Comparison of 'Ghazal' and 'The Farmer's Bride'

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Mimi Khalvati explores the theme of longing in her ten stanza Ghazal, ‘Ghazal.’ Semantic fields of nature and constant refrain help express out the central themes of the poem. Likewise, ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ by Charlotte Mew uses structure and natural imagery to explore the theme of wanting and imbalance in the relationship she presents in her poem.
‘Ghazal’ uses contrast to ambiguously suggest the unlikelihood of a relationship between the speaker and her lover. Juxtaposition of the ‘iron fist in the velvet glove’ is presented to suggest the contrast between the two. An ‘iron’ is a cold and hard substance, whereas a ‘velvet glove’ is a soft and gentle substance. This then implies that they do not belong together, and early on the speaker is aware of this, but continues to peruse her lover, in hope that they’ll soon be together over the progression of the poem. The juxtaposition of the ‘iron fist’ and ‘velvet glove’ does however give a suggestion of the term that opposites attract. The pair are unlikely but they still possess this nature of wanting despite their differences. This could be used by Khalvati as a representation of the different sides of love; it isn’t just a soft and sensual feeling, it is also hard and difficult. This could be used as an indication that the speaker is not naïve about what she longs for, she understands the implications and repercussions of the relationship she is longing to get into. It could further be inferred that the speaker longs to subdue her lover into wanting her as much as she wants him, the ‘fist’ inside the ‘glove’ is suggestive of the speakers pining to have him just-where-she-wants. This brings about a disturbing feel, that she speaker is not just longing to have him as her lover becaus...

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...er beloved. However, describing her tongue as being venomous presents the idea of her urgency to be noticed by her beloved despite the sense of danger that is added. This presents the theme that the speaker is determined to urge her beloved to love her back. In a similar way, the farmer in ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ is desperate for his wife to show him some sort of affection back. The farmer longs to have ‘some other in the house than we!’ The use of this exclamation mark puts emphasis on his urgency to have children, which could only be brought by being intimate and affectionate with his partner.
Both poems represent the despairs and failures of the love they hone for their beloved, with brings a touch of sadness to the poems. From this the reader can feel almost sympathetic to the unrequited lovers, and gain an understanding of the perils and repercussions of love.

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