Wednesday 13 May 2009

A View From The Bridge Essay

Question - Discuss a play with a powerful theme. Show how the playwright introduces this theme and how they use techniques to bring it to life for the audience.


One of the themes explored in ‘A view from the bridge’ is that of jealousy. Eddie’s jealousy over his attractive young niece Catherine seems to be more powerful than his love for Beatrice and his sense of honour as a Sicilian American. Miller uses characterisation, symbolism and plot to show how Eddie’s dark side gradually causes his death.


Eddie is initially described as an ordinary, hard-working man. At the start of the play, he is fatherly towards Catherine, flattering her for her new skirt and encouraging her to find her own life. He gently scolds her for ‘walking wavy’ – aware that she is now a woman. However, there is a hint of overprotectiveness to this, and a tension with his wife Beatrice. As they sit chatting, he tells Catherine not to trust people but Beatrice tries to reassure her. He responds:

Eddie [strangely and quietly resentful] You lived in a house all your life, what do you know about it?

We can interpret this in several ways. Either he doesn’t love Beatrice and resents his ordinary life with her; or, he is in love with his niece and admires her aspirations; or perhaps enjoys his power over Beatrice, for the fact he is a working man and she is a housewife. Eddie is a complex character so all these emotions may be going on at once. This idle comment sets the scene for the change in their relationships caused by the entrance of Marco and Rudolpho.

The author uses the scene where Rudolpho sings to show the birth of Eddie’s intense jealousy. The change in Eddie is subtle immediate. He asks Catherine ‘What’s the high heels for, Garbo?’ He may feel jealousy at Rudolpho’s flamboyance; but at the same time, he compares Catherine to a vain movie actress. He is suddenly aware of the fact that her aspirations in life might succeed and seeks to pull her back down to their level. Having an attractive girl in his house might give him the extra status in life that he needs, so he is scared to lose her.

The author uses commonplace objects as symbols to show the unfolding drama. At the start of the play there is Eddie’s preoccupation with Catherine’s short skirt; then he mentions her heels in order to disparage her. When Eddie hits Rudolpho and Marco feels threatened, the latter raises a chair over Eddie’s head ‘like a weapon’. The play unfolds with the backdrop of Brooklyn bridge and the piers, which are symbols of working class life. Marco threatens Eddie with an everyday object, which shows how limited Eddie’s life is.

The playwright uses the scene where the two Sicilians are arrested to show the collapse in Eddie’s values. His jealousy ultimately causes him to go to the police, betraying the code of silence of his Sicilian community. After spitting in Eddie’s face, Marco delivers the ultimate insult to Eddie’s honour as he is led away –

That one stole the food from my children!

Eddie responds: ‘He’s gonna take that back or I’ll kill him!’ In their society, it is vital for a man to provide for their family. Eddie needs Catherine in order to feel like he is a provider, as well as to share the company of an attractive young woman. In this way, Eddie’s need to be someone special causes the fixation on his niece. This leads to his tragic end as Marco turns his own knife upon him.

Therefore I would argue that at the heart of ‘A view from the bridge’ is Eddie’s jealousy for his niece, and his frustration at the limited life he has led. These feelings make him an ambiguous character, and create a compelling drama for the audience.

Trio Essay Plan

‘Trio’ by Edwin Morgan explores the theme of everyday life. He gives a vivid description of the three party-goers and uses symbolism to suggest that ordinary lives can be full of beauty and meaning. In this essay I will show how the poet brings the Trio to life through a combination of setting, description, and allusions to history and the bible.

The title and setting of the poem are significant in themselves.
• ‘trio’ can simply be three people, or objects.
• also suggests people singing or playing together to create harmony - the three seem at one with each other and happy in the world.
• opens on Buchanan Street. Morgan is a poet based in Glasgow; this is a common shopping street which is busy at Christmas time.
• uses an everyday title and street to introduce the three.
• present tense emphasises that this is a snapshot of daily life.

At the start of the poem, they are depicted using simple descriptions of what they look like and their appearance. Yet the scene also carries a sense of religious iconography:

… under the Christmas lights -
The young man carries a new guitar in his arms,
the girl on the inside carries a very young baby,
and the girl on the outside carries a Chihuahua.

• simple description.
• ‘under’ the lights suggests they are being protected or watched over; and carrying presents, which belong under the lights of a Christmas tree.
• Guitar - which adds to the idea of a musical Trio

However, on a deeper level, this might be an allusion to the three wise men carrying presents for the baby Jesus.
• ‘very young baby’ supports this idea.
• ‘Christmas lights’ can also be seen as the star they followed.
• the three people have a sacred significance about them.

The poet continues to use sublime imagery as he describes the trio, enjoying their joyful moment:

And the three of them are laughing,
Their breath rises on a cloud of happiness

• A cloud is something in which there are no individuals.
• their breath has metaphorically become one thing: ‘cloud of happiness’.
idea of heaven, as being composed of clouds
emphasises warmth, as if their unity is in contrast to the cold weather.

As the poet describes the gifts, each of the details has a subtle importance, even though they are mainly commonplace things.
• Chihuahua - unusual in this context as it belongs to a foreign country.
• ‘Royal Stewart tartan coat like a teapot-holder’. - subtle allusion, to the Stewarts, who were kings of Scotland.
• teapot - suggests something cute and pleasant; qualities of furriness and warmth.
• the author combines important, sublime things with the small, wholesome and ordinary.

In the middle of the poem, Morgan uses a declamatory tone to highlight the significance of the details -

Orphean sprig! Melting baby! Warm chihuahua!

• alludes to Orpheus, the poet who rescued his lover from Hell in Greek legend.
• This is ironic because in this context he is describing ordinary things.
• sentence structure and exclamation marks suggest the poet is like a ‘bard’ from ancient times

From alluding to the bible and Greek legend, the poet goes on to use military imagery to describe how the Trio defeat the ‘Monsters of the year’ –

Go blank, are scattered back
Can’t bear this march of three

• bad feelings and misfortune of the year are powerless, and are ‘scattered’ like a defeated army.
• At the end the Trio leave the scene with laughter ‘ringing round them like a guard’
• fate ‘abdicates’, like a King in olden days.

If there is a meaning at the heart of this poem, it is that living our life is sacred. You can believe in the birth of Christ at Christmas or not, but you should celebrate the happy time of year no matter what your faith. The poet uses the ordinary scene with its exquisite details to suggest that we can truly be happy if only we live in the moment.

Porphyria's Lover Essay Plan

At the start of the poem, the poet uses personification to create a furious, disturbing atmosphere:

The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite

* he thus prepares the reader for what is to come in the poem
* ‘Sullen’ and ‘spite’ suggest intense emotions - jilted lover destroying the countryside.
* contrast with the entrance of Porphyria -‘glided in’.
* raises the reader’s expectations that this will be a passionate love poem; makes her murder all the more shocking.

The poet uses understatement to create a sinister mood when the speaker kills his lover:

I found
A thing to do … And strangled her.

* ‘A thing to do’ rather than a cold blooded murder.
* ‘found’ this implies that he is not responsible.
* dispassionate language: he winds her hair three times around her little throat.
* either he fooled her by pretending this was a game; or, in reality, she struggled as he throttled her.
* ‘And strangled her.’ is the first sentence in the poem which ends in the middle of a line rather than at the end - creates a sense of shock for the reader; shows how the killer does not grasp what he has done.

The poet continues with an impassive tone when he reflects on her death, employing repetition for emphasis:

No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.

* follows ‘And strangled her.’ - as if he is justifying his actions
* Repetition of ‘pain’; and rephrases it as ‘I am quite sure …’ - in his heart, he has his doubts.
* he feels the need to try to persuade the reader he was sure

The poet uses romantic imagery to describe Porpyria after her death:

again / Laugh’d the blue eyes without a stain

* the murder is not real to him.
* personifies her blue eyes as ‘laughing’ - a sweet image
* sees her as a living person despite what he has done.

Finally, the poet uses an ironically upbeat tone in the last line of the poem:

And yet God has not said a word!

* you would not expect God to speak.
* using the present tense – leaves the reader guessing what will happen next.
* by ending the poem at this point, we are left with the speaker’s intense feelings at this moment in time.
* we are not confronted with the consequences of her death.
* implies that there may a punishment waiting for him in the afterlife.

Therefore, Browning’s ironic use of romantic, upbeat and understated tones show the strange state of mind of the speaker in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’. He uses repetition, structure and personification to reveals the strange, obsessive emotions which cause the murder.

Tuesday 12 May 2009

Trio Essay

Question

Choose a poem where the poet made you think about a particular theme. Show how the poet develops this theme over the course of the poem

Structure

  1. Introduction
  2. Title / setting
  3. Religious iconography / ‘Christmas lights’, presents
  4. Allusion to the bible - the three wise men
  5. Imagery – ‘cloud of happiness’
  6. Description – the gifts
  7. Declamatory tone – ‘Orphean sprig! Melting baby! Warm chihuahua!’ – like a Greek poet
  8. Military language – ‘scattered’, ‘defeat’, ‘abdicated’
  9. Conclusion

‘Trio’ by Edwin Morgan explores the theme of everyday life. He gives a vivid description of the three party-goers and uses symbolism to suggest that ordinary lives can be full of beauty and meaning. In this essay I will show how the poet brings the Trio to life through a combination of setting, description, and allusions to history and the bible.

The title and setting of the poem are significant in themselves. In keeping with the theme of everyday life, a ‘trio’ can simply be three people, or objects. However, it also suggests people singing or playing together to create harmony. In this way, the three seem at one with each other and happy in the world. The poem opens on Buchanan Street. Morgan is a poet based in Glasgow, and his local readers would know that this is a common shopping street which is busy at Christmas time. He therefore uses an everyday title and street to introduce the three. The poet’s use of present tense emphasises that this is a snapshot of daily life.

At the start of the poem, they are depicted using simple descriptions of what they look like and their appearance. Yet the scene also carries a sense of religious iconography:

… under the Christmas lights -
The young man carries a new guitar in his arms,
the girl on the inside carries a very young baby,
and the girl on the outside carries a Chihuahua.

This is a very simple description. The fact they are ‘under’ the lights suggests they are being protected or watched over. They are also carrying presents, which belong under the lights of a Christmas tree. The young man has a guitar, which adds to the idea of a musical Trio, while the dog adds an exotic element to the scene.

However, on a deeper level, this might be an allusion to the three wise men carrying presents for the baby Jesus. The ‘very young baby’ supports this idea. The ‘Christmas lights’ can also be seen as the star they followed. So, for the poet, these three people have a sacred significance about them.

The poet continues to use sublime imagery as he describes the trio, enjoying their joyful moment:

And the three of them are laughing,
Their breath rises on a cloud of happiness

A cloud is something in which there are no individuals. In this moment, their breath has metaphorically become one thing. It has turned into a ‘cloud of happiness’. This alludes to a slightly quaint idea of heaven, as being composed of clouds, and continues to add a religious dimension to the ordinary scene. The cloud also emphasises warmth, as if their unity is in contrast to the cold weather.

As the poet describes the gifts, each of the details has a subtle importance, even though they are mainly commonplace things. The Chihuahua is unusual in this context as it belongs to a foreign country. However, the details of its coat are significant: ‘Royal Stewart tartan coat like a teapot-holder’. This is another subtle allusion, to the Stewarts, who were kings of Scotland. In contrast, a teapot suggests something cute and pleasant; while suggesting the physical qualities of furriness and warmth. As with other parts of the poem, the author combines important, sublime things with the small, wholesome and ordinary.

In the middle of the poem, Morgan uses a declamatory tone to highlight the significance of the details -

Orphean sprig! Melting baby! Warm chihuahua!

He alludes to Orpheus, the poet who rescued his lover from Hell in Greek legend. This is ironic because in this context he is describing ordinary things. The sentence structure and exclamation marks suggest he is a ‘bard’ from ancient times, talking about a great war, or an Emperor.

From alluding to the bible and Greek legend, the poet goes on to use military imagery to describe how the Trio defeat the ‘Monsters of the year’ –

Go blank, are scattered back
Can’t bear this march of three

The bad feelings and misfortune of the year are powerless, and are ‘scattered’ like a defeated army. At the end of the poem, they leave the scene with laughter ‘ringing round them like a guard’, while fate ‘abdicates’, like a King in olden days.

If there is a meaning at the heart of this poem, it is that living our life is sacred. You can believe in the birth of Christ at Christmas or not, but you should celebrate the happy time of year no matter what your faith. The poet uses the ordinary scene with its exquisite details to suggest that we can truly be happy if only we live in the moment.

Saturday 9 May 2009

Porphyria's Lover Essay

This is a typical higher poetry question for the exam. It uses five quotes, from different points in the poem.

Question -

Choose a poem in which the poet blends form and content. Show how the form contributes to your understanding of the poem.

‘Porphyria’s Lover’ by Robert Browning is a poem in which the poet has created a perfect blend of form and content. The poem is about a man with untold insecurities who takes the life of his lover due to paranoia, or perhaps plain insanity. The focus of this essay is to show how Browning effectively makes use of techniques such as personification, word choice and structure to convey a sense of the speaker’s strange state of mind.

At the start of the poem, the poet uses personification to create a furious, disturbing atmosphere:

The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite


He thus prepares the reader for what is to come in the poem. ‘Sullen’ and ‘spite’ suggest intense emotions, and it is as if the wind is a jilted lover destroying the countryside. Yet this violence is contrasted by the entrance of Porphyria when he says she ‘glided in’. It raises the reader’s expectations that this will be a passionate love poem. This makes her murder all the more shocking.

The poet uses understatement to create a sinister mood when the speaker kills his lover:

I found
A thing to do … And strangled her.


Strangling Porphyria is simply ‘A thing to do’ rather than a cold blooded murder. The fact the man ‘found’ this implies that he is not responsible. The strangling itself is revealed in dispassionate language: he winds her hair three times around her little throat. This either means that he fooled her by pretending this was a game; or, in reality, she struggled as he throttled her. The phrase ‘And strangled her.’ is the first sentence in the poem which ends in the middle of a line rather than at the end. This creates a sense of shock for the reader and shows how the killer does not grasp the enormity of what he has done.

The poet continues with an impassive tone when he reflects on her death, employing repetition for emphasis:

No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.


This immediately follows ‘And strangled her.’, so it is as if he is justifying his actions, and cannot bear to think of the reality. He repeats the word ‘pain’ and rephrases when he says with ‘I am quite sure …’, as though, in his heart, he has his doubts. If he is sure of something, it is also strange that he feels the need to try to persuade the reader as well.

The poet uses romantic imagery to describe Porpyria after her death:

again / Laugh’d the blue eyes without a stain


By showing his affection for her after her death, he shows how the murder is not real to him. He personifies her blue eyes as laughing, which would be a sweet image if it did not describe part of a dead body. He still sees her as a living person despite what he has done.

Finally, the poet uses an ironically upbeat tone in the last line of the poem:

And yet God has not said a word!


Even if you were a devout Christian, you would not expect God to speak. This ends the poem with a final self-justification from the killer. By using the present tense, the poet ends the poem in a dramatic way. The reader does not know what will happen next. The speaker might realise what he has done, or be arrested. By ending the poem at this point, we are left with the speaker’s intense feelings at this moment in time. Like him, we are not confronted with the consequences of her death. However, this implies that there may a punishment waiting for him in the afterlife.

Therefore, Browning’s ironic use of romantic, upbeat and understated tones show the strange state of mind of the speaker in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’. He uses repetition, structure and personification to reveals the strange, obsessive emotions which cause the murder. In this way, it has an excellent blend of form and content.