Relationships are difficult. They succeed when two people can build a rapport through patience on both spouses’ part. In an ideal scenario, each partner would always be able to communicate their feelings, and in turn, respond to their spouse’s feelings in a respectful and constructive way. In her collection, Late wife: poems, Claudia Emerson employs varied verse forms and tones in “Surface Hunting” and “Stringed Instrument Collection” to express different levels of compatibility with her two husbands through her descriptions of their respective hobbies.
Following Emerson’s chronological layout of her poetry collection, it is no surprise that “Surface Hunting” comes at the beginning of the book. Unlike many of her other poems, it has a condescending tone to it, as if the subject of the poem is childlike. She portrays her husband as a messy, energetic child: you’d tracked in from whatever neighbor’s field had just been plowed. Spearpoints, birdpoints, awls, and leaf- shaped blades surfaced from the turned earth as though from beneath some thicker water you tried to see into. (9)
Immediately, the speaker symbolizes their clashing personalities by suggesting her husband carelessly tracked mud into the clean, orderly house. Use of the second person pronouns “you” and “you’d” implies that the two of them are battling each other—quite to the contrary of an ideal, cooperative marriage. Moreover, Emerson incorporates these pronouns with the combative mood to create an elegy
Charlotte Mew explores the theme of lack of intimacy during the course of her poem, The Farmers Bride. Various techniques are used to represent the stilted relationship the speaker and his ‘maid’ succumb to. Likewise, The Manhunt, written by Simon Armitage uses various metaphors and semantic fields of war and anguish to illustrate the speaker’s yearning to ‘feel the hurt’ her partner is experiencing and take the pain away. Although, the ambiguous ending doesn’t satisfy this.
In Charlotte Mew’s ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ and Simon Armitage’s ‘The Manhunt’, difficult relationships are presented by speakers who are dealing with an emotionally closed partner. Both poems explore how relationships are affected by mental health issues.
When both involved do not effectively communicate with each other, a distant marriage may lead to discontent for all. Sinclair Ross’s short story, “The Painted Door”, deals with the growing dissatisfaction and loneliness of a farmer’s wife, Ann, who feels alone as her husband deals with the harsh conditions of the environment. This story demonstrates how deeply communication can affect a marriage, be it bad or good. One of the most fundamental elements of a healthy relationship is communication. Lack of communication in a relationship can result to severe consequences. Irrespective of the kind of relationship, lack of communication magnifies issues in a relationship undermining the very foundation of the relationship. The success of any relationship relies on one's ability to communicate well. Communication is important in relationships as it allows us to share our interest, concerns, support each other. John is a simple farmer who thinks the only way he can please his wife, is by working all day to earn money for her. However, Ann would prefer he spend more time with her. Their relationship is stressed even further when Ann is left at home alone with nothing to think about but their relationship because John has to go to his father’s house. The terrible snow storm accentuates Ann’s feelings of loneliness and despair. These feelings lead Ann to seek comfort and companionship from Steven, the attractive friend of her husband, John, thus leading to John's suicide.
In Judy (Syfers) Brady’s article, “I Want a Wife”, she expresses her opinions in a satirical commentary that offers hypothetical criteria for an ideal wife, with an underlying message that deals with how people should be grateful for all of the deeds and chores that women do. Brady utilizes the strategy of
Rosemary Dobson's Poetry "Rosemary Dobson seems intent on presenting a view of life as bleak and generally uninteresting In the poems by Rosemary Dobson it generally presents the view of life as bleak. " The Tiger" is an example of this. This also reinforces the limitations on her poetic inspirations. The idea is presented by the effective use of imagery, tone, sound devices and the temporary progression.
When two people are tied together by their vows, it is each of their responsibility to fulfill the happiness of one another, and if one cannot then they should not expect the same in return. Sinclair Ross’s short story, “The Painted Door”, reveals the growing unhappiness of a farmer’s wife, Ann, who feels alone as her husband John leaves home to help his father in the harsh conditions of the storm. Ann seeks comfort and companionship with another man after 7 years of feeling neglected and unhappy with her husband. The responsibility for Ann’s infidelity, lays not only on Anne but John himself.
In paragraphs three through seven, Brady provides the reader with what she desires in a wife. Through repetition and tone, she shows the reader the unrealistic roles of a wife.
Throughout this article Brady uses ethos, logos, and pathos to illustrate her opinion that the wife does too much in a family. Brady connects with her audience by relating to what was expected of them back in the 1970’s. She states reasons to why she wants a wife and lists what she says a wife would do for her. Lastly, Brady connects emotionally to her audience by
“Wish for a Young Wife”, by Theodore Roethke, may seem to be more than just a simple epithalamium, for the way the poet presents his writing compels the reader to question his true intentions. Nevertheless, although it is easy for the reader to trip down this path, a closer reading, in which one pays particular attention to aspects such the poem's imagery, rhyme scheme, meter, and parallelism, allows them to acknowledge that as the poet appreciates his wife and elaborates on what he wants for her, it is in fact the ambiguity of the poem that doubles the effect of his sincerity and love for his young wife.
Kay Boyle’s short story titled “The Astronomer’s Wife” shows a relationship without love. When not given the love one deserves in a marriage bond, the relation seems to fall with the lack of its life. When the relationship formed isn’t a strong working one, it will collapse sooner or later. Compromises, tolerance and patience don’t always go the far mile, the feeling of longing and yearning for it comes along the way. This story is about Mrs. Ames, the wife of the dreamer who lives in the skies of heaven, ignoring her existence.
Several poems in the anthology explore the intensity of human emotion. Explore this theme, referring to these three poems in detail and by referencing at least three other poems from your wider reading.’
Of course, this subject matter is the most apparent quality of the work. Puritanism as an ethical code is quick to condemn what it sees as sinful, and even quicker to condemn laziness. But, as Emerson so successfully puts it, his activities are not laziness. He is not sitting idly, but instead embracing nature, because nature holds dually divinity and knowledge. In the first three opening stanzas, he opens defensively, emphasizing the thought that he is both putting into and getting out of his life. A clever bit of personification tells that his flowers come loaded home with his thoughts, and a metrically superb fourth stanza reveals the value that Emerson finds in nature – a secret history, told by the birds. He ends with a powerful metaphor, showing both the source and value of his art (the first, nature, the second, the fruits of nature) at once. It is further testament to his skill, I think, to write so persuasively while still writing simply, though others may be critical of this straightforwardness.
Love can be quite a difficult topic to write about, expressing one’s intimate and innermost emotions requires a great level of dedication and honesty. If done correctly, the outcome is truly stunning. John Donne’s “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” and Katherine Philips’s “To Mrs. M.A. at Parting” are two masterpieces of this genre. These poems depict the concept of true love so meticulously that the reader cannot help but envy the relationships presented. Perhaps the reason that these works are so effective is due to the fact that they are incredibly similar to each other. Although some differences are present when it comes to structure and gender concerns, the poems share the same theme of love on a spiritual level and show many parallels in meaning.
Often regarded as the leader of the Transcendentalist literary movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that the individual must look inward to find truth and knowledge. He emphatically stressed that one must practice self-reliance: the ability to trust one’s intuition and not conform to societal standards. Through the use of strict form, powerful imagery, and a wise tone, Emerson’s poem “Intellect” urges us to stay true to ourselves by refusing the practice of blind obedience.
Poetry like so many other things in life is complicated and easily misunderstood, similar to the poem entitled “Poetry” by Marianne Moore. Through her unique way of writing Moore uses literary devices imagery and personification to make the readers question why it is she has come to “dislike”(line 1) poetry. In particular, her word choice leaves a lot of room to wonder exactly why she has chosen to write it this way. A main theme that is represented in this poem is conformity and whether or not it is something to be followed.