SAMPLE ANSWERS - CRITICISM M.A. English Part 2 UOS

(a) There be none of Beauty's ..... swell of summer's ocean.

1. Introduction

(i) Title: There be None of Beauty's Daughters / Stanzas for Music

(ii) Poet: Lord Byron (1788-1824)

(iii) Poetic Genre: Lyrical poem

(iv) Rhyme Scheme: ABABCCDD/ABABCCDD

(v) Meter Check: Iambic tetrameters and iambic trimeters.

(vi) Theme: Magic of Beauty and power of music

(vii) Tone: Expressive adoring beauty.

(viii) Personification: Beauty, ocean, moon, wind

2. Lines 1-2

There be none of Beauty's daughters

With a magic like thee;

     In these lines Beauty has been personified. Beauty is a female and has many children. All her children are also female i.e. daughters. These daughters are all beautiful women. There is no match of these beautiful women in this world. This Beauty can also be a reference to Helen of Troy in Greek mythology who was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. But Helen of Troy had only one daughter, Hermoine.  Moreover, Beauty is like magic: Beauty has the power of influencing others by using mysterious forces. Beauty's magic is superior to all other magic arts because Beauty's charms and spells are the most powerful. 

3. Lines 3-4

And like music on the waters

Is thy sweet voice to me:

     These lines describe the personified Beauty as a soprano. She has a very musical, melodious and symphonic voice. Her voice has been compared with the musical sound of the waves of waters. "Waters" here means ocean. It is a powerful imagery. "Beauty like waters" is a perfect simile because water is a standard female symbol in literature. The speaker is mesmerized with the "sweet voice" of Beauty. Beauty here can also be a reference to Minerva, a virgin goddess of music. However, the personified Beauty is not virgin. She has many daughters. 

4. Lines 5-6

When, as if its sound were causing

The charmed ocean's pausing,

     These lines describe the power of the sound of personified Beauty. The sound of Beauty is so robust, prevailing and dominant that it causes the waves of the charmed ocean to pause. The word "charmed" suggests that the waves of ocean are under the magical spell of Beauty. However, this spell is not everlasting because "pause" is a temporary stop in action. Thus Beauty is a mermaid who controls the ocean by the powerful sound of her voice. In short, "when" Beauty sings, it causes to pause all other music in the world. 

5. Lines 7-8

The waves lie still and gleaming,

And the lull'd winds seem dreaming:

     These lines are merely overwritten extensions of an already trite theme - the power of the sound of personified Beauty. The waves of ocean and winds of air are hypnotized by the magical sound of Beauty. The waves of ocean become motionless and gleaming. The winds go to sleep and seem dreaming. "Winds" have been personified here because sleeping and dreaming are human attributes. In short, the sounds of waves and winds cease to sing and become the obedient audience of the powerful and magical voice of Beauty. 

6. Lines 9-10

And the midnight moon is weaving

Her bright chain o'er the deep,

     These lines describe that the moon is also under the spell of the magical voice of Beauty. The word "midnight" highlights the atmosphere of calm, peace and quiet. Moon has been personified as a woman who is weaving. In many myths, the moon is depicted as a gigantic spider which weaves the thread of each man's destiny. Moreover, there is a myth of an old woman weaving at moon. This old woman spends her time weaving a never-ending garment. However, here the moon is weaving "her bright chain". It is, in fact, a crater chain - a roughly circular depression on the surface of ocean. The moon is weaving this depression from bottom to top. 

7. Lines 11-12

Whose breast is gently heaving

As an infant's asleep:

      These lines portray sexual and angelic imagery. The ocean has been personified as a female. Her "breast" is an example of sexual imagery. The words "gently heaving" enhance the impact of sexual imagery. Under the influence of the magical voice of Beauty, the ocean raises her breast in an amiable and tender motion or as an infant's asleep. "As an infant's asleep" is a simile and an other imagery. Infants don't sleep as deeply as adults. Thus the charm of the voice of Beauty on the ocean is temporary. In short, the comparison of ocean's heaving to an infant's sleep suggests that ocean is innocent and guilt free because it is a part of nature and beauty. 

8. Lines 13-14

So the spirit bows before thee

To listen and adore thee;

     These lines recapitulate the power of the voice of Beauty. The spirit of ocean, wind, moon and the speaker all bow in submission before Beauty.  "Bows before" is an example of alliteration. When Beauty sings, the waves of ocean pause, the winds go to sleep and seem dreaming, the moon starts weaving. These natural objects and phenomena do so just to listen and adore the melodious voice of Beauty. "And adore" is an other example of alliteration. The speaker's spirit is also showing adoration for the magical voice of Beauty. 

9. Lines 15-16

With a full but soft emotion,

Like the swell of summer's ocean. 

     These lines describe how do others applause the voice of Beauty. The spirit of ocean, wind, moon and the speaker adore the voice of Beauty "with a full but soft emotion". "Full" means that they are praising the Beauty's voice as much as possible and "soft emotion" suggests they are admiring the Beauty's voice with love, affection and devotion. The poem comes to its climax at "swell". Swell is a gradual increase in amount, intensity, or volume. Swell is also a sexual imagery. It is a point at which the sibilance of "summer's ocean" offers a gentle release. 

10. Conclusion

     The poem is couched in feminine references and is most conveniently discussed as a love lyric to a woman. However, there is no physical dimension to the love articulated in the poem. It is famous for its gentle rhythm and the softness of its imagery -- the quiet tone of the poem creates a tranquil sense of peace, whilst the rhythm lulls the reader with its ebb and flow, as if the poem itself has breath of its own. It is written to be set to music, and its musical qualities have bearing upon its theme and structure. In short, the poem is a clever way of intermingling two of the greatest pleasures in life: love and music. With its gleaming waters, dreaming winds, weaving moon, and heaving breast, it is a truly magical poem. 

(b) Bright Star! Would I ..... else swoon to death.

1. Introduction

(i) Title: Bright Star! Would I were Stedfast as Thou Art / Keats's Last Sonnet
(ii) Poet: John Keats (1795 - 1821)
(iii) Date of Composition: 1819 and revised in 1820
(iv) Collection: Joseph Severn's Copy of "The Poetical Works of William Shakespeare"
(v) Poetic Genre: Shakespearean Sonnet
(vi) Setting: The time is night. North Star hints that the speaker is somewhere far from home, may be at sea.
(vii) Speaker: John Keats
(viii) Addressee: Bright Star and Fanny Brawne

2. Lines 1-2

Bright star! Would I were stedfast as thou art --

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,

     In these lines the speaker wishes to be steadfast as the "Bright Star", but does not wish to be alone like this star. The word "stedfast" suggests that he is talking to the North Star, also known as Polaris, which is the only star that remains motionless in the sky. However, the speaker immediately realizes that steadfastness cannot be achieved by a human in this world of change and flux. So he asserts a negative "Not". He points out the star's splendour and isolation in the night. In fact, the speaker does not want to lead a life of  "splendour" in loneliness and isolation. 

3. Lines 3-4

And watching, with eternal lids apart,

Like Nature's patient sleepless Eremite,

     These line emphasize the star's loneliness and motionlessness. The star keeps an eye on stuff. It spends its time watching with "eternal lids". "Eternal lids" is a transferred epithet. So, the idea is that, not only does the star watch things and keep its eyelids open, but it does so eternally. "Patient" and "sleepless" are both adjectives modifying "Eremite"; a religious hermit who has retired into a solitary life. The star's sleeplessness is a part of the characterization of the star's non-humanness, which makes it an impossible goal for a human being to aspire to. In short, the comparison of the star with an Eremite is a good simile. 

4. Lines 5-6

The moving waters at their priestlike task

Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
    The star observes that the waters of the earth are engaged in a "priestlike task" of ablution. There is movement, aliveness and spiritually on the earth. The meaning of "ablution" here is of ritual cleansing. Thus it matches up pretty well with the idea of "priestlike" quality of the waters' task. "Earth's human shores" means that human activity has stretched all over the globe; the shores of a continent of land are the edges of human life. In short, the speaker knows that he is subsequent to change and needs something to return to his pure state. 

5. Lines 7-8

Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask

Of snow upon the mountains and the moors --
     These lines describe snow as being a mask that hides the ugliness of the mountains and moors. The star is gazing on the "masque of snow". "Masque" here is just an old-fashioned, slightly way of spelling "mask". However, this mask is not a real mask, but instead a metaphorical mask. Literally speaking, the star is gazing on a layer of "new" and "soft" snow falling upon "the mountains and the moors". "Moor" is a barren, lonely, uninhabited place. And so are mountains, usually . Thus beauty (the snow) is found in diverse places on earth. In short, we get a chilly feeling from these lines. 

6. Lines 9-10

No -- yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,

Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,

     These lines show the real intent of the poem. The "No" at the beginning is like an exclamation, the speaker's final comment on everything that has come before. "Still" is an old-fashioned way of saying "always". So the idea is that the speaker will be "always steadfast, always unchangeable". He would love to be as "stedfast" as the star, but he is not jazzed about sitting up in the high heavens taking in all those dreary sights. Instead, he would like to be just as "stedfast" in resting his head on his girlfriend's "ripening breast". "Ripening" here means that the speaker's girlfriend is still fairly young and so is still in the process of "filling out". 

7. Lines 11-12

To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

     These lines describe the speaker's desire, in which his lover be alive for eternity. While resting his head on his girlfriend's breast, the speaker wants to feel her breathing. "For ever" emphasizes the main aspect of the star's existence the speaker likes to have: its permanence. "Soft" intensifies the sensuality introduced with "pillow'd". The speaker spins out his description of what he likes to do even further. Even though he is resting his face on his girlfriend's breast like a pillow, he does not want to fall asleep there and miss out on all the action. Instead, he wants to remain awake forever. "Sweet unrest" is an oxymoron and a typical Keatsian paradox. 

8. Lines 13-14

Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,

And so live ever --- or else swoon to death.

     In these lines the speaker says that if he cannot hear his lover breathe, he will welcome his own death with no regrets. Repetition of "still" suggests that the speaker wants to do the same thing forever and ever for the rest of all eternity. "Breath" is flux, and "tender" makes it positive. "Ever" emphasizes the eternity of love, passion and sensuality. In a swift reversal, the speaker accepts the possibility of dying from pleasure. "Swoon" has sexual overtones and "death" carries a great deal of weight in the final effect and meaning of the poem. In short, these lines portray the speaker's feelings towards life where death brings no fear and life means nothing without his lover. 

9. Literary Devices

(i) Rhyme Scheme: ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG
(ii) Meter Check: Iambic pentameter
(iii) Alliteration: "the mountains and the moors", "still steadfast, still unchangeable", "soft fall and swell", still, still to hear her tender-taken breath", "so live ever ---or else".
(iv) Symbols: Bright Star (eternity, isolation), Eremite (isolation), pillow (comfort), ripening breast (growth, warmth) 
(v) Personification: The Star (it is watching and gazing) and waters (they are engaged in the task of ablution)
(vi) Tone: Sad and depressed
(vii) Imagery: Bright Star, moving waters, earth's human shores, mask of snow upon the mountains and the moors, love's ripening breast.
(viii) Themes: Love, death, time, loneliness, change and transformation, man and the natural world, art and experience.

10. Conclusion

     The sonnet shows the speaker's infatuation to be with his lover for eternity. He aspires to the fixed and ethereal beauty of the Star, yet is aware of its limitations: though bright, steadfast and splendid, it is at the same time solitary and non-human. The human heart can never be tranquil like the star, for human emotions know the conflict of joy and pain. The speaker tends to dip into mystic and unexplained phenomena in the universe to describe his feelings. This is probably due to the fact that his earthly human self is on the verge towards death and his spiritual side is fully alive. In short, Keats, like Shakespeare, has combined a brilliant poetic mind with deep insight into human emotions and experiences. Thus the poem is a powerful meditation on love, death, time, and nature. 

Answer the following questions. 

(i) What is literary criticism?
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(ii) What does Plato say about poetry?
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(iii) The subject of 'Republic' is politics. Comment.
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(iv) What does 'Poetics' deal with?
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(v) How does Aristotle define poetry?
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(vi) In what three ways does Aristotle differentiate various art forms from one another?
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(vii) What is the difference between epic poetry and tragedy?
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(viii) Why does Aristotle value Homer so highly as a poet in 'Poetics'?
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(ix) How does Aristotle define 'the universal'?
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(x) What are the three meanings of imitation?
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(xi) Define the term 'mock epic'.
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(xii) What is the main difference between poetry and history?
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(xiii) What are the six parts every tragedy must have? Which, according to Aristotle, is the most important?
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(xiv) What, according to Aristotle, is the primary purpose of tragedy?
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(xv) What is the place of cathersis in tragedy? 
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(a) 'Nature' is what we see ...... to her Simplicity.

1. Introduction

(i) Title:

(ii) Poet:

(iii)

2. Lines 1-2
'Nature' is what we see --
The Hill -- the Afternoon --

3. Lines 3-4

Squirrel -- Eclipse -- the Bumble bee --

Nay -- Nature is Heaven --

4. Lines 5-6

Nature is what we hear --

The Bobolink -- the Sea --

5. Lines 7-8

Thunder -- the Cricket --

Nay -- Nature is Harmony --

6. Lines 9-10

Nature is what we know --

Yet have no art to say --

7. Lines 11-12

So impotent Our Wisdom is

To her Simplicity.

(b) Where had I heard this wind ...... no one left but God.

1. Introduction
(i) Title:
(ii) Poet:
(iii)
2. Lines 1-2
Where had I heard this wind before
Change like this to a deeper roar?

3. Lines 3-4
What would it take my standing there for,
Holding open a restive door,

4. Lines 5-6
Looking down hill to a frothy shore?
Summer was past and the day was past.

5. Lines 7-8
Sombre clouds in the west were massed.
Out on the porch's sagging floor,

6. Lines 9-10
Leaves got up in a coil and hissed,
Blindly struck at my knee and missed.

7. Lines 11-12
Something sinister in the tone
Told me my secret must be known.

8. Lines 13-14
Word I was in the house alone
Somehow must have gotten abroad,

9. Lines 15-16
Word I was in my life alone,
Word I had no one left but God.