Notesale: Turn your study into money

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Browning  
The  Patriot  
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ABAB  rhyme  
Lyrical,  musical  rhythm  
Dramatic  monologue  
Patriot  –  showing  love  for  country,  dedication  
Roses  repetition  –  emphasises  happy  mood  
Split  into  six  stanzas  of  five  lines  each  
Poem  starts  of  happy  and  light  hearted,  however,  the  tone  of  poem  changes  in  
the  second  half  
Reference  to  Icarus  –  too  confident    
The  patriot  is  egotistical,  confident  and  aware  of  his  greatness  at  the  start  
Use  of  caesura  –  hesitancy  of  speech  
Pathetic  fallacy  –  recurring  theme  in  Browning’s  poems  
Triumphs  –  Roman  idea  when  people  return    

My  Last  Duchess  
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Ferrara  –  place  in  Italy    
Very  possessive  and  unsettling  tone  
Thinks  that  his  wife  is  cheating  on  him  from  a  “glance”  –  looking  seductively  at  
the  viewer  
She  blushes  a  lot  –  the  Duke  believes  that  she  is  too  easily  impressed?  
o In  the  painting  she  is  blushing,  perhaps  the  Painter  revealed  her  wrist?  
1  continuous  stanza  showing  his  confident  and  unbroken  speech  
His  wife  is  too  easily  impressed  –  he  sees  this  as  a  fault  as  she  needs  to  be  more  
regal  and  aloof  like  him  
He  feels  that  she  should  appreciate  him  more  than  others  
The  Duke  is  falsely  modest  –  he  claims  that  he  has  no  skill  in  speech,  however,  
the  structure  of  the  poem  proves  this  to  be  wrong  –  If  he  could  communicate  well  
then  he  would  tell  her  how  disgusted  he  is  with  her,  and  she  may  have  listened,  
however  it  is  beneath  him  to  teach  her  
Quickly  sinister  turn  to  the  poem  
He  wants  to  marry  the  man’s  boss’  daughter  that  he  is  telling  this  to  
Tries  to  tame  a  seahorse  like  he  tries  to  tame  is  wife  
Is  this  a  warning?  Browning  shows  men’s  attitude  to  women  

The  Pied  Piper  
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Ballad  –  story  told  in  verse  –  have  moral    
Stanza  1  and  2  set  the  scene  
There  is  an  erratic  rhyme  scheme  making  it  unpredictable,  chaotic    

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Political  poem  –  the  mayor  and  correspondence  are  presented  as  greedy  and  
selfish,  much  like  politicians  today  
Piper’s  “sharp  blue  eyes”  contrast  with  the  Mayor’s  dry  eyes  
Is  the  Piper  aware  that  he  is  going  to  be  deceived?  
VII  –  rhyme  becomes  more  condensed  
The  mayor  and  correspondence  go  back  on  their  word  
They  mock  the  Piper  when  he  confronts  them  
Highlights  the  importance  of  keeping  promises  –  a  child’s  moral  
Is  the  Pied  Piper  fair?  
Supernatural  theme  that  relates  to  The  Rime  of  the  Ancient  Mariner  
Reference  to  God  
The  Mayor  places  money  before  the  children  
The  text  referenced  in  XIV  refers  to  a  bible  story,  saying  that  rich  people  don’t  
often  get  into  heaven  
The  Mayor  tries  somewhat  to  redeem  himself  –  creates  laws  so  that  people  never  
forget  what  happened  –  theme  of  redemption  links  to  Kite  Runner  and  the  Rime  
of  the  Ancient  Mariner  
Kids  ended  up  in  Transylvania  
XV  –  moral:  keep  your  promises  

Porphyria’s  Lover  
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Iambic  tetrameter  
Regular,  asymmetric  rhyme  –  calculated  and  psychopathic?  Reflecting  the  
narrator’s  unbalanced  mind  
Weather  –  Porphyria  has  some  control  over  the  weather?  
She  is  clearly  upper  class  
She’s  rich  –  gay  feast  
She  won’t  commit  to  him  –  does  she  fear  him?  Does  she  not  want  to  leave  her  
rich  lifestyle  behind  for  him?  
Line  31  –  narrator’s  first  action  
Synecdoche  –  her  blue  eyes  represent  her  as  a  whole  
He  only  loves  her  when  she’s  dead  
Theme:  power  –  initially  Porphyria  is  in  control,  however,  after  the  murder  she  is  
reduced  to  an  object  –  assertion  of  power  is  killing  her  
He  isn’t  content  with  them  being  equals  –  he  wants  total  control  
He  makes  Porphyria  more  passive  than  he  originally  was  
Porphyria  is  meant  to  be  passive  –  gender  roles,  however,  she  is  very  forward,  
which  threatens  his  masculinity  
All  or  nothing  –  he  MUST  be  dominant  
Society  and  class  –  Links  to  kite  runner  
Porphyria  is  a  higher  social  class,  so  has  a  reluctance  to  commit  
Death  is  a  social  leveller  –  there  are  no  classes  amongst  the  dead  
He  may  fear  her  leaving  him  as  she  is  powerful  
To  Victorian  audiences  –  she  would  have  been  a  wanton  
Symbolism  –  hair  

  

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Yellow,  blonde  hair  
Women  who  have  sex  outside  of  marriage  =  fallen  woman  
Blonde  –  angelic  puruty  
No  direct  dialogue  from  Porphyria  
‘God  has  not  said  a  word!’  is  he  mocking  God?  

The  Laboratory  
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ABAB  rhyme  
Sing  song,  however  sinister    
Begins  the  poem  addressing  the  chemist  respectfully  
Quickly  becomes  apparent  that  she’s  fuckin  nuts  
Uses  imperatives  
Becomes  inquisitive  about  the  chemicals  –  unhealthy  interest  
Wants  to  kill  the  woman  her  husband  cheated  on  her  with    
People  laugh  at  her,  they  think  she  is  praying  but  she  plots  her  death  
She  describes  the  potions  etc  as  treasures    
Obsessive  
Themes:  
o Confusion  and  paranoia    
o Colours  
o Death  
o Love  
o Hate  
o Envy  



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