Philips, in several poems, grapples and agonizes over the inevitable corporeal absence that must occur between her and her friends. “Our Bodies must,” Orinda (or Philips) says (Philips, “A Dialogue of Absence ‘Twixt Lucasia and Orinda. Set by Mr. Henry Lawes,” 590). “But never we: our souls,” Lucasia (or Anne Owen) replies (Philips, “A Dialogue of Absence ‘Twixt Lucasia and Orinda. Set by Mr. Henry Lawes,” 590). Yet, Philips knows that death is inescapable obstacle and believes that friendship creates such a deep connection that their souls will “meet and part no more for ever” in the afterlife (Philips, “A Dialogue of Absence ‘Twixt Lucasia and Orinda. Set by Mr. Henry Lawes,” 590). It is God, after all, who has fated these souls to meet, …show more content…
Although Philips was a married woman, she vehemently opposed marriage, even dedicating several of her poems to this hatred. In “A Married State,” Philips praises the single life, commenting that a married woman “affords but little ease” due to all the burdens she must endure (Philips, line 1). She refers to marriage as a “misfortune,” a disappointment and not everything women had dreamed of (Philips, “A Married State,” line 4). As a royalist, Philips adopts an Elizabethan stance on marriage, believing in female sexual autonomy and independence, instead complying to Puritan beliefs by submitting to marriage. However, marriage is not only a moral obstacle. A footnote from “To Mrs. M.A. at Parting” tells the reader that Mary Aubrey (who the poem is dedicated to) was Philips’ dearest friend from her “Society of Friendship” until she married. Their friendship seems to have suffered because of her marriage, for she was no longer Philips dearest friend. Although the poem does not specifically mention why Aubrey is “parting,” one could infer from the footnote that she parts from the “Society of Friendship” due to her marriage. Philips writes, “There’s none I grieve to leave behind but only only thee,” referring to the pain she feels because of her marriage (Philips, “To Mrs. M.A at Parting,” lines 3-4). Although marriage can lead to the end of friendships, she acknowledges that Aubrey’s “leiger soul in [her] shall lie” until the end of time (Philips, “To Mrs. M.A. at Parting,” line 43). Thus, marriages may physically end friendships, but, as Philips states, the spiritual and emotional connection between two women can never be
Edna Pontellier was on her way to an awakening. She realized during the book, she was not happy with her position in life. It is apparent that she had never really been fully unaware However, because her own summary of this was some sort of blissful ignorance. Especially in the years of life before her newly appearing independence, THE READER SEES HOW she has never been content with the way her life had turned out. For example she admits she married Mr. Pontellier out of convenience rather than love. EDNA knew he loved her, but she did not love him. It was not that she did not know what love was, for she had BEEN INFATUATED BEFORE, AND BELIEVED IT WAS love. She consciously chose to marry Mr. Pontellier even though she did not love him. When she falls in love with Robert she regrets her decision TO MARRY Mr. Pontellier. HOWEVER, readers should not sympathize, because she was the one who set her own trap. She did not love her husband when she married him, but SHE never once ADMITS that it was a bad decision. She attributes all the problems of her marriage to the way IN WHICH SOCIETY HAS defined the roles of men and women. She does not ACCEPT ANY OF THE BLAME, AS HER OWN. The only other example of married life, in the book, is Mr. and Mrs. Ratignolle, who portray the traditional role of married men and women of the time. Mr. Pontellier also seems to be a typical man of society. Edna, ON THE OTHER HAND, was not A TYPICAL WOMAN OF SOCIETY. Mr. Pontellier knew this but OBVIOUSLY HAD NOT ALWAYS. This shows IS APPARENT in the complete lack of constructive communication between the two. If she had been able to communicate with her husband they may have been able to work OUT THEIR PROBLEMS, WHICH MIGHT HAVE MADE Edna MORE SATISFIED WITH her life.
The Marriage Vow highlights the contrast between the fantasies of marriage and the depressing reality of the ritual, as in the material world, “Woman’s lip to swear the heart away.” As the heart is symbolic of her soul and humanity, Landon has revealed the harsh truth that wedding vows are the catalyst for the bride’s downfall, reducing themselves to a mere possession. This line also expresses the discrimination against women in the Victorian Era. This is supported further as Landon proclaims that women “annul[s] the vow while speaking," highlighting the woman’s acknowledgement of being stripped from humanity, only to be reduced to the possession of the husband. Ultimately, the final line of the poem, “for the grave is rest” emphasizes the miserable nature that the female partner has put herself in, only for death to be the only solemn relief. Landon’s concluding statement is a disturbing one, as she hopes to accentuate the reality of marriage in the Victorian era from the cliché fantasy of living happily ever after that is seen in various literature today. Furthermore, the Marriage Vow has illustrated the changeable nature of attitudes and values within marriage through exploring
Tuesdays with Morrie is a book about and old college sociology professor who gives us insight not only on death, but also on other topics important in our lives like fear, marriage, and forgiveness while in his last days being on Earth. Using symbolic interactionism I will analyze one of Morrie’s experiences; while also explaining why I chose such an experience and why I felt it was all connected. Seven key concepts will be demonstrated as well to make sure you can understand how powerful Morrie’s messages truly are. The one big message I took from Morrie was to learn how to live and not let anything hold you back
In the poem "To the Ladies," Lady Mary Chudleigh demonstrates affinity between wife and servant (1) through the use of a controlling metaphor. She describes a wife’s role by depicting it through ideas that are strongly associated with slavery. Chudleigh’s use of deigning diction, her description of the wife’s submissive actions, and her negative attitude towards the perceived future of a woman who gets married show the similarity among wife and servant (1). Chudleigh presents this poem as a warning to women who are not yet married, and as an offering of regret to those who are.
Death and Reality in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
In this poem, the speaker’s encounter with death is similar to a courtship. In the first stanza of the poem the character Death is introduced as playing the role of the speaker’s suitor. In this way, this poem about death takes on an unexpected light tone, giving the reader a sense that the speaker is content to die and able to approach it with a sense of calm. Death’s carriage is also introduced in this stanza serving as a metaphor for the way in which we make our final passage to death. The final line in this stanza introduces a third passenger in the carriage. Both the uses of Immortality, the third passenger, as well as the use of Death are examples of personification.
“Love and Marriage.” Life in Elizabethan England. Elizabethan.org, 25 March 2008. Web. 3 March 2014.
Emily Dickinson’s “Death is a supple Suitor,” speaks of Death, as if it is an innocent, gentle caller who seeks to win the attention of his fair lady. Dickinson metaphorically tells a story of Death’s win over the one he is pursuing by contrasting the processes of courting, as a gentleman would do, and dying, as Death would occur. Dickinson incorporates many details, which will be discussed, and presents us with two sides of the running metaphor, which speaks of Death as a suitor, and also as the one who takes away life.
John Clare’s “An Invite to Eternity” is a poem that at first glance seems happy and inviting but once examined, is actually quite depressing and aloof. Although it appears to be a direct address to an anonymous “maiden,” in reality the poem is much more complex. Clare offers his “sweet maid” a less than appealing future life, presenting her with an “eternity” filled with harsh landscapes and loneliness. Most readers’ first impression when they think of eternity is almost dream-like or heavenly. However, Clare’s vision of eternity is dark and mysterious and uninviting. These different versions of expectations, as well as the use of antique word forms such as “thou” and “wilt”, seems to suggest a conscious misuse of traditional and old-fashioned love poetry and portrays the “maiden” as being nothing more than a figment in Clare’s imagination. Further, this is not the first time Clare has written about such a hellish place. His poem “I am” resembles the “eternity” he is speaking of in “An Invite to Eternity.” “I am” was a reflection of a period in his life where he was isolated in a mental institution. In this context, the strange and ominous world that Clare presents as “eternity” takes on a new meaning as a representation of his social death while in the asylum. Supporting this idea, “An Invite to Eternity”
experiences are reflected in their writing. Both of these writers present the reader with the concept of human mortality in such a way that not only is the fear of death prevalent in their work, but also the love of life.
The two poems, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas and, “Because I Could Not Wait for Death”, by Emily Dickinson, we find two distinct treatments on the same theme, death. Although they both represent death, they also represent it as something other than death. Death brings about a variety of different feelings, because no two people feel the same way or believe the same thing. The fact that our faith is unknown makes the notion of death a common topic, as writers can make sense of their own feelings and emotions and in the process hope to make readers make sense of theirs too. Both Dickinson and Thomas are two well known and revered poets for their eloquent capture of these emotions. The poems both explore death and the
Marriage was not kind to Mrs. Mallard, her life was dull and not worth living, her face showed the years of repression. If she did love this man, why was marriage so harmful to her? Marriage was a prison for her
At a glance, the poem seems simplistic – a detailed observance of nature followed by an invitation to wash a “dear friend’s” hair. Yet this short poem highlights Bishop’s best poetic qualities, including her deliberate choice in diction, and her emotional restraint. Bishop progresses along with the reader to unfold the feelings of both sadness and joy involved in loving a person that will eventually age and pass away. The poem focuses on the intersection of love and death, an intersection that goes beyond gender and sexuality to make a far-reaching statement about the nature of being
In this poem, she connects philosophical thinking of death and the poem, which breaks the restriction of time and space. She takes advantage of a large amount of rhetorical devices, for instance, symbolizes and metaphor to express her opinions about the relationship of death, and immortal. She makes efforts to model a different image of death; Mr. Death is not ruthless or relentless anymore. Death is the common and eternal topic in the world; philosophers from all over that word try to find out the truth about the death. There are some similarities between Dickinson’s opinions and Chinese philosophies. Life is short and unstable; however, death is destined and eternal. If we want to have eternity, we cannot pin our hope on the human body because it will die sooner or later. But, human beings’ spirit and humanity which are not controlled by natural laws which can exist forever. Therefore, it is unnecessary to be afraid of death. Treated him like your old friend-accept and welcome
Emily Dickinson is one of the most important American poets of the 1800s. Dickinson, who was known to be quite the recluse, lived and died in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, spending the majority of her days alone in her room writing poetry. What few friends she did have would testify that Dickinson was a rather introverted and melancholy person, which shows in a number of her poems where regular themes include death and mortality. One such poem that exemplifies her “dark side” is, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”. In this piece, Dickinson tells the story of a soul’s transition into the afterlife showing that time and death have outright power over our lives and can make what was once significant become meaningless.