A Wife In London Thomas Hardy Starter Fill

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A Wife In London Thomas Hardy

A Wife In London Thomas Hardy

Starter: Fill in the missing punctuation Thomas Hardy born 2 June 1840 and died

Starter: Fill in the missing punctuation Thomas Hardy born 2 June 1840 and died 11 January 1928 was an English novelist and poet he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism especially William Wordsworth he was highly critical of much in Victorian society While Hardy wrote poetry throughout his life and saw himself mainly as a poet his first collection was not published until 1898 initially therefore he gained fame as the author of novels including Far from the Madding Crowd 1874 The Mayor of Casterbridge 1886 Tess of the d'Urbervilles 1891 and Jude the Obscure 1895 Hardy's poetry though prolific was not as well received during his lifetime it was rediscovered in the 1950 s, when Hardy's poetry had an important influence on other British writers like Phillip Larkin

Unseen Poetry & Poetry Anthology • These will form 2 separate parts of your

Unseen Poetry & Poetry Anthology • These will form 2 separate parts of your exams. • The skills are exactly the same, except with the anthology poems you will know the background and context, where as with the unseen poems you will not have any previous knowledge or info. • Therefore we need to continue developing your skills and ability to discuss poems without any context.

10 M 1 cover Divide your A 4 paper into 4. For every poem

10 M 1 cover Divide your A 4 paper into 4. For every poem we have studied from the anthology, pick four key quotes and explode them on the paper. This can be used for revision. Any problems please see KRb.

A Wife In London Tackle the poem in the same the way: • Read

A Wife In London Tackle the poem in the same the way: • Read it through twice. • Look at the different key aspects from the following slide. • Let’s do this briefly now, recording your thoughts on your whiteboard/exercise book. • Be ready to feedback in 10 minutes. • Don’t be afraid of being incorrect: try and look for anything symbolic and try to make sensible interpretations.

Tackle every poem in a similar way… • Content/Title: What is it about? •

Tackle every poem in a similar way… • Content/Title: What is it about? • Purpose/message: Why has it been written? What does the poet want you to think about? • Mood/tone: What is the atmosphere of the poem? How does it make you feel? • Structure/style: How does it begin? Is there a rhyme scheme? What could this represent? What style is it written in? How does it end? • Language/imagery: Which 3 quotes could you write about? Any powerful, interesting, unusual phrases/words? Which techniques are used? What is the effect?

Content/Title/Subtitle?

Content/Title/Subtitle?

Content • The poem tells the story of a young woman awaiting news from

Content • The poem tells the story of a young woman awaiting news from her husband. • He is a soldier the Boer war (fought in South Africa- where South African farmers rebelled against the British who occupied the territory. Many young British men were sent to fight and thousands were killed. 18991902) • An officer arrives with a brief message from the military declaring the husband killed in action. • The wife is obviously devastated by this tragic news. • The irony arrives the following day. It is equally foggy and gloomy when the postman brings a letter, sent by the husband before he was killed. In it he talks of the future and his excitement of being reunited with his wife. This adds to the somber tone, giving a the poem a further sad twist.

Stanza 1 I--The Tragedy • What does tragedy mean? She sits in the tawny

Stanza 1 I--The Tragedy • What does tragedy mean? She sits in the tawny vapour • Mood/Tone? That the City lanes have uprolled, • Which words create the Behind whose webby fold on atmosphere? fold Like a waning taper The street-lamp glimmers cold. • What does the fog symbolize? • ‘The waning taper’ is the candle slowly burning out. What does this represent? • ‘glimmers cold’ suggests?

Stanza 2 A messenger's knock cracks smartly, Flashed news is in her hand Of

Stanza 2 A messenger's knock cracks smartly, Flashed news is in her hand Of meaning it dazes to understand Though shaped so shortly: He--has fallen--in the far South Land. . . • How does the pace change here? • Which key words help create feeling here? • How does the wife feel? Which words reveal this? • What is happening? What clues does Hardy give us? • What do you notice about the two types of punctuation in the last line? What does this imply about the reading of the message?

Stanza 3 II--The Irony • How is the poem structured? Stanzas? Sections/parts? 'Tis the

Stanza 3 II--The Irony • How is the poem structured? Stanzas? Sections/parts? 'Tis the morrow; the fog hangs thicker, • How does this contribute to the The postman nears and goes: meaning of the poem overall? A letter is brought whose lines disclose • Why does he use subtitles? By the firelight flicker His hand, whom the worm now knows: • What does ‘irony’ mean? • Why is the fog ‘thicker’? • What does the last line imply?

Stanza 4 Fresh--firm--penned in highest feather Page-full of his hoped return, And of home-planned

Stanza 4 Fresh--firm--penned in highest feather Page-full of his hoped return, And of home-planned jaunts by brake and burn In the summer weather, And of new love that they would learn. • What is ironic in his ‘Fresh-firm’ hand writing? • What type of language is used here? What is the tone of the husband’s letter? • How does this affect the reader? • What is Hardy’s message? Purpose in writing the poem?

Structure • The two sections create a sense of time for the reader. •

Structure • The two sections create a sense of time for the reader. • The first part tells of the arrival of the official message. The second part creates the tragic sense of coincidence with husband’s letter delivered after his untimely death. Rhyme & Rhythm • Stanza 1: ABBAB • Stanza 2: CDDCD • Stanza 3: EFFEF • Stanza 4: GHHGH The rhyme is regular but the rhythm or meter is inconsistent. It does not have a ‘sing song’ quality about it. It sounds uneven. It emphasizes the bleak tone of the events.

Plenary What are the most important symbols in the poem, in your opinion?

Plenary What are the most important symbols in the poem, in your opinion?

Imagery, symbols, language use… • Weather is used to enhance the mood and emotion

Imagery, symbols, language use… • Weather is used to enhance the mood and emotion of the poem. • The symbols of fading light and gathering darkness create a sense of mourning and sadness. • The contrast of the sad mood with the hopeful tone of the husband’s own letter provide the tragic irony.