Explain :: English Literature

Explain Explain what is happening in each of the following poems and compare and contrast the different ways in which they deal with the theme of sorrow. The first poem ‘Remember’ by Christina Rossetti is a late romantic, early Victorian sonnet, which is about someone who has passed away. ‘The chimney sweeper’ by William Blake, is written in 1740’s and is about a young child chimney sweep and his plight. ‘Remember’ is written in the narrative voice so that it seems as if the person who passed away is speaking. The poem talks about how the deceased person has gone to a calmer, more peaceful place and how you will no longer be able to touch or feel them again. ‘Gone far away†¦ hand.’ The first part of the poem is dark and mournful but because it is a sonnet it allows for a more optimistic and comforting turn after line eight. It tells people that there is a time for grief and a time to move on but that they should not feel any guilt. Christina Rossetti has written the poem so that it flows and sounds rather like a song. The mood of the poem is sombre and she repeats the word ‘remember’ throughout the sonnet. This reminds the reader what the focus of the poem is and gives it structure throughout it. It also emphasises the meaning of the poem. The poem deals with the theme of sorrow in the form of death. However it is not a dark poem and makes death not seem that bad. She uses the sonnet form so that in line 9 there is a shift. This creates a break in the poem. Up to line 9 the poem is about grief and sadness but then it shifts and becomes more philosophical. Christina Rossetti uses euphemistic language such as ‘darkness’ and ‘corruption’ to represent death. This creates depth and makes you think about the poem. She also uses metaphors in her euphemistic language such as ‘silent-land’, which represents Heaven. This poem would be used at funerals because it is written in a way that suggests the deceased person is talking. ‘The chimney sweeper’ is about a young boy who is sold as a chimney sweep. The poem tells of his sad story. William Blake uses narrative voice of a child so that it engages the reader. The rhyming in the poem makes it sound like a child is talking. Blake is trying to show the children as victims by showing how vulnerable and pathetic their cries are. ‘Cry weep, weep, weep’ He uses couplets and verses to