezes blow. But when the fog lifted soon afterward, the sailors decided that the bird had not actually breezes but the fog; now they congratulated him. § The wind pushed the boat into a silent sea where they are stranded and the wind has died down. The ocean thickened, and the men had no water to drink. Slimy creatures crawled out of the ocean and walked across the surface. § At night the water was green, blue, and white with death fire. Some sailors dreamed that a spirit, nine fathoms deep, followed them beneath the ship from the land of mist and snow. The sailors blamed the Mariner for their plight and hung the dead Albatross around his neck like a cross. § As time passed they became parched, mouths so dry that they were unable to speak. But then one day the mariner saw a tiny speck on the horizon. It was a ship moving towards them. Too dry-mouthed to speak and inform the other sailors, the mariner bit down on his arm, sucking the blood, he was able to moisten his tongue enough to cry out. § The sailors smiled, believing they were saved. But the ship neared, they saw it was a ghostly skeletal hull of a ship and its crew included two figures: Death and Life-in-Death, who takes the form of a pale woman with golden locks and red lips. § Death and Life-in-Death began to throw dice, and the woman won, she whistled 3 times, causing the sun to sink the horizon, the stars instantly emerge. As the moon rose, the sailors dropped dead one by one except the mariner, whom each sailor, with their eyes, cursed before dying. Their souls leapt from their bodies and rushed by the Mariner. § The Wedding-Guest declares that he fears the Mariner. The mariner reassures there is no need to fear because he is still alive and not a ghost. § Alone on the ship, surrounded by 200 corpses and slimy sea and slimy creatures. He tried to pray but could not. He closed his eyes because he could not look at the dead men. For 7 days and 7 nights, he endured the sight and he was unable to die. The moon rose and the ships shadowed touched the water it was red. The water snakes moved through the silvery moonlight, glittering; blue, green, and black, the snakes coiled and swam and became beautiful in his eyes. He blessed the beautiful creatures in his heart and then he was able to pray, and the corpse of the Albatross fell from his neck, sinking. He was able to sleep since he was free of the curse. It rained. The moon broke through the clouds, and spirits entered the dead men bodies. § The wedding guest says again that he fears the mariner, but he tells him the dead men were inhabited by blessed spirits not cursed souls. § At dawn, the bodies clustered around the mast, the spirits flew around the ships singing. The ship went forward until noon, driven by the spirit from the land of mist and snow, nine fathoms deep in the sea. At noon, the ship stopped, and then went back and forth. It broke free and the Mariner fell to the deck. He heard two voices in the air; one asked if he killed the Albatross and the other said he had done penance for his crime and would do more. The two voices discussed the situation. They allowed the ship to move on by angelic power. § When the mariner woke from his trance, he saw the dead men standing together. The breeze came and the ship was back in his native country. As they neared the bay, seraphs - figures made of pure light - stepped out of the corpses. Each waved at the mariner. Soon he heard the sound of oars; the Pilot, the Pilot's son, and the holy Hermit were rowing out toward him. He hoped the Hermit could shrive him of his sin, washing the blood of the Albatross off his soul. § The Hermit, the holy man who lived in the woods and loved to talk to mariners from strange lands, had encouraged the pilot and his son not to be afraid and to row out to the ship. But as they reached it, it sank in a whirlpool; mariner was floating pilots spinning around. The loaded the mariner on the Pilot's ship, and the Pilot's boy, mad with terror, laughed hysterically and declared that the devil knows how to row. § On land, the mariner begged the Hermit to shrive him, and the Hermit made him tell his tale. Once it was told, he was free from the agony of his guilt. But the guilt returned overtime and persisted until he traveled to a new place and told his tale again. He knows once he comes to the person he needs to tell his tale. § The church doors bust open and the wedding party streams outside. The mariner declares who loves all God's creatures leads a happier, a better life. He then leaves. o Purpose § Sin and penance, the power of prayer, and mystery and the supernatural. § He commits a sin and he is then punished

The Chimney Sweeper (from Experience)

o William Blake o Poem o Summary § A satirical message against the type of religion that brings false comfort to abused children, this version strikes directly at the problem. § The chimney sweeper is crying § His parents have gone to church to pray § He explains that his appearance of happiness has led his parents into believing that they have done no harm in finding him work as a chimney sweeper, but the boy knows better. § His happiness was an affront to his parents, his ability to enjoy life despite the deathly cold and deprivation of winter, which may represent poverty is the very quality that condemns him to a life of further labor and danger. o Purpose § Cruelty of life and society from the perspective of a child § The entire system, God included, colludes to build its own vision of paradise upon the labors of children who are unlikely to live to see adulthood. § Blake scolds the government and religious leaders decrying the use of otherwise innocent children to prop up the more consciences of adult both rich and poor § "Make up a heaven" = creating a heaven and lying about the existence of Heaven, casting even more disparagement in the direction of the Priest and King § Church imposes on the freedoms and joys of childhood and robs children of their youth.

The Tyger

o William Blake o Poem o Summary § Blake offers another view of God through His creation § Lamb implied God's tenderness and mercy, the tiger suggests His ferocity and power. § The speaker again asks questions of the subject. The questions continue, with the answers implied in the final question "Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" § The same God who made the gentle, obedient lamb also made the frightening, powerful, and bloody-minded tiger, and whereas the lamb was simply made, the tiger is forged o Purpose § Creation and origin (where you come from) § Dignity and mysterious beauty of all creation and its transcendence of the limited human perspective of good and evil that the miseries of human experience condition one to assume.

The Chimney Sweeper (from Innocence)

o William Blake o Poem o Summary § The speaker is a small boy who was sold into the chimney sweeping business when his mother died. § He shares a story of Tom Dacre who cried when his hair was shaved to prevent vermin and soot from infesting it. § The speaker comforts Tom who falls asleep and has a dream of several chimney sweeps all locked in black coffins. § An angel arrives with a special key that opens the locks on the coffins and sets the children free. § The freed children run through the green field and wash themselves in a river, coming out clean and white in the bright sun. § The angel tells Tom that if he is a good boy he will have this paradise for his own. § Tom awakens and he and the speaker gather their tools and head out to work, somewhat comforted that their lives will one day improve. o Purpose § It is cruel to allow innocent children to be treated the way chimney sweepers are § Innocence, death, suffering, child labor, hope, religion, lack of parental care § Childhood is a memorable time for every person, but their childhood is snatched from them § They can suffer diseases and die § They have hope that one day things will get better.

A Poison Tree

o William Blake o Poem o Summary § This meditation on the nature of wrath offers two ways of dealing with on an offence. § The speaker is angry with his friend and he told the friend of it and his "wrath did end." § However, when he was angry with his enemy, he kept the anger hidden, allowing it to grow § His wrath, which is watered in fears and sunned with smiles, grows into the poison tree § The tree bears an apple bright that the speaker's enemy desires; the greedy enemy takes the fruit, even though he knows it belongs to the speaker, and eats it. § The next morning the speaker is glad to see his "foe outstretch'd beneath the tree." (he died) o Purpose § The hidden wrath becomes more dangerous behind the deceit that hides it from its object § The suppression of anger leads to the cultivation of anger § Do not bury anger, expose and acknowledge it

The Lamb

o William Blake o Poem o Summary § The speaker, a child, asks questions of a little lamb, and then answers the questions for the lamb. § He asks if the lamb knows who made it, who provides it food to eat, or who gives it warm wool and a pleasant voice. § The speaker tells the lamb that the one who made it is also called "the Lamb" and is the creator of both the lamb and the speaker. He explains that this Creator is meek and mild, and Himself became a little child. § The speaker finishes by blessing the lamb in God's name. o Purpose § Wonders of God's creation § Religion, innocence, and morality § The lamb stands in relation to the boy as the boy stands in relation to his elders; each must learn the truth of his existence by questioning the origin of his life and inferring a Creator who possesses the same characteristics of gentleness, innocence, and loving-kindness as both the lamb and the child. § Then the direct revelation of the Scripture comes into play. The Creator, here identified specifically as Jesus Christ by his title of "Lamb of God," displays these characteristics in his design of the natural and human world, and in His offer of salvation to all through his incarnation and presumably his death and resurrection.

Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey

o William Wordsworth o Poem o Summary § Five years have passed since the speaker last visited this location (Banks of the Wye), encountered its tranquil, rustic scenery, and heard the murmuring waters of the river § He recites the objects he sees again, and describes their effect upon him · The steep and lofty cliffs impress upon him thoughts of more deep seclusion; he leans against the dark sycamore tree and looks at the cottage-grounds and the orchard trees, whose fruit is still unripe · He sees the wreaths of smoke rising from the cottage chimneys between the trees, and imagines that they might rise from "vagrant dwellers in the houseless woods," or from the cave of a hermit in the deep forest § He explains that his memories of these things provided him with sensations and calmness. The memory of the woods and cottages offered tranquil restoration to his mind, and even affected him when he was not aware of the memory, influencing his deeds of kindness and love. § The memory also offers him access to that mental and spiritual state in which the burden of the world is lightened § He past memory floats over the present view § He says he is very different than he was then. § He offers a prayer to nature that he might continue to do so for a little while, knowing, as he says, that nature never betray the heart that loved her but leads rather from joy to joy § Natures power of the mind that seeks her out is such that it renders that mind impervious to evil things instead of faith that the world is full of blessings § The speaker encourages the moon to shine upon his sister and the wind to blow against her so when she is sad or fearful the memory of this experience will help heal her. And if he is dead, she can remember the love with which he worshipped nature § She will remember what the woods meant to the speaker even after so many years of absence they become more dear to him o Purpose § The power of nature to guide one's life and morality § We are inextricably linked to the natural world as part of a fundamental unity § Because of this when nature changes, or perceptions of nature and of ourselves change accordingly

We Are Seven

o William Wordsworth o Poem o Summary § The speaker asks what a child, who is clearly full of life, could possibly know about death. § At first, the poet makes it seem as if the child doesn't know anything about death. This is due to the fact that she does not seem to understand that her siblings have died. § The little girl continues to spend time singing to them, and speaking with them as if they were still alive. § By the end it becomes clear that the girl understands more than it seemed. § She is not allowing grief to ruin her life or keep her from living happily. § She shows a greater understanding through her acceptance of their deaths, and continued optimism. o Purpose § Innocence, death, and acceptance of reality § When a person or a loved one dies, we can keep them alive in our memories

The Other Side of a Mirror

§ Mary Elizabeth Coleridge § Poem § Summary · The protagonist's eye is fixed in a ruthless, painterly way on the shocking mirror-image that she recognizes as herself · She is confronting her own banished identity. · It is the other self of the Victorian ideal woman, falsely sanctified as wife and mother and carer - "the angel in the house". · A society that fears and silences the more truthful version of femininity turns it into a monster. · The acceptable but false woman hides outlawed emotions and despised talents, just as she may literally hide behind her hair, but she knows, as a writer, that the force and presence of her authentic self cannot be escaped. § Purpose · Contrast between the angel woman expected to be on display by proper Victorian women and the monster women she suppresses, a writer who chafes at the cultural belief that creative pursuits are the domain of men · It portrays a woman's recognition of the regression she has undergone as a result of the oppression of her speech that she has gone through, and her denial of being in such a state despite evidence to suggest that she does have some hidden fight within her still. · It illuminates the power of secrets so many of us have felt we had to keep within

The Witch

§ Mary Elizabeth Coleridge § Poem § Summary · Tells a short narrative about the journey, and arrival, of a woman, widely considered to be the witch in the poem, at the house of a man whose life is changed forever when he lets her in. · The witch describes the trial she has endured and all of the hardships she faces as she wandered around the earth. · She tells the reader she is not strong in body and her clothes are wet · She is begging outside of a home she has never visited before. · The last stanza is said by the homeowner · He has to let her in his home and since then the "flame' on his hearth has gone out · He has lost something integral to his life and it was taken from him by this witch. · It is due to his choice to let her in his house that his life was changed forever. · It is unknown what she has done or why his life is changed § Purpose · May have to do with the way people relate to one another good or bad ways. The witch may reflect those who terrorize or threaten others and who frighten them in order to have power over them.

My Last Duchess

§ Robert Browning § Poem; Dramatic Monologue § Summary · Based on historical events involving Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, who lived in the 16th century. · The Duke is the speaker, he tells us he is entertaining an emissary who has come to negotiate the Duke's marriage (he has recently been widowed) to the daughter of another powerful family. · As he shows the visitor through his palace, the stops before a portrait of the late Duchess, apparently a young and lovely girl. · The Duke begins reminiscing about the portrait sessions, then about the Duchess herself. · His musings give way to a diatribe on her disgraceful behavior: he claims she flirted with everyone and did not appreciate his "gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name." · As his monologue continues, the reader realizes with ever-more chilling certainty that the Duke in fact caused the Duchess's early demise: when her behavior escalated, "he gave commands;/ Then all smiles stopped together." Having made this disclosure, the Duke returns to the business at hand: arranging for another marriage, with another young girl. · As the Duke and the emissary walk leave the painting behind, the Duke points out other notable artworks in his collection. · He killed her because he believed she had been unfaithful to him § Purpose · Jealousy, hatred, and power · The duke wants to rule his woman with an iron fist · He believes women are objects to be controlled, possessed, and discarded · Appearance versus reality... he saw her portrait he thought she was young, pretty, attractive, and with a lovely smile, seemed like the perfect bride · The Duke values art but cannot appreciate beauty in reality.

Porphyria's Lover

§ Robert Browning § Poem; Dramatic Monologue § Summary · The Speaker lives in a cottage in the countryside · His lover, a blooming young woman named Porphyria, comes in out of a storm and proceeds to make a fire and bring cheer to the cottage. · She embraces the speaker, offering him her bare shoulder. · He tells us that he does not speak to her. Instead, he says, she begins to tell him how she has momentarily overcome societal strictures to be with him. · He realizes that she "worship(s)" him at this instant. Realizing that she will eventually give in to society's pressures, and wanting to preserve the moment, he wraps her hair around her neck and strangles her. · He toys with her corpse, opening her eyes and propping the body up against his side. · He sits with her body this way the entire night, the speaker remarking that God has not yet moved to punish him (so what he did must be right) § Purpose · Provides a glimpse into the mind of one who is mentally unstable · Mediates on the speaker's desire for control over Porphyria, his interest in making her into an object · One possible meaning is the influence of insanity. He is an insane man who has killed his lover because he wants to capture their moment together forever

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

§ Robert Louis Stevenson § Gothic novella § Summary · Mr. Utterson, lawyer, and Mr. Richard Enfield, his friend/distant cousin, often drink and take walks together around London. · One time they pass the door. Enfield tells a story of a man and a girl running through the street. The man trampled the girl and left her there. Enfield and others chased the man. The man pays the family of the girl money. He wrote a check as a respectable gentleman. · Utterson goes home and looks at a will for a man named Dr. Henry Jekyll. It says if he dies Mr. Edward Hyde should be the sole beneficiary. · Utterson believes Hyde is blackmailing Dr. Jekyll. He visits his friend Dr. Lanyon, who is also a friend of Jekyll. Lanyon never heard of Mr Hyde. · Utterson goes to the house and sees Hyde. He says Jekyll is away. · He then goes to see Jekyll and asks about Hyde, Jekyll grows pale and refuses to discuss him. He tells Utterson to leave Hyde alone. · Sir Danvers Carew was murder..it was witnessed by a maid. Mr.Hyde clubbed the man to death in the street using his cane. · A letter addressed to Utterson was found on the body of the dead man, who was Utterson's client. · Utterson identifies body and goes to a house hyde told him about. They search the house. · Jekyll has letter from hyde saying not to fear for his safety. Utterson believes hyde was trying to kill Jekyll. · Utterson's head clerk sees the letter and notices Hyde and Jekylls handwriting is identical, but differently sloped. Utterson thinks Jekyll forged the letter from Hyde. · Hyde completely disappears. Jekyll seems to return to normal, but in January he confines himself to his house and refuses to see anyone. · Lanyon says he knows something about Jekyll but gives a letter to be opened after Jekyll's disappearance or death. Lanyon dies of shock · Jekyll's butler, Mr. Poole, visits Utterson and says Jekyll has secluded himself in his laboratory. They go to Jekyll's house but he refuses to open up and see them. They break in, where they find the still twitching body of Mr. Hyde, wearing Jekyll's clothes, dead from apparent suicide. They find a letter Jekyll wrote to Utterson. · Lanyon's letter says his mental and physical decline resulted from shock of seeing Hyde drink a serum and turn into Jekyll. · Jekyll's letter explains that he developed a taste for certain vices, and feared that he would be found out, and his reputation as a doctor ruined. · He found a way to transform himself into a figure using a special tincture he prepared in his lab. He controlled the transformations using the serum. · In August, he became Hyde involuntarily so he knew things got oout of hand. · He was like an addict and gave up and took the serum. Hyde was furious for being locked away for so long, he killed Carew. · Horrified by what Hyde had done, Jekyll tried harder to stop the transformations, but he transformed to hyde involuntarily again. · Hyde asked Lanyon for chemicals and turned into Jekyll in his prescence. Which caused him to die. · Jekyll kept increasing the dosage to prevent turning again, but stock ran out. He resigned the fact he was going to be Hyde forevr, he writes a letter as his last confession. SO he killed himself § Purpose · Every single human being has good and evil within them · There is a good and an evil side to everyone's personality, but what is important is how you behave and the decisions you make.

Songs of Experience Intro

§William Blake §Poem § Summary · Speaker urges audience to listen to the voice of the Bard who can see past, present, and future. · Introduces a more mature and polished poetic voice in the bard · Speakers' poetry is characterized by direct revelation rather than by the shepherd's inner melodies, and therefore holds the authority of both divinity and experience. · He has only heard the Word of God walking and weeping in the Garden of Eden, in the past. · The Bard's moment of divine revelation is singular, and does not continue throughout his present or into his future. § Purpose · Bard is like an ancient prophet who catches the message of God. · The message is that in case mankind listens to the call of the "Holy Word" a fresh dawn of felicity will spurt up

Songs of Innocence Intro

§William Blake §Poem § Summary · The narrator is a piper. He is happily piping when he sees a child on a cloud. . · The child asks him to pipe a song about a lamb, when he does sing, the child weeps on hearing it. · Again, the child asks the pipe to sing and he sings the same song. But now the child cries with joy when he hears it.] · The child tells the narrator to write a book before he disappears · Inspired by the child, the piper takes a reed to make a pen. With it, he writes happy songs for children to bring them joy. § Purpose · About a poet's inspiration for writing poetry. · Alludes to the poet's simple perspective of life and his religious beliefs. · Evokes an ideal, idyllic world of innocence and simplicity, before the industrial revolution