'King Lear' by William Shakespeare

Hello readers in this blog I'll be discussing about one of very well known play of William Shakespeare i.e 'King Lear', so let's dive deep into it.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare time span was from 23 April 1564 to 23 April 1616. He was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.

The History of King Lear 

King Lear is an adaptation by Nahum Tate of William Shakespeare's King Lear. It first appeared in 1681, some seventy-five years after Shakespeare's version, and is believed to have replaced Shakespeare's version on the English stage in whole or in part until 1838.

Unlike Shakespeare's tragedy, Tate's play has a happy ending, with Lear regaining his throne, Cordelia marrying Edgar, and Edgar joyfully declaring that "truth and virtue shall at last succeed." Regarded as a tragicomedy, the play has five acts, as does Shakespeare's, although the number of scenes is different, and the text is about eight hundred lines shorter than Shakespeare's. Many of Shakespeare's original lines are modified only slightly, but a significant portion of the text is entirely new, and much is omitted. The character of the Fool, for example, is absent.

Although many critics, including Joseph Addison, August Wilhelm Schlegel, Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and Anna Jameson  condemned Tate's adaptation for what they saw as its cheap sentimentality, it was popular with theatregoers, and was approved by Samuel Johnson, who regarded Cordelia's death in Shakespeare's play as unbearable. Shakespeare's version continued to appear in printed editions of his works, but, according to numerous scholars, including A.C. Bradley and Stanley Wells, did not appear on the English stage for over a hundred and fifty years from the date of the first performance of Tate's play. Actors such as Thomas Betterton, David Garrick, and John Philip Kemble, who were famous for the role of Lear, were portraying Tate's Lear, not Shakespeare's. The tragic ending was briefly restored by Edmund Kean in 1823. 

Summary

King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm. His banished daughter returns with an army, but they lose the battle and Lear, all his daughters and more, die.

Act I

King Lear begins as the Earl of Gloucester introduces his illegitimate son, Edmund, to the Earl of Kent. Lear, King of Britain, enters with his court. Now that he is an old man, Lear has decided to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. The division will depend on the quality of each princess' declarations of love for her father before the court. Goneril, Duchess of Albany, and Regan, Duchess of Cornwall, both speak enthusiastically and earn their father's praise. But Cordelia, the youngest, says nothing because she cannot voice her deep love for Lear. Misunderstanding his daughter, Lear disowns and banishes her from the kingdom. He also banishes the Earl of Kent, who had taken Cordelia's side against the King

This action by the king divides the kingdom, both figuratively and literally. Cordelia's suitor, the Duke of Burgundy, rejects her once she is dowerless, but the King of France values her honesty and takes her as his wife. Lear's kingdom is shared between Goneril and Regan and their suitors (the Dukes of Albany and Cornwall, respectively). Lear plans to alternate living with each of them.


Act II

Meanwhile, Edmund is determined to be recognised as a rightful son of Gloucester. By a trick, he persuades his father that his legitimate brother, Edgar, is plotting against Gloucester's life. Warned by Edmund that his life is in danger, Edgar flees and takes the disguise of a Bedlam beggar. Edmund becomes a courtier to Goneril. Goneril meanwhile grows increasingly exasperated by the behaviour of Lear's hundred companions who are upsetting her life at Albany's castle, and she criticises her father. 

Kent has returned from exile in disguise and wins a place as a servant to Lear. Kent accompanies Lear when, in a rage against her criticisms, he curses Goneril and leaves. When Lear arrives at Gloucester's house to find Regan, she rejects him and his followers, namely his devoted companion, the Fool.


Act III

Despairing for his daughters, and deeply regretting rejecting Cordelia, Lear goes mad at the height of a great storm. He and the Fool run wild on the upland until Gloucester takes them into a hut for shelter. He then seeks the aid of Kent to get them away to the coast, where Cordelia has landed with a French army to fight for her father against her sisters and their husbands. Gloucester then leaves and returns home. 

Meanwhile, Edmund is employed as a messenger between the sisters and is courted by each in turn. He persuades Cornwall that Gloucester (his father) is an enemy because he has been in touch with France and helped Lear and when they are turned away by Regan. As punishment for Gloucester's seeming betrayal, Cornwall and Regan pluck out his eyes and cast aside him. During the act of blinding Gloucester, a servant stabs Cornwall, who dies. But Regan continues to rule with Edmund's help. 

Act IV

Out in the storm, Lear finds shelter where Edgar has also taken refuge, still disguised as the beggar. The Fool, the mad king, and the disguised "insane" beggar become unlikely companions before they are separated. Edgar finds Gloucester wandering the open country alone and in agony. Since his father is blind, Edgar leads the despairing man to the coast and helps him along the journey to come to an acceptance of his life. Gloucester later meets the mad Lear on Dover beach, near Cordelia's camp. With Kent's aid, Lear is rescued and re-united with Cordelia. Gloucester, now reunited with Edgar, dies quietly alone.

Act V

The French forces are overcome by Albany's army led by Edmund, and Lear and Cordelia are captured. Goneril has already poisoned Regan in their jealous conflict over Edmund's attention. Edgar, disguised now as a loyal knight, challenges Edmund to a duel and wounds him mortally. Seeing no way out, Goneril kills herself, and the dying Edmund confesses his misdeeds and releases Cordelia. However, it is too late to save Cordelia from the hangman. Lear's heart breaks as he carries the body of his beloved youngest daughter in his arms, and he dies. Albany and Edgar are left to re-organise the kingdom and resolve the civil wars

Themes

Inheritance

The central conflict of King Lear revolves around the concept of inheritance. At the beginning of the play, Lear aims to test his three daughters' loyalty before gifting them their portion of his land. The prospect of this inheritance is what fuels the rude behavior of Goneril and Regan, but it is also Lear's selfish way of wielding continued power over his three daughters. In many ways, the inheritance proposed at the beginning of the play represents Lear's last form of control as a ruler.


Order

At the beginning of the play, Lear is represented as a controlling authority figure. Having divided his land into three parts to be designated to each of his three daughters, Lear wields power over his children in a way that encourages competition between them. Lear's unusual and self-aggrandizing test of his daughters' affections can be interpreted as one of the ways he battles the reality of his age becoming weaker physically, Lear attempts to hold onto power and control by organizing a division of his lands before his death.

Chaos

Predictably, Lear's plan in Act One to impose order on his three daughters quickly disintegrates, in part because of Lear's own ego. Once Cordelia confesses her true, but misunderstood, loyalty to her father, Lear deny Cordelia of her inheritance altogether. This decision is what leads to Goneril and Regan's betrayal of Lear and the general breakdown of order in the play. His decision also creates his own descent into madness and his ultimate end.

Aging

Modern productions of King Lear almost always present Lear as noticeably ruined, and tend to emphasize his aging body as the play progresses. This focus on aging is central to the conflicts and plots of the play, as Lear's age inspires both anxiety in himself and greediness in Goneril and Regan, who eventually turn on him for their own gain. Ironically, in Lear's attempt to maintain political and familial control despite his physical decline, he ends up pushing himself further into decline.

Madness

Many describe Lear's character trajectory within the play as a fall from sober authority figure to madman. Indeed, his episode at Dover Beach is often used as evidence for Lear's lost grasp on reality. However, it is important to note that in his seemingly declining state, Lear gains insight into his mistakes as both a ruler and a father. Lear's "mad" wandering even come to resemble remarks of the fool, who is often considered, ironically, the wisest character in the play.

Sight and Blindness

The play is rife with imagery of light, seeing, blindness, and darkness. This focus mirrors the figurative "blindness" that both Lear and Gloucester are guilty of, as they severely misjudge their children in the beginning of the play and experience the consequences thereafter. Lear, ironically, gains figurative "sight" as he becomes more mad, while Gloucester is literally blinded by Regan and Cornwall in Act Three. However, just like Lear, Gloucester gains a form of "sight" only after literally losing his ability to see, emphasizing how truth often only appears to the one who looks back.

Justice and Nihilism

King Lear is often discussed as a play that is obsessed with justice and punishment: Lear strips Cordelia of her inheritance after misinterpreting her declaration of love, Gloucester is blinded for potentially committing treason, Lear's mistake leads him to go mad, and Goneril and Regan's brutish behavior ultimately ends in their murder-suicide. As a tragedy, the total number of deaths and brutal punishments is not out of the ordinary for the genre. However, the play suggests that these deaths derived from misunderstanding, lack of communication, and uncertainty more generally. As such, many argue that King Lear presents a nihilistic view of the world, in which all values are inherently meaningless, including the concept of justice.

Symbols

Lear's Crown

Early on in the play, Lear's fool remarks that Lear has mistakenly cut his crown in two by choosing to divide his kingdom. As such, Lear's crown is a symbol of both his own power and his kingdom's stability. Later in the play, Lear appears wearing a crown made only of flowers, a symbol that suggests his complete loss of power. This flower-crown also associates Lear with another Shakespearean character, Ophelia from Hamlet, who distributes wildflowers to passers-by just before her death. Ophelia's behavior has often been interpreted as a form of grief-driven madness, and the same could be said about Lear at the end of the play.

Nakedness

Nakedness is a central motif of the play, as it addresses one of King Lear's central questions: whether there is any value or meaning to man's life on earth. Edgar's disguise, Poor Tom, is a naked beggar, while Lear, too, strips off his clothes after seeing Poor Tom's nude body. Lear asks whether man is "no more than this", suggesting that man's natural state is a weak and vulnerable one. This realization helps Lear gain the self-knowledge to which he had previously been blind, as he comes to recognize himself as an aging and powerless man rather than a fearsome king.

Weather

The storm that occurs in Act Three symbolizes Lear's chaotic mental state. At one point, he even states that he has a "tempest in [his] mind". The thunder and lightning of the storm signifies the uncontrollable fate of Lear and many other characters in the play, while also suggesting England's own descent into political turmoil after Lear had divided his kingdom.

Blindness

Blindness is a recurring motif in King Lear, in both the figurative and literal sense. Many characters in the play are blinded by their own egos and ambitions, most notably Lear and Gloucester, who misjudge their own children and make fatal mistakes because of it. Gloucester is then literally blinded in the play, a brutal scene that renders him weak, vulnerable, but surprisingly astute. The play suggests that in losing his eyesight, Gloucester develops a keen sense of knowledge that he did not possess in the beginning of the play.

The Fool

The fool in King Lear is a famous example of a character typically meant for comic relief playing a much more significant role in the events of the play. Lear's fool is perhaps the wisest of all the characters, making observations throughout the play that both foreshadow Lear's fate and speak truthfully about Lear's lack of self-knowledge. That Lear chooses to criticize his fool rather than listen to him suggests the extent of his ego, while at the end of the play Lear begins speaking in a way that mirrors the language of the fool from the earlier acts.

Conclusion 

King Lear is a profound exploration of human nature, power, and the complexities of family relationships. Shakespeare’s portrayal of the titular character’s descent into madness, the stark divisions of loyalty and betrayal among his daughters, and the intricate subplots of characters like Gloucester and Edmund highlight themes that resonate deeply with audiences. The play’s central motifs of sight and blindness, justice and nihilism, and the symbolism of Lear's crown and the storm reflect the chaotic and unpredictable nature of life and the inherent frailty of human beings.

King Lear remains a compelling tragedy that challenges readers and audiences to consider the nature of authority, the vulnerability of old age, and the profound consequences of pride and misjudgment. Its rich thematic content and complex characters continue to inspire interpretations and discussions, cementing its place as one of Shakespeare’s most enduring works. Through its exploration of these universal themes, King Lear offers timeless insights into the human condition, making it a masterpiece of English literature.

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"A Baby Running Barefoot" by D. H. Lawrence

Hello readers today in thise blog I'll be sharing about the D.H. Lawrence, one of the well read poem i.e Baby Running Barefoot. 

D. H. Lawrence 

David Herbert Lawrence whoes time span was from 11 September 1885 to 2 March 1930. He was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist, and painter. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienation and industrialization, while championing sexuality, vitality and instinct. Several of his novels, Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley's Lover, were the subject of censorship trials for their radical portrayals of sexuality and use of explicit language.

Lawrence's opinions and artistic preferences earned him a controversial reputation; he endured contemporary persecution and public misrepresentation of his creative work throughout his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile that he described as a "savage enough pilgrimage". Later, English literary critic F. R. Leavis also championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness

A Baby Running Barefoot

When the bare feet of the baby beat across the grass

The little white feet nod like white flowers in the wind,

They poise and run like ripples lapping across the water;

And the sight of their white play among the grass

Is like a little robin’s song, winsome,

Or as two white butterflies settle in the cup of one flower

For a moment, then away with a flutter of wings.

I long for the baby to wander hither to me

Like a wind-shadow wandering over the water,

So that she can stand on my knee

With her little bare feet in my hands,

Cool like syringa buds,

Firm and silken like pink young peony flowers.

Overview

In the first line the poet talked about 'the barefoot' of baby. Who runs across the grass. He then tells about her little white feet, nod like the flowers nod in wind. He beautifully had described, how a baby child runs across the grass out of innocence to watch baby running across field is the most beautiful sight. D.H. Lawrence brilliantly and beautifully has captured the beauty of little baby's play in his poem.


The poet has compared baby's two feet with two white butterflies. Like two white butterflies settle in the cup of one flowers baby's barefoot set in the grass. The poet has compared  the grass with cup of flower and two white feet with butterflies. Baby's white feet also does not stop at one place like white butterflies. It runs away from one place to another like white butterflies fly away with flutter of wings.


The poet wants baby to wonder around him like, wind shadow wander over the water. He wants to enjoy the innocence of little baby. It also happens sometimes that, some of us do not enjoy childhood like, other and we see such little babies playing around, we see our innocence in them more than the babies. We enjoy their play as it not only smoothen our eyes but it also smoothen our soul. Then the poet wants the baby stand on his knees. Then the poet compares her little barefoot with 'syringa buds' and pink 'peony flowers'.  Baby's feet is like syringa buds and firm and silken like ' pink young peony flowers'.

Theme

The central idea of the poem is the Innocence of a baby enjoying across the grass. Childhood is a blessed stage of life that is without any burden, worries or tension. This poem shows a wonderful picture of a baby running and the pleasure of her father.

Being a profound novelist, D.H.Lawrence is a popular 20th century writer. However, his verse is also remarkable. His style in this poem is simple and light. There are some example of alliteration in the poem like,

Baby ...Beat

White...Wind

Run... Ripples

Like... Little

Wind... Wandering

She... Stand....etc...

A reader can observe here the objects of nature like grass, flowers, wind, water, butterflies and so on.

Conclusion

As we noted earlier 'child is a citizen of nature' Laurence has composed this poem with the same doctrine. Laurence describes the baby in the company of nature, a child looks more charming when it starts walking or running. The poem ends with a reflection on the transient nature of this innocence, contrasting the vitality and freedom of the child with the inevitable changes brought by the passage of time. The imagery of the baby running barefoot symbolizes a moment of pure, unspoiled joy, which Lawrence seems to treasure as a fleeting but profoundly beautiful aspect of human experience. In the Ramayana and Mahabharata, we can also find such song as a highlight of the beauty of Lord Ram or Krishna during their childhood. Ultimately, the conclusion underscores a wistful recognition of the delicate and ephemeral quality of childhood innocence.

Below I'm sharing one of the video which will help in understanding the poem more precisely.

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"Ode on Solitude" by Alexander Pope

Hello readers in this blog post I'll be sharing one of the poem of Alexander Pope i.e "Ode on Solitude", so let's dive!

Alexander Pope 

He was born on May 21, 1688, London, England and died in May 30, 1744, Twickenham, near London. The acknowledged master of the heroic couplet and one of the primary tastemakers of the Augustan age, British writer Alexander Pope was a central figure in the Neoclassical movement of the early 18th century. He is known for having perfected the rhymed couplet form of his idol, John Dryden, and turned it to satiric and philosophical purposes. 

His mock epic The Rape of the Lock (1714) derides elite society, while An Essay on Criticism (1711) and An Essay on Man (1733–34) articulate many of the central tenets of 18th century aesthetic and moral philosophy. Pope was noted for his involvement in public feuds with the writers and publishers of low-end Grub Street, which led him to write The Dunciad (1728), a scathing account of England’s cultural decline, and, at the end of his life, a series of related verse essays and Horatian satires that articulated and protested this decline.

Ode on Solitude

Happy the man, whose wish and care

   A few paternal acres bound,

Content to breathe his native air,

                            In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,

   Whose flocks supply him with attire,

Whose trees in summer yield him shade,

                            In winter fire.

Blest, who can unconcernedly find

   Hours, days, and years slide soft away,

In health of body, peace of mind,

                            Quiet by day,

Sound sleep by night; study and ease,

   Together mixed; sweet recreation;

And innocence, which most does please,

                            With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;

   Thus unlamented let me die;

Steal from the world, and not a stone

                            Tell where I lie.

“Ode on Solitude” Setting

The setting of this poem is less a real place and more the idea of a place. That is, the speaker is describing what a happy person's life looks like, and part of it is that they have a plot of "ground" that is their "own." This plot of land would ideally provide them milk from herds of cows or goats, bread from fields of wheat or rye, and clothes made from the wool of flocks of sheep. Additionally, these acres of land would be covered in trees that would offer shade during the heat of summer and which could be chopped into firewood to use through the cold winter months.

In other words, the poem uses a pastoral or country setting to idealize a certain way of life, one characterized by hard work, self- reliance and self control.

Historical Context

Pope was born into a Catholic family in London in 1688, during the Glorious Revolution. Because of anti-Catholic laws, he couldn't pursue formal education, but he self-educated himself and became a notable poet.

"Ode on Solitude," written when he was 12, reflects his admiration for rural simplicity and self-sufficiency, contrasting with the urbanization and industrialization of his time. Despite struggling with health issues, Pope's talent and determination made him influential, but his poor health eventually limited his productivity, and he passed away in 1744.

Overview of the poem

The poem begins the analogy that will carry through the poem, seen through the life of an anonymous man who is described as being an ideal for happiness. His deepest desires, the narrator notes, extend a few acres of his own land, where he is content to live and work. The word “parental” suggests that the land belongs to this man by inheritance and therefore belongs solely to him. “Content to breathe his native air” could also be a commentary on being happy with what a person has, rather than constantly wishing for more.

This simply means that the man is self-sufficient. His land, now shown to be a farm, provides for all of his needs and his herds provide him with milk, he is able to bake his own bread. In the summer, his trees provide ample shade, and in the winter, the wood from those same trees can be lit to keep him warm. He has no need for anything beyond his own land.

The narrator considered this farmer blessed! Time almost doesn’t have meaning for this man; his world provides for all of his needs. Hours go by, days go by, years go by, and everything remains the same. It seems as though, in a world of peace and quiet, there is absolutely nothing that could disrupt the life of this farmer, and the narrator sees that as a high blessing.

The idea of innocence is introduced here and is a fair way to describe a man who lives his life in isolation; he is innocent, which means he himself probably doesn’t appreciate the kind of life he leads in the same way the narrator, author, or reader does. It’s a strange idea and casts the character of the farmer in a different light. He could, in fact, be viewed as a naïve and ignorant individual, one who simply doesn’t know enough about the world, or he could be viewed as living the ideal life.

The narrator of the poem clearly agrees with the latter of the above sentiments and here he wishes for escapism and begs for an unseen life, one where he may live in solitude until his dying days, which will come and go, unnoticed, unremarked, and unadorned, perfect life of solitude and peace.

Solitude, Simplicity, and Self-Sufficiency

“Ode on Solitude” celebrates the beauty of living simply and alone. The speaker argues that a solitary yet self-sufficient person is a happy one, people don’t really need that much in order to be content with their lives. Just a little bit of peace and quiet, physical and mental health, and a good mix of work and play. Being seen and “known,” the speaker implies, simply complicates life. Overall, the poem suggests that people are better off leading simple, self-contained lives rather than worrying about what others think.

The speaker thinks it doesn’t take a whole lot for a person to lead a good, happy life: the person who has 'Hours, days, and years' of physical 'health' and mental 'peace' is lucky indeed. After all, the only things people really need in order to be happy are 'quiet' untroubled 'sleep' and the ability to balance leisure with hard work and introspection. In other words, the speaker suggests that happiness doesn’t come from other people; it comes from being able to take care of oneself.

According to the speaker, being seen and known by others is just a burden that gets in the way of this peace and happiness. The speaker thus prefers to live life 'unseen and unknown' and hopes to die 'unlamented'. For the speaker, life is better this way; the speaker can’t be disrupted by other people’s feelings if they don’t know that he exists!

Being solitary also gives the speaker the freedom to live life according to his own 'wish and care.' When a person isn’t worrying about what others think, the poem implies, they are able to focus on their own happiness.

The poem ultimately suggests that people are most content when they learn to rely on themselves instead of others. The speaker says that a person whose life is more or less contained within 'a few acres' of their 'own ground' is more likely to be happy. In other words, people are better off focusing on their own surroundings and not worrying about what others have. Finally, the speaker applauds the person 'Whose herds' provide milk and 'whose trees in summer yield him shade, / In winter fire.' This metaphor suggests that by learning to be reliant only on oneself, a person is more likely to live a happy, peaceful life.

Conclusion 

Alexander Pope's "Ode on Solitude" beautifully portrays the virtues of living a simple, self-sufficient life. Through vivid imagery and thoughtful reflection, Pope celebrates the tranquility found in solitude, the contentment derived from basic necessities, and the freedom attained by escaping the gaze and judgment of others. This timeless poem encourages readers to cherish the quiet moments, appreciate the beauty of nature, and find fulfillment in self-reliance. Pope's ode serves as a poignant reminder that true happiness often lies in the simplicity of one's own existence, away from the complexities and distractions of the world.

Here I'm sharing one video which would  be helpful.

Thank you, 

Have a fruitful learning. 

"My Grandmother" by Elizabeth Jennings.

Hello everyone in this blog I'll be discussing about the Elizabeth Jennings one of the famous poem i.e " My Grandmother."

Elizabeth Jennings 

Elizabeth Joan Jennings time duration was from 18 July 1926 to 26 October 2001. She was an English poet. Regarded as traditionalist rather than an innovator, Jennings is known for her lyric poetry and mastery of form. Her work displays a simplicity of metre and rhyme shared with Philip Larkin, Kingsley Amis and Thom Gunn, all members of the 1950s group of English poets known as The Movement.

 

She always made it clear that, while her life, which included a spell of severe mental illness, contributed to the themes contained within her work, she did not write explicitly autobiographical poetry. She has won Arts Council of Great Britain Prize for the best first book of poems for Poems in 1953, and in 1955 she won Somerset Maugham Award for A Way of Looking and also Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Durham University in 2001.

My Grandmother

She kept an antique shop – or it kept her.

Among Apostle spoons and Bristol glass,

The faded silks, the heavy furniture,

She watched her own reflection in the brass

Salvers and silver bowls, as if to prove

Polish was all, there was no need of love.

And I remember how I once refused

To go out with her, since I was afraid.

It was perhaps a wish not to be used

Like antique objects. Though she never said

That she was hurt, I still could feel the guilt

Of that refusal, guessing how she felt.

Later, too frail to keep a shop, she put

All her best things in one narrow room.

The place smelt old, of things too long kept shut,

The smell of absences where shadows come

That can’t be polished. There was nothing then

To give her own reflection back again.

And when she died I felt no grief at all,

Only the guilt of what I once refused.

I walked into her room among the tall

Sideboards and cupboards – things she never used

But needed; and no finger marks were there,

Only the new dust falling through the air.

Overview of the poem 

In ‘My Grandmother,’ the speaker begins by describing something about her grandmother that defined her personality and what she cared about. Her grandmother kept an antique shop. This is something that she immediately adds, saying that the antique shop may have kept her grandmother instead. This is an example of personification and suggests that either the grandmother couldn’t stop caring for the antique shop or that the antique shop was such an important presence in her life that it kept her saying and gave her something important to do on a day-to-day basis.

In the antique store, she had a variety of items, including "heavy furniture." The speaker may have respected her grandmother’s devotion to the shop, she didn’t fully understand her attachment to the seemingly worthless items.
The speaker remembers seeing her grandmother in the shop, watching her own reflection in the shined "brass" and "silver" items.

She was dedicated to the shop and caring for the items within it, but the speaker feels that she acts this way with purpose, as if to prove to herself that she needed nothing else in her life, especially not love.

This part of the poem is likely meant to emphasize that the grandmother had no loving partner in her life at this time and, despite acting as though she didn’t, was longing for someone. The speaker recalls what it was like as a child seeing her grandmother interact with the items in her shop and how her grandmother’s behavior, more generally, confused her and worried her.

There is one specific occasion the speaker remembers when her grandmother asked her to "go out with her," perhaps shopping for more items for the store, and the young speaker refused. She was "afraid." She didn't want to be used "like antique objects" to fill a hole in her grandmother's heart, or at least this is what she thought she was thinking at that time. 

But, after she refused, she felt guilty about not wanting to spend time with a woman who so clearly needed the company. Her grandmother never admitted that she was "hurt" by her granddaughter's refusal, but the speaker can't help but believe that she was. She can still "feel the guilt" of her refusal. 

 Jumping forward in time when the grandmother has become too old and too frail to properly care for the shop in the mini items within it. She had to close the shop and move the few items she wanted to keep into her home. 


The grandmother’s life has boiled down to a few items in a small room. Plus, the speaker adds, these things didn’t feel especially valuable. The objects only brought to mind what was lacking from her grandmother’s life and what this speaker interpreted as loneliness during this period. She no longer gained the same feelings of comfort from the items she used to polish and her shop. There was nothing in this room to give "her own reflection back again."

The time after the speaker’s grandmother died. After she passed away, the speaker did not feel any guilt about the loss. But, she still felt the guilt of the refusal from when she was younger and didn’t want to accompany her grandmother out shopping. The speaker walking into the grandmother’s narrow room of items that used to sit in her antique store. They were sideboards and cupboards, things that the grandmother never used for storage but that she needed.

This reemphasizes what the speaker was saying before about the items in the grandmother’s shop, providing her with the comfort she didn’t get from human interactions.

The speaker remembers looking at the cupboards and sideboards and saying that there were "no finger marks…there." The items were clean and without damage, only touched by the "new dust falling through the air." The dust was starting to gather for the first time on items that had been cared for so long. This marks the end of the grandmother's life and the importance of the mundane items she cared for so attentively.


Structure and Form 

'My Grandmother' by Elizabeth Jennings is a four-stanza poem that is divided into sets of six lines, known as sestets. These sestets follow a rhyme scheme of ABABCC. The poet often uses half-rhymes in place of full end rhymes, for example, "her" and "furniture" in stanza one and "afraid" and "said" in stanza two. But, there are many perfect rhymes as well, including "then" and "again" in stanza three.

Themes

The main themes of this poem are aging and family relationships. The speaker had a strange relationship with her grandmother. As a young girl, she was seemingly put off by her grandmother’s obsessive behavior and dedication to an antique store. The grandmother was using the antiques, or so the speaker believed, to fill a hole in her heart left by the fact that she had no loving partner to care for, or to care for her, in the later years of her life. 

Conclusion 

In Elizabeth Jennings' poem "My Grandmother," the conclusion reflects on the emotional distance and lack of connection between the speaker and her grandmother. The final lines convey a sense of regret and sadness over missed opportunities for closeness. The poem concludes with the speaker's recognition of the grandmother's solitary and materialistic life, highlighting a deep sense of loss and the enduring impact of their estranged relationship. The somber tone emphasizes the enduring loneliness and the unfulfilled bond between them.

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" When We Two Parted" by Lord Byron

Hello readers in this blog I'll be explaining the poem of Lord Byron i.e "When We Two Parted". So let's dive into it....

George Gordon Byron

Whoes time span was from 22 January 1788 to 19 April 1824. He was a British poet and peer. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest of English poets. Among his best-known works are the lengthy narratives Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage; much of his shorter lyrics in Hebrew Melodies also became popular.

His faceted personality found expression in satire, verse narrative, ode, lyric, speculative drama, historical tragedy, confessional poetry, dramatic monologue, seriocomic epic, and voluminous correspondence, written in Spenserian stanzas, heroic couplets, blank verse, terza rima, ottava rima, and vigorous prose.

When we two parted

When we two parted

   In silence and tears,

Half broken-hearted

   To sever for years,

Pale grew thy cheek and cold,

   Colder thy kiss;

Truly that hour foretold

   Sorrow to this.

The dew of the morning

   Sunk chill on my brow— 

It felt like the warning

   Of what I feel now.

Thy vows are all broken,

   And light is thy fame;

I hear thy name spoken,

   And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,

   A knell to mine ear;

A shudder comes o'er me—

   Why wert thou so dear?

They know not I knew thee,

   Who knew thee too well—

Long, long shall I rue thee,

   Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met—

   In silence I grieve,

That thy heart could forget,

   Thy spirit deceive.

If I should meet thee

   After long years,

How should I greet thee?—

   With silence and tears.

Historical Context

‘When We Two Parted’ was written by Lord Byron in 1817, a year after the separation between himself and his wife, and also in the first year of his self-imposed exile from England, where his wife, daughter, lovers, and half-sister lived. If ‘When We Two Parted’ was written about a particular person from Byron’s life, it makes sense to think that it would have been written about his wife, Lady Anne Isabella Noel Byron, or his half-sister, Augusta , both of whom he left behind when he left the country, never to return. Popular belief at the time held that Byron had been involved in a sexual relationship with Augusta, and this may have been the case.

By 1817, Byron had given up all hopes of saving his marriage, writing in a letter to Augusta that he was no longer willing to try, saying that Lady Byron was a fool, and that while he did not hate her, that was all he wished to say. By all accounts, Lord Byron treated his wife very poorly during the year they were married, and so this could be viewed as a poem of regret. When the narrator asks “why wert you so dear?”, this could be Lord Byron realizing too late that his marriage meant more to him than he had believed while he had it.

It seems less likely that this poem may have been written about Augusta Byron, who later married and became Augusta Leigh, but it is possible; if Byron did indeed have a sexual relationship with Augusta, then this poem could be about the betrayal he felt after she married another man. This seems unlikely, however, as Byron continued to correspond with Augusta for years after this poem was written.

Summary 

The idea that the parting of the two left the narrator “half broken-hearted” is another deeply saddening idea, followed by the point that the fullness of separation is a severance that takes and lasts for years.

An element of fate is weaved within the poem, the narrator recalls a time when the two kissed, and the kiss was cold, devoid of emotion, and realizes that the parting of the two was always inevitable; that the moment the warmth left the relationship, the separation and sorrow had been foretold. The poem carries on much like the first, maintaining the soberness of the poem, and continuing the theme of looking back and thinking about the many warning signs throughout the relationship that suggested the parting was doomed to happen one way or the other. 

Saying “the vows are all broken” could be a reference to the promises a typical couple makes to each other, or it could be a more literal vow, a saddening realization that a marriage has ended. The poet suggests that some kind of disloyalty may have been the final break in the relationship; suggesting that there is a shame in the name of the other person, as well as the idea of breaking a marital vow could be a reference to a scandal that involved an affair.

The words of the verses largely speak for themselves, carrying the sorrowful theme of ‘When We Two Parted’ to its close by repeating the earlier theme of silence and tears. We learn that the lovers met in secret and so the narrator must grieve alone, feeling as though they have been forgotten and betrayed by their former lover. They realize that if they were to meet their lover again, there would be nothing to say, and nothing to do except to cry, and that would be all there could ever again be.


Love and Disillusionment

"When We Two Parted" is a bitter poem about the end of a relationship. The speaker addresses the poem to an ex-lover, and so provides insight into the ongoing and shapeshifting the pain of a breakup. Breakups, the poem argues, are not neat endings after which exes simply go their separate ways. Instead, they're often characterized by lingering, complicated pain and anger. 

The poem's main sentiments are disillusionment and frustration as the speaker learns that his beloved has moved on, and even wonders how he ever cared about her so much in the first place. The poem, then, speaks to the sheer messiness of breakups, and also to how quickly lovers perceptions of each other can change when they're no longer together. The poem begins by describing the actual breakup. 

The "broken-hearted" lovers "parted in silence and tears",  indicating the almost physical pain of ending a relationship. But something about the sudden distance between the two lovers, the physical and emotional separation seemed to predict the way that the speaker would come to feel betrayed in later years. For the speaker, this sudden lack of affection foreshadows the even worse pain the lover will cause him in the future. The circumstances of this relationship and the subsequent fallout are not made clear, but the feeling of being let down is definitely present.

The speaker then relates how hearing other people talk about the lover brings him pain. But that's also because of the nature of this rumors, it seems to be gossip of some sort, and it's likely that this gossip relates to a new affair conducted by the speaker's ex. The speaker then wonders, a little meanly perhaps, how he ever held his lover so dear. That is, how could he care so much about someone who seems to have forgotten him and was their love as real as he thought it was in the first place?

It's almost as though, despite the breakup, he wants the ex to remain his (again speaking to the complicated feelings that come with the end of a relationship). Hearing rumors about the lover indicates that she may have moved on: the lover has given her heart to someone else, and in doing so denigrated what she and the speaker had.

It’s also worth noting the poem’s specific context. The poem is thought to have been written about Byron’s relationship with the aristocrat Lady Webster. After their affair ended, Byron heard the rumor that she had also had an affair with the Duke of Wellington, a British military leader who had just defeated Napoleon. It’s thought that Byron felt embittered upon hearing of this other affair, and was thus spurred to write the poem. This would explain some of the references to the speaker hearing the lover's name associated with "shame" and "fame".

Conclusion 

Lord Byron's poem "When We Two Parted" serves as a poignant exploration of the pain and disillusionment that accompany the end of a relationship. Through the lens of personal experience and historical context, we see Byron grappling with the aftermath of separation, reflecting on the betrayal and emotional turmoil that follow. The poem resonates with themes of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotions, reminding us of the enduring impact of past connections and the lingering ache of lost love. Byron's masterful use of language and imagery captures the essence of heartbreak, leaving readers with a profound understanding of the intricacies of human relationships and the enduring power of memory

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Alfred Lord Tennyson “The Charge of the Light Brigade"

Thise is a blog based on some information about the poem of Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Alfred Lord Tennyson 

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson,
Who was bron on 6th August 1809 and died on 6th October 1892, was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his first pieces, "Timbuktu". He published his first solo collection of poems, Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, in 1830. 

Tennyson also excelled at short lyrics, such as "Break, Break, Break", "The Charge of the Light Brigade", "Tears, Idle Tears", and "Crossing the Bar". Much of his verse was based on classical mythological themes, such as "Ulysses". "In Memoriam A.H.H." was written to commemorate his friend Arthur Hallam, a fellow poet and student at Trinity College, Cambridge, after he died of a stroke at the age of 22. Tennyson also wrote some notable blank verse including Idylls of the King, "Ulysses", and "Tithonus". During his career, Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success.

             “The Charge of the Light Brigade” 

Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

   Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns!’ he said:

Into the valley of Death

   Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’

Was there a man dismay’d?

Not tho’ the soldier knew

   Someone had blunder’d:

Their’s not to make reply,

Their’s not to reason why,

Their’s but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

   Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

   Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

   Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their sabres bare,

Flash’d as they turn’d in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging an army, while

   All the world wonder’d:

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right thro’ the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian

Reel’d from the sabre-stroke

Shatter’d and sunder’d.

Then they rode back, but not

   Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

   Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,

While horse and hero fell,

They that had fought so well

Came thro’ the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them,

   Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade ?

O the wild charge they made!

   All the world wonder’d.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

   Noble six hundred!

Overview of the poem

The poem tells the story of a brigade consisting of 600 soldiers who rode on horseback into the valley of death for half a league. They were obeying a command to charge the enemy forces that had been seizing their guns.

Soldiers were discouraged or distressed by the command to charge forward, even though all the soldiers realized that their commander had made a terrible mistake: the role of the soldier is to obey and then too they followed orders and rode into the “valley of death.”


The soldiers attack the enemy gunners with their encased swords and charged at the enemy army. They ordered into the heavy weaponry smoke and broke through the enemy line, destroying their Cossack and Russian opponents. Then they return back from the mission, but they had lost many men so they were “not the six hundred” any more.

As the brigade commanded “back from the mouth of hell,” soldiers and horses collapsed; few remained to make the journey back. The world applaud at the courage of the soldiers; indeed, their glory is undying: the poem states these noble 600 men remain worthy of honor and tribute even today.

Bravery, Duty, and Sacrifice

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” celebrates an act of bravery and sacrifice, a suicidal soldier charge during the Crimean war. Written just six weeks later, Tennyson's poem argues that the willingness of the soldiers to sacrifice themselves without calling their orders into question makes them heroes. The poem thus suggests that heroism isn’t just about bravery but also about duty: being willing to obey orders no matter the cost.

As the speaker makes clear, the soldiers charge is endangered from the start. They are surrounded by enemy guns, Everywhere the soldier looks they are “stormed at with shot and shell.” In other words, they just have swords hardly as powerful or terrifying as the big heavy weapons they’re going up against.


The speaker suggests that the soldier knows that their charge is doomed before they even start but they do it anyway. One might expect the soldier to object to the order, since it is a “blunder” which will get them all killed. But the speaker notes, none of the soldiers are frightened or discouraged. Instead, the speaker stresses that the cavalrymen respect their place with military hierarchy. It’s not their job to come up with orders, but to execute them.

As the poem celebrates this doomed cavalry charge and the “hero[es]” who did it, it is thus celebrating two different things at once. On the one hand, the speaker praises the bravery of the soldiers, their willingness to ride into a terrifying and horrifying battle. On the other, the speaker celebrates their obedience and commitment to military hierarchy, their willingness to execute an order even if they know it's a “blunder.” In this way, the poem suggests that heroism consists of both bravery and adherence to duty at once. And it subtly suggests that the blame for this military disaster does not lie with the soldiers themselves: they were exemplary soldiers.

Instead, the blame rests with the commanders who sent them on a suicidal mission. Though Tennyson himself supported the Crimean War, the poem might encourage readers to question the military leaders responsible for such a waste of life. But whether the reader leaves the poem in favor of the war or against it, the poem is more concerned with praising the soldiers themselves: celebrating their sacrifice, their bravery, and their commitment to their country.

Conclusion 

Alfred Lord Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" immortalizes the bravery, duty, and sacrifice of the soldiers who rode into the valley of death during the Crimean War. The poem not only celebrates their courage in the face of overwhelming odds but also emphasizes their obedience to orders, highlighting the complex nature of heroism. While acknowledging the tragedy of the soldiers' fate, Tennyson's poem ultimately pays tribute to their unwavering commitment to their country. Through its vivid imagery and powerful themes, "The Charge of the Light Brigade" continues to captivate readers and inspire reflection on the nature of warfare, leadership, and the human spirit.

Here below I'm attaching one video which would help you in understanding more about this poem.

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