This week I will be doing a literary analysis of barbauld which includes both of her poems “a little invisible being who is expected soon to become visible” and "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven". The literary devices she uses in both of her poems are imagery, symbolism, and you could say it has a bit of a tone. she uses imagery a lot in her all throughout both of her poems when she talks about the excitement and anticipation of the child she about to give birth to. Here is one of the sections that show her imagery "And see, the genial season's warmth to share, Fresh younglings shoot, and opening roses glow!
Swarms of new life exulting fill the air,— Haste, infant bud of being, haste to blow! (line 9-12)". She uses symbolism in a way that is not so straightforward like in the poem she talks about her baby and does not say whether it is a boy or girl more from the point of view of it being a human being. She also seems to me to be talking about equailty for men and women. Also her tone did not come off as an aggressive one but more of a relaxed and calm kind of way she expessed herself. The theme i belive she wanted to point out to us was equality and agure to say war is a bad thing. I think it works pretty good if you read a little invisable a couple of time to see her view on equailty but her view on war was pretty straight forward to see. It made it much better to understand if you read some background information on barbauld. This was a time period were women did not have any rights or say in society. This is why she was a feminist because she want to do something that women of her time noramlly didnt do because they usually stuck to traditional norm. What I choose show a lot about her that she want to be heard and listen on matter of society just like any man was.
Hi Timothy! Your analysis of these poems are great! And I liked how you found the imagery and symbolism in them. The imagery and the quote you used definitely compliment each other in the sense that the quote gives that sense of excitement for a new child to be born and also seems to compare it it to that of a blooming rose and how that open rose just glows! I wonder, in relation to the symbolism, why she doesn't necessarily say whether the baby is a boy or a girl - why do you think the writer does this? Is it to create suspense? Or the mother just happy that the baby is just that - a human being - who is alive, happy and healthy? Or does it even matter at all if the baby is a boy or girl - and that the point is that life is a beautiful thing, glowing, "swarms of new life exulting fill the air..."? I enjoyed reading your analysis and perspective on these poems - I got lots of insight!
ReplyDeleteHey Timothy,
ReplyDeleteYour analysis here has some great points to it about Barbauld's poem about the unborn child. I can agree with you in the sense that both poems do use imagery, especially 1811. I also agree on and like how you brought attention to her tone in the poem about the baby because I actually get a feel of calmness from her when I read it. I think you should work a little on keeping a main point and building a great structure from that so your analysis doesn't seem so jumpy.