I used Caitlin's as a guide as you suggested for structuring this answer, i hope it is an improvement on last time.
My Last Duchess tells the story of a Duke as he describes the story of his last Duchess and her flaws to a man who is to arrange his next marriage. He shows him a painting of her while complaining about her.
Browning uses characterisation to tell the story. The duke is obsessed with power and beauty, shown through his love and collection of art, and the many references to the Duchess's appearance rather than personality, "spot of joy into the Duchess' cheek". His obsession with power comes across through him being offended that she "ranked my gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name with any other gift", so he resorted to "I gave commands and all smiles stopped" to apparently stop her smiling, although it seems it could have stopped her altogether as she is now dead. The idea that the Duke killed her is reinforced through the case building, shown through the rambling thought-like speech and enjambement, and other hints that he may have killed her, "looking as if she were alive".
Browning also uses voice to tell the story, through the form of dramatic monologue. It is clear that MLD is a dramatic monologue as only the Duke speaks, a character, and there is also an implied listener - the servant who is arranging his next marriage. The fact that the Duke is constantly talking could be a reflection of his status and obsession with power, it also shows how the Duke biomes more powerful and dominant, by not stopping to allow the servant to talk at all. Similar to case building, the use of enjambement also quickens the pace of the voice, implying a growing hatred towards his last Duchess.
Browning also uses setting to display journey and tell the story, as the entire monologue takes place in the one spot in front of her painting in the gallery. This shows how the Duke hasn't yet moved on from the Duchess, how she still has power over him, even from death, as he still wants to control her. By painting her onto the wall, and not onto canvas which is then hung, it shows how she is permanently on his mind, still controlling him, therefore pressuring his drive for power still. It shows that the Duke hasn't made a mental journey at all, but merely attempted an emotional one, as he is in exactly the same place mentally as at the start.
Thursday, 20 March 2014
Write about the ways Browning tells the story in Porphyria's lover
Porphyria's Lover tells the story of an upper class woman, who was having an affair with a jealous and obsessive man from a lower class. He becomes too insecure to deal with her not being entirely his, and so kills her so that they can be in love with each other and only each other forever.
Browning uses opening and setting to tell the story. Porphyria's Lover opens with a description of a forest on a stormy night, "The sullen wind was soon awake, it tore the elm-tops down fore spite". Browning uses pathetic fallacy to set a mood of tension, and personifies the wind, resulting in it sounding powerful, and cruel "for spite". This tells the story as it sets the mood and mirrors the character's mental state.
Browning uses form to tell the story. The story is told from the point of view of the lover, "I listened with a heart fit to break, when glided in Porphyria", a character, which allows the reader to know Porphyria's Lover is a dramatic monologue. Browning also uses structure when the character of Porphyria's Lover also case builds, repetition of "and", in an argumentative and angry tone, which highlights that he has done something wrong. This tells the story as it portrays the lover as obsessive, obsessing over what he did, which also adds to characterisation.
Browning also uses characterisation to tell the story, "That moment she was mine, mine" the repetition of 'mine' causes the lover to sound very possessive, and "at last I knew, Porphyria worshipped me" makes him sound delusional. The characterisation of the lover is very different to the characterisation of Porphyria, "dirty secret" implies how she is only using him for physical needs, and not real love, and "too weak, for her heart's endeavour" makes her sound vulnerable. The juxtaposition of the characterisation tells the story as it highlights how they will never really love each other or be together properly.
Finally, Browning uses ending to tell the story, "all night long we have not stirred, and yet God has not said a word!". The fact that he has sat all night with her dead on his shoulder tells the story as it emphasises how delusional and mentally ill he was, and the reference to God is another part of case building. The character is trying to reassure himself that what he has done wasn't wrong.
Browning uses opening and setting to tell the story. Porphyria's Lover opens with a description of a forest on a stormy night, "The sullen wind was soon awake, it tore the elm-tops down fore spite". Browning uses pathetic fallacy to set a mood of tension, and personifies the wind, resulting in it sounding powerful, and cruel "for spite". This tells the story as it sets the mood and mirrors the character's mental state.
Browning uses form to tell the story. The story is told from the point of view of the lover, "I listened with a heart fit to break, when glided in Porphyria", a character, which allows the reader to know Porphyria's Lover is a dramatic monologue. Browning also uses structure when the character of Porphyria's Lover also case builds, repetition of "and", in an argumentative and angry tone, which highlights that he has done something wrong. This tells the story as it portrays the lover as obsessive, obsessing over what he did, which also adds to characterisation.
Browning also uses characterisation to tell the story, "That moment she was mine, mine" the repetition of 'mine' causes the lover to sound very possessive, and "at last I knew, Porphyria worshipped me" makes him sound delusional. The characterisation of the lover is very different to the characterisation of Porphyria, "dirty secret" implies how she is only using him for physical needs, and not real love, and "too weak, for her heart's endeavour" makes her sound vulnerable. The juxtaposition of the characterisation tells the story as it highlights how they will never really love each other or be together properly.
Finally, Browning uses ending to tell the story, "all night long we have not stirred, and yet God has not said a word!". The fact that he has sat all night with her dead on his shoulder tells the story as it emphasises how delusional and mentally ill he was, and the reference to God is another part of case building. The character is trying to reassure himself that what he has done wasn't wrong.
Monday, 17 March 2014
Write about the ways Browning tells the story in The Laboratory (21Marks)
'The Laboratory' tells the story of a seemingly controlling and possessive woman in an apothecary, who is watching someone create a poison for her to give to two other women, who may or may not be prostitutes, who are with the man she loves. It seems as though however that the man doesn't love her back, or even know her, as she seems to watch from a distance - "as they whispered, I brought my own eyes to bear on her".
Browning uses setting to characterise the woman and tell the story, as the entire poem takes place in a backstreet apothecary, "devil's smithy", which could be used in telling the story as it shows she has always kept her emotions about the man shut up inside, and has never told him how she feels. "Devil's smithy" also adds to setting purposes in telling the story as the sibilance can be used to sound like the smoke which s swirling around the room. Setting could also be used to demonstrate her mental state, as the significance of the location: the apothecary is described as beautiful, but is in itself a backstreet apothecary, shows how mentally she is in a bad place, where she is romanticising death and thinking about it as though it is beautiful, "to carry pure death in an earring, a casket". This portrays the woman as mentally unstable, but also dangerous, for she is romanticising death.
Browning uses first person voice to tell the story, through the character of the woman. The form is a dramatic monologue, it is clear it is a monologue as only the woman talks, but there is an implied auditor - the man making the poison, shown through her speaking to him, and grammar such as the pause, "Quick - is it finished?". Browning uses the form of dramatic monologue, with iambic pentameter and case building to tell the story as it highlights how the woman is doing something wrong - the case building, but also shows how she is possessive, or at least obsessive, as she is the only one who talks, answering her own questions and speaks as though she is thinking aloud, shown through enjambement.
Finally, another way that Browning characterises the woman to tell the story is through her description, "where men wait for me" could suggests that she is quite attractive, however later on when talking about the other women she says "she's not little, no minion like me" implying that she is insecure, or just quite small and plain. The grinding of the ingredients for the poison, "grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste, pound at thy powder" is repeated though out the monologue, creating a feel for constant grinding, which could be a metaphor to show the thoughts about what she is doing going over and over in her head, repetition. All of these characterisation points cause the woman to fit to a cultural stereotype, of the neurotic, insecure and jealous girlfriend, although in this case it is assumed she isn't the girlfriend.
Browning uses setting to characterise the woman and tell the story, as the entire poem takes place in a backstreet apothecary, "devil's smithy", which could be used in telling the story as it shows she has always kept her emotions about the man shut up inside, and has never told him how she feels. "Devil's smithy" also adds to setting purposes in telling the story as the sibilance can be used to sound like the smoke which s swirling around the room. Setting could also be used to demonstrate her mental state, as the significance of the location: the apothecary is described as beautiful, but is in itself a backstreet apothecary, shows how mentally she is in a bad place, where she is romanticising death and thinking about it as though it is beautiful, "to carry pure death in an earring, a casket". This portrays the woman as mentally unstable, but also dangerous, for she is romanticising death.
Browning uses first person voice to tell the story, through the character of the woman. The form is a dramatic monologue, it is clear it is a monologue as only the woman talks, but there is an implied auditor - the man making the poison, shown through her speaking to him, and grammar such as the pause, "Quick - is it finished?". Browning uses the form of dramatic monologue, with iambic pentameter and case building to tell the story as it highlights how the woman is doing something wrong - the case building, but also shows how she is possessive, or at least obsessive, as she is the only one who talks, answering her own questions and speaks as though she is thinking aloud, shown through enjambement.
Finally, another way that Browning characterises the woman to tell the story is through her description, "where men wait for me" could suggests that she is quite attractive, however later on when talking about the other women she says "she's not little, no minion like me" implying that she is insecure, or just quite small and plain. The grinding of the ingredients for the poison, "grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste, pound at thy powder" is repeated though out the monologue, creating a feel for constant grinding, which could be a metaphor to show the thoughts about what she is doing going over and over in her head, repetition. All of these characterisation points cause the woman to fit to a cultural stereotype, of the neurotic, insecure and jealous girlfriend, although in this case it is assumed she isn't the girlfriend.
***Apologies that it isn't very long - I hope it is better than my MLD one***
Monday, 10 March 2014
Browning MLD Homework Question
Write about the ways Browning tells the story in ‘My Last Duchess’
English Practice Question 21 Marks
Sir - I apologise greatly, this is a terrible attempt at the question, but when I started it (10/03/14) I used all my notes but just didn't remember/understand how to write this style of question. I have had an attempt but shall try to re do it after feedback (or another question in this style) as even though i don't know how to do it, I know that this is either wrong or very rubbish.
Browning tells the story of ‘My Last Duchess’ (MLD) with his way of opening the poem; “That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall”. The use of the word ‘my’ could sound possessive, causing it to sound as though he saw her in a materialistic way, that he owned her. The phrasing of ‘last Duchess’ emphasises this interpretation, as by saying ‘last’ it sounds as though the Duke plans on having another, again making the Duchess/women in this poem sound like objects. Browning also uses voice to tell the story. As shown in the opening, the poem is read/spoken by the Duke, which leas readers to assume he is the main character, as even though for the duration of the poem his speech is purely about the Duchess, it can be seen as a poem about how she has influenced him. This adds to characterisation of the Duke, as he sounds as though he is attempting to grasp at control over the Duchess, but even from death she controls him. We as readers know it is from death due to the second line “looking as if she were alive”, which causes us to assume that she is dead, but that she still has control over him, as she ‘looks’ as though she is alive. This can be seen either as he feels as though she is still watching him, or that even in death she cannot change the way she looks and appears. The form of the poem is used to tell the story too. MLD is a dramatic monologue, we as readers know it is a dramatic monologue because it is key to Browning’s poems that he always writes as characters, in this case the Duke, seen though use of the first person and talking about ‘my’ Duchess. MLD is also written in iambic pentameter, which when read sounds like a heart beat. There is also a lot of enjambement, which causes the poem to read very much as though it is thoughts spoken aloud. This all tells the story as it adds to characterisation of the Duke, which helps readers create their own interpretations of the text. The form aspects add to the characterisation of the Duke as by using enjambement and iambic pentameter, the poem reads as thoughts said aloud, and the enjambement also causes the Duke to sound very passionate about what he is saying, as it is as though he cannot stop the words from escaping him. This adds to the telling of the story as the Duke spends some time in the poem complaining about the Duchess, but claiming how it would be to “stoop” to tell her how she feels, so when later on in the poem he says “I gave commands, then smiles stopped altogether”, its lets readers make their own interpretation about how the Duchess died. The Duke has come across in the poem as possessive, materialistic and jealous, which makes it seem a likely possibility that he killed the Duchess - or had someone kill her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)