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ENG 242 Roadmap: Week 8
This week concludes Module 3: The 17th Century (1603-1660), Part 2. We will have
spent 2 weeks in this part of the module.
This document has 4 sections:
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•
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Overview
Readings
Resources
Responsibilities
You can either do the Readings first, or look at the Resources first to give you some
background and then do the readings.
Notes:
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•
Anything you see below in blue and underlined is a hyperlink. You need to
download the document to be able to link from it.
This week, we will take the same approach as last week, analyzing poetry of the
era through ART WARS. If you need to review the video that explains the
concept, please visit:
How to analyze a poem you have never seen before – YouTube
Overview
The dominant writer of the early 17th Century is John Milton, whom many critics say is
the English language’s second greatest poet (next to Shakespeare). His masterpiece is
an epic poem called Paradise Lost, which is his retelling through poetry of the Christian
story of Adam and Eve, and how they lost Paradise. His goal, as he says in the first
book of the poem, is “to justify the ways of God to men” (l. 26).
Much of the imagery Christians have of Satan comes not from the Bible but from John
Milton. The Bible doesn’t have much to say about Satan at all. Milton makes him a
central character in his story. Readers are enthralled with Satan’s impressive rhetoric
and beautiful poetry. An old movie you might sometimes come across on television is
The Devil’s Advocate with Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino. It’s a 90s movie, but borrows
heavily from Paradise Lost. The character Al Pacino plays is called John Milton (nudge
nudge, wink wink).
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Paradise Lost is a difficult read, even for graduate student pursuing advanced degrees
in English. Still, I want you simply to familiarize yourselves with this epic poem.
I will also ask you to read some shorter poems, typical of the era, this week.
Readings
1. Mary Wroth
a. Sonnet 16 You will see the original, plus modernizations. Go with the most
recent modernization, to the far right. (NAEL, 722)
b. Sonnet 74: Song (NAEL, 723-724)
2. Robert Herrick
a. The Vine (NAEL, 740-741)
b. To The Virgins, to Make Much of Time (NAEL, 743)
3. Richard Lovelace
a. To Lucasta, Going to the Wars (NAEL, 744)
b. To Althea, from Prison (NAEL, 745)
4. Katherine Philips
a. A Married State (NAEL, 746-747)
b. Epitaph: On Hector Philips (NAEL, 749)
5. Andrew Marvell
a. To his Coy Mistress (NAEL, 751-752)
b. The Mower’s Song (NAEL, 755-756)
6. Paradise Lost Study Guide This is a huge resource, but you’re required only to
look through some of it. You will see different links at the bottom of the webpage.
Be sure to read Overview. Then click the link to its right, Poem. Go to the third
link on that page, Paradise Lost: In Plain English. You then get a list of sample
pages you can click on to see different parts of the poem. In my f2f class we read
Book 1 (Satan wakes up in Hell), but you may choose any link you want. I just
want you to get a feel for the sound of the poem. Feel free also to browse other
parts of the site if you are intrigued. (NAEL, 799-929)
Resources
Here are some Resources you might find useful:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
“The Vine” by Robert Herrick (poetry reading) – YouTube
To the Virgins, to Make Much Time by: Robert Herrick – YouTube
To Lucasta on Going to the Wars – YouTube
“To Althea, from Prison” by Richard Lovelace – YouTube
To His Coy Mistress – YouTube
Paradise Lost summary – YouTube
7. Paradise Lost by John Milton (read by Tom O’Bedlam) – YouTube (some of Book 1)
Responsibilities
1. Module 3 Quiz (Check Course Calendar for deadline.)
2. Weekly Discussion Forum (20 points)
See next page.
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Week 8 Discussion Post
Before making your choice on which poem you want to analyze, make sure you
remember or review the YouTube video on how to analyze a poem you have never
seen before (link on p. 1).
Next, decide which poem you want to do for your analysis (see p. 2). You may also
choose 10-15 lines from a section of Paradise Lost you would like to analyze. Only
3 students may choose the same poem for their major analysis. Be sure to
check Discussions as soon as you think you know which poem you want to
analyze. If you want to make sure you get your first choice, leave a message stating
you will be working with that poem. You can always go back and edit the post later.
Be sure to put your poem’s title in your Subject line.
Once you have chosen which poem you want to analyze, do the following:
1. Paraphrase the poem line by line (Exception: if you have chosen Lovelace’s
To Althea, From Prison, Marvell’s To His Coy Mistress, or Marvell’s The
Mower’s Song, you may paraphrase every 3-4 lines or every stanza).
2. Using ART WARS, tell what the poem is about (A).
3. Using the remaining elements of ART WARS, choose 3 of the 6 to comment
on:
• Repeated themes/ideas
• Tone
• Words
• Alliteration
• Rhyme/Rhythm
• Structure
Don’t just say “I see alliteration here” or “These words rhyme”, but be sure to
explain what effect these elements have on the poem overall. Try at least 1
new element you did not use last week!
4. Tell us why you chose this poem to analyze. How did it speak to you?
5. Create a question to ask the class about your poem. “You” questions can
work very well.
Student A:
1.“A Married State”
By: Katherine Philips
The original is in black, and my paraphrasing is in red and is italicized.
A married state affords but little ease
Being married is not easy
The best of husbands are so hard to please.
Even the best husbands are very hard to make happy.
This in wives’ careful faces you may spell
Wives’ careful faces may trick you
Though they dissemble their misfortunes well.
Though they hide their disappointment well.
A virgin state is crowned with much content;
Being unmarried is very satisfying
It’s always happy as it’s innocent.
It is always happy and innocent.
No blustering husbands to create your fears;
No aggressive husbands to make you fear
No pangs of childbirth to extort your tears;
No pain from childbirth to make you cry;
No children’s cries for to offend your ears;
No whining children to listen too;
Few worldly crosses to distract your prayers:
No world cares to distract your praying
Thus are you freed from all the cares that do
Being single you have freedom from
Attend on matrimony and a husband too.
all that comes from being married and having a husband.
Therefore Madam, be advised by me
Therefore unmarried ladies, please listen to me
Turn, turn apostate to love’s levity,
turn away form love and marriage
Suppress wild nature if she dare rebel.
Don’t be tempted to give in to your hormones
There’s no such thing as leading apes in hell.
Don’t make marriage be hell on earth for you.
2. ARTWARS: About
This poem is all about how awful marriage is! (well according to Katherine Philips).
The author begins with explaining marriage is not easy, and even good husbands are
hard to be with. She tries to warn single women of the horrors that come with
marriage. This includes “blustering” husbands, painful childbirth, and crying children.
The speaker also tries to encourage young unmarried women to stay single! She
basically says that they will be better off unwed. She proclaims that you have much
more freedom and a overall happier life, if you remain single
3. ARTWARS:
Repeated themes/ideas:
A major repeated theme throughout this poem is marriage! It is kind of obvious by
the title, A Married State, that this poem will have something to do about marriage.
This is refreshing because most poems from this time period and today have titles
that do not directly relate to the content; such as the poem I chose to discuss last
week, My Picture Left in Scotland, which did not refer to Scotland whatsoever! This
poem by Katherine Philips was very unique; it was not all about love and the great
things that come form marriage. Rather, this poem discussed all thel horrible things
that come with marriage. She even tried to warn unmarried women to stay single
and run for the hills! If you had two words to summarize the themes in this poem
they would be, bad marriage.
Words:
Some words that stood out to me in this poem were: misfortunes, fears, rebel,
dissemble, pangs, and cries. These are not the typical words that are used to
describe marriage. Reading these words on their own and then finding out that they
came from a 17th century poem about marriage would make anyone intrigued and
want to read this atypical poem. When we read poems about marriage or “love”
from this time period we typically think it will be sappy and warm. This is definitely
not the case in this poem. Today a women writing about the horrors of marriage
would probably not make people upset or outraged. In the 17th century I am sure
this was a different story; women who were writing poems was a new concept. So
for a woman poet to outright bash marriage and husbands was pretty daring and
bold. It is an important lesson. The words that we use make an impact, some are
even passed down through history. I am sure Katherine Philips did not think that
someone more than 400 years later would be analyzing her work.
Rhyme/rhythm:
There are a lot of words that rhyme in this poem. For example, ease & please, spell &
well, fears, tears, & ears. The word that was placed at the end of the line, typically
rhymed with the word at the end of the next line. There was more of a pattern in
this poem of words that rhymed, I believe it made the poem flows much better,
without being “cheesy.” I personally like when poems rhyme, when they are done in
a sophisticated way. I believe it makes the poem easier to read because it flows so
much nicer and ties it together.
4. I chose this poem because it was so unlike anything else I have read form this time
period. It was not your typical love poem. I knew once I looked at the readings for
this week I wanted to discuss a poem written by a woman. So when I started reading
Katherine’s work, I knew I wanted to discuss one of her poems. Both of her pieces
drew me in, she went through losing a child, which no mother should have to go
through. She also talked badly about marriage which was a very novel idea for this
time period. She had some major courage to do this, especially because being a
women poet was taboo for the time period. I would have loved to have met her. She
seems like she was a such a strong and independent woman. Again these were not
common adjectives to describe women of the 17th century. It was refreshing to read
her work, especially knowing it took so much boldness and courage to write.
5. My question for the class:
If Katherine Philips were alive today do you think she would be proud of how far
women’s rights have come? What do you think she would be writing about today?
-Mikaela Gisch
Student B:
LOVE, a child, is every crying;
(Love is like a child always crying)
Please him, and he straight is flying;
(Keep him/love and he will fly a straight path)
Give him, he the more is craving.
(What you give him will not be enough, he will always want more.)
His desires have no measure;
(What he desires has no limit)
Endless folly is his treasure;
(His never ending foolishness is his biggest goal)
What he promiseth he breaketh;
(For as many promises as he makes, he also breaks)
Trust not one word that he speaketh.
(For this reason you cannot trust anything he says.)
He vows nothing but false matter;
(He promises nothing but false information)
And to cozen you will flatter;
(To appease you he will use flattery)
Let him gain the hand, he’ll leave you
(If you let him get the advantage, he will leave)
And still glory to deceive you.
(And will be proud of how you succumbed to his deception.)
He will triumph in your wailing;
(He will relish in your tears)
And yet cause be of your failing;
(And yet be the reason for your failures)
These his virtues are, and slither
(These are his qualities, and quickly)
Are his gifts, his favours lighter.
(Will he give gifts, but favors are not so easily given.)
Feathers are as firm in staying;
(Feathers stay better than he)
Wolves no fiercer in their preying;
(Wolves though fierce cannot compete to him going for his prey)
As a child then, leave him crying;
(It is best to leave this child crying alone)
Nor seek him so given to flying.
(Do not go looking for him just let him fly away.)
(About) This poem is about how Mary Wroth views love and men. She references Cupid in a way
with the flying and the child part. She talks about how love is mostly about the hunt for the man
seeing how much he can take from a lady and then once he has succeeded he is gone without a
trace. She is warning women that love is best left untouched. If you choose to leave love alone
you don’t have to deal with the roller coaster of a man not keeping his promises even though he
gives you gifts.
(Words) Mary Wroth used a great deal of eye popping phrases, “wolves no fiercer in their
preying” and “triumph in your wailing.” These phrases create an imagery for the reader to
understand how the writer truly sees love. Wolves are commonly known for their fierceness and
the killer instincts when approaching their prey. She uses wolves to try and connect the fear of
wolves with love. She deems them both on the same level. Someone who is happy when another
is miserable is not a pleasant sight. This attitude creates a disgust normally, which is how she is
speaking to the women of this time. Encouraging them to be disgusted by the actions of their
male-counterparts.
(Rhyme) Though out this entire poem the last word of each line rhymes with either the before or
after line. This creates rhythm while reading the poem. The smoothness of the rhythm shows the
confidence of the writer. She is not wavering while writing this poem and gives off an air of
experience in this situation. As you go through the poem this confidence carries and really
emphasizes the situation of being aware of love and working to avoid it. The writer is careful to
not sugarcoat her thoughts on love comparing it to a child crying not from pain but more along
the line of annoyance.
(Structure) As I read this poem the structure reminded of a nursery rhyme. With the short
paragraphs, and rhyming ends make it easy to remember. I personally think Mary Wroth wanted
it simple without complications and confusion. She wanted the women of her time to clearly
understand what she was saying and for there to be no confusion. She was trying to warn them
away from love as a lady who had fallen for the “trap of love” so to speak. The structure of this
poem clearly emphasizes the way she wants the reader to go.
I chose this poem because it was so forward for Wroth’s time. These were not common things to
say and yet she had the guts to go ahead and say them. Having a husband and following that
pathway was the normal but she wasn’t worried about that. I personally am not looking for love,
right now in my life, I am focused on my career and creating a stable lifestyle for myself. I was
drawn to this because where I am right now I do not want to be distracted by love. I can see the
similarities with how you can be sidetracked when in love. Though I do think there was a bitter
tone on how she stated that men only lie and give false promises.
Question for the class: To the guys in my class… is it aggravating that men are normally perceived
as liars and always on the prowl for prey? To everyone… do you think that Mary Wroth was more
bitter about her personal life or did she truly believe that all men are liars and looking for prey?
Why or why not?
…
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