The laboratory, Porphyrias Lover and A woman to her lover Essay Example

The laboratory, Porphyrias Lover and A woman to her lover Essay The Laboratory to express a sense of strong imagery that represents the feeling of evil and hatred, and the other being Porphyias Lover which again consists of strong imagery but of obsession, love and control. Whereas, in A Woman to Her Lover, Christina Walsh has simply made a political statement through a free verse form; conveying the change in attitude of women during the pre Victorian era. In A woman to Her Lover We see that it is about a woman demanding conditions for her marriage to her future husband. This would seem extremely odd during this period, as women were often treated as subservient. The idea of men treating women as second rate is opposed in the first stanza. This stanza details the rejection of male dominance by a woman. Do you come to me to bend me to your will as conqueror to the vanquished. The vocabulary in this stanza highlights the strong feelings of the woman. The theme of this poem is about love and equality; we know this because of the various words used to indicate love such as: O lover. We can also tell that this is about equality as: I shall be your comrade, friend and mate, to live and work, to love and die with you. The poem follows the structure of a free verse without any constraints this further reinforces Walshs main message of equality for women. However, rather than making demands she feels that she must first ask and also tempt her lover; to stay with her. Moreover the use of the conditional tense throughout the poem makes the poem seem more like a marriage contract. We will write a custom essay sample on The laboratory, Porphyrias Lover and A woman to her lover specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The laboratory, Porphyrias Lover and A woman to her lover specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The laboratory, Porphyrias Lover and A woman to her lover specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Furthermore, imagery is created in this poem through metaphors: I am no doll to dress and sit for feeble worship if that be what you ask, fool, I refuse you! Her point is emphasized through the use of repetition, Do you come to me to bend me to your will. Moreover, sibilance is used such as skin soft, The repetition of the S sound creates a hissing affect as well as a sinister sibilance tone, which gives us a feeling that she doesnt want to be seen as pure or perfect. In contrast The Laboratory is also a poem renowned for its depth of meanings through the variety of linguistic devices used; in addition it also shares a similar theme of death and revenge to other poems written by Browning such as Porphyias Lover. The tone of this poem is obsession. Grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste, Pound at thy powder, I am not in haste! This just emphasizes that this woman has only one aim which is to seek revenge on her rival by killing her. We see that The Laboratory is an unusual poem whereby we see the courageous female persona is driven to revenge. This is in stark contrast to the stereotypical view of women during the 19th century, who were not expected to have a voice, in a male dominated society. Not only does she seek revenge but also wishes to punish her husband: He is sure to remember her dying face. As thou pliest thy trade in this devils-smithy, this line in the opening stanza to the poem which indicates to us that The devils smithy is a metaphor for the subject of this workshop may be poison and death. This imagery also ties in with the devils work. The structure of this poem is a regular AABB rhyme scheme; this conveys a very jolly rhythm to the poem which is ironic because the subject is quiet chilling about seeking revenge. The language on this poem is conveyed throughout the poem through the use of imperatives Take my mask off! Nay, be not morose! the use of imperatives highlight that she is in control. Furthermore, alliteration is combined with onomatopoeia, moisten and mash up thy paste. To convey a harsh tone, reflecting her revenge and determination, as she makes the poison. Porphyrias Lover, is similar to The Laboratory, In that it is also a dramatic monologue told by Porphyrias lover. The action of Porphyrias Lover commences through the telling of the events of one night- culminating in the murder of Porphyria-by the narrator of the poem. The story is not retold to an audience but seems rather to be replayed in the mind of Porphyrias lover. Browning masterfully builds up tension in the poem by gradually revealing to the reader, through details provided by the speaker, what has taken place. As it also becomes clear that the narrator is mad, it is up to the reader to decide on what extent to believe the speakers account of events. The themes of this poem are attraction, lust and death, as he is attracted to the woman but decides to kill her as he believes he has control and dominance over her, Porphyria worshiped me. From this we can see that he feels he is in command of her. The tone to this poem is negative, The rain set in early in tonight, and madness, And did its worst to vex the lake, Imagery is depicted through the use of pathetic fallacy, The sullen wind was soon awake, which matches the mood of range and anger. Metaphors such as: She shut the cold out and the storm. Makes us think she is a woman sent from heaven. The structure of this poem is ABABB; this very effectively emphasizes the inward turmoil of the speakers mind. This poem is written in a free verse form unlike The laboratory. The most chilling phrase which highlights the macabre theme of death in Porphyias Lover is; In one long yellow string I wound Three times her little throat around, and strangled her. From this we can see that the narrator casually kills his lover, whom he is attracted to; but alarmingly shows no remorse in her inhumane death. Additionally, in The Laboratory the most shocking line which focuses on the narrators deranged state of mind is, Brand, burn up, bite into its grace-He is sure to remember her dying face, the alliterative effect of the harsh B sound expresses the fury and bitterness as she really wants to kill her rival and hurt her husband at the same time so he can remember her death forever. In conclusion to my essay, I feel that the poets studied here have portrayed their views through a wide range of techniques including political statements. In my opinion Porphyrias Lover and The Laboratory are similar as they both share the theme of death and obsession. On the other hand in, A Woman to her Lover, is more about breaking the social norm and standing up for your rights. Each poem has a unique tone and message but they do share some similar techniques.