English Lit - PPE 2
“The fountains mingle with the river”
Shelley uses natural imagery and personification to show how everything in nature connects and blends harmoniously. The verb “mingle” implies intimacy and inevitability - Love's Philosophy
Which poem does Love's Philosophy link to?
“Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’”
Similar natural imagery of intertwining: “as a strong tree should rustle / Thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare.”
“Nothing in the world is single”
A declarative statement — Shelley argues that separation is unnatural; everything exists in pairs or unity - Love's Philosophy
“And the sunlight clasps the earth, / And the moonbeams kiss the sea”
Uses the imagery of nature and heaven to express connection.
Repetition reinforces the theme of mutual dependence; cosmic imagery shows love as a universal law - Love's Philosophy
Love’s Philosophy - Structure
Structure is linear and persuasive, moving toward a climactic question.
Symmetry in stanzas mirrors natural harmony — everything in the world unites.
Flowing rhythm and repetition of sensual imagery create momentum and passion.
Ends with a rhetorical question, reflecting unfulfilled desire and hope.
ABAB Rhyme scheme
Byron’s “When We Two Parted” - Structure
Structure is circular, mirroring the speaker’s inability to move on.
Time shifts (past → present → future) highlight enduring grief.
Regular rhyme contrasts with emotional turmoil — showing suppressed pain.
Repetition of “silence and tears” reinforces a mood of grief and isolation.
ABAB Ryme scheme
“When we two parted / In silence and tears”
The poem opens with an understated but intense emotional tone. The repetition of “silence and tears” suggests mutual pain, secrecy, and things left unsaid.
“A knell in mine ear”
A metaphor comparing the mention of her name to a funeral bell — symbolising the death of the relationship and enduring grief - When We Two Parted
“In secret we met — / In silence I grieve”
The secrecy of the relationship leads to isolation — he must mourn alone. The repetition of silence reinforces the theme of suppressed emotion - When We Two Parted
Which poem does When We Two Parted link to?
Neutral Tones - Because both explore the death of love, emotional numbness, and the lingering pain of separation.
“Who art dearer, better!”
Her love is admiring and reverent — she places him above herself. The exclamation conveys emotional intensity - Sonnet 29
“I do not think of thee — I am too near thee.”
Ends on a reversal of the opening line. She no longer needs to think of him because their love is complete and present. Closure and fulfilment replace longing - Sonnet 29
“Breathe within thy shadow a new air.”
Suggests his presence gives her life or renewal — love as a spiritual force - Sonnet 29
Sonnet 29 - Structure
The speaker’s imagination dominates — she thinks of her lover constantly, comparing her thoughts to wild vines wrapping around a tree. Her love feels overwhelming and consuming.
Which poem does Sonnet 29 link to?
Love’s Philosophy - Both use nature to show love as natural and inevitable — but Shelley’s tone is persuasive, Barrett Browning’s is spiritual and intimate.
“And yet God has not said a word!”
The speaker justifies his act; disturbing calmness - Porphyria's Lover
“That moment she was mine, mine, fair, / Perfectly pure and good.”
Possessive tone; he wants to preserve her perfection - Repetition - Porphyria's Lover
“She shut the cold out and the storm”
She brings love and comfort - Porphyria's Lover
Porphyria's Lover - Structure
Dramatic monologue → only his voice, unreliable narrator.
Iambic tetrameter with irregularities → obsessive rhythm. (Heartbeat)
Which poem does Porphyria's Lover link to?
The Farmer’s Bride - Both use male narrators who desire control over female partners.
“Like a frightened fay.”
She’s compared to a fairy — fragile, unreachable - The Farmer's Bride
“The brown, / The brown of her—her eyes, her hair, her hair!”
Desire builds to a frantic climax; obsession - The Farmer's Bride
“We caught her, fetched her home at last / And turned the key upon her, fast.”
Imprisonment and lack of consent- The Farmer's Bride
The Farmer's Bride - Structure
Dramatic monologue in six stanzas, irregular rhythm → agitation.
Rhyme varies, reflecting emotional instability.
Shift from narrative to obsession (“her eyes, her hair!”).
Male voice dominates → female silenced.
Which poem does The Farmer's Bride link to?
Porphyria's Lover - Both show unequal relationships and male dominance.
“It’s not romance, simply how things are.”
Down-to-earth love — connection without drama - Letters from Yorkshire
“You out there, in the cold, seeing the seasons / Turning”
His grounded life contrasts with hers indoors - Letters from Yorkshire
“Our souls tap out messages across the icy miles.”
Emotional closeness despite physical distance - Letters from Yorkshire
Which poem does Letter from Yorkshire link to?
Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Because both show connection despite distance.
Letters from Yorkshire - Structure
Free verse → conversational, natural.
Enjambment → flowing communication.
Alternates between his world and hers, like correspondence.
“The clouds had given their all.”
Nature reflects emotional exhaustion - Winter Swans
“Waterlogged earth gulping for breath.”
Relationship struggling to survive - Winter Swans
“They mate for life.”
Swans represent faithful love - Winter Swans
Winter Swans - Structure
Tercets (a set or group of three lines of verse rhyming), except last 2 lines (couplet) → suggests reunion.
Free verse → natural conversation.
Gradual movement from tension to resolution.
Nature mirrors emotional healing.
Which poem does Winter Swans link to?
Letters from Yorkshire they both use nature and connection to heal or strengthen love.
“We stood by a pond that winter day.”
Emotional deadness reflected in nature - Neutral Tones
“The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing.”
Oxymoron - Love turned lifeless; forced emotion - Neutral Tones
“And a pond edged with greyish leaves.”
Love’s decay continues in memory - Neutral Tones
Neutral Tones - Structure
ABBA rhyme → enclosed structure traps memory.
Circular structure → returns to the pond (unchanged).
Lack of movement → emotional paralysis.
Which poem does Neutral Tones link to?
When We Two Parted - Both portray love’s end and lasting pain, emotional numbness and memory.