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Exploring 'The Farmer's Bride' Poem: Themes and Analysis

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Lilia ๐Ÿ’ซ

3/29/2023

English Literature

Love and relationships poetry

Exploring 'The Farmer's Bride' Poem: Themes and Analysis

"The Farmer's Bride" by Charlotte Mew is a narrative poem exploring themes of unrequited love, isolation, and the clash between human desires and nature. The poem is told from the perspective of a farmer who marries a young woman who becomes fearful of him and human contact.

โ€ข The poem uses rural dialect and imagery to create an authentic voice for the farmer narrator
โ€ข Key themes include the objectification of women, mental illness, and man vs. nature
โ€ข The bride is repeatedly compared to animals and natural elements, highlighting her disconnect from human society
โ€ข The farmer's frustrated desire is conveyed through passionate exclamations and sensory descriptions

...

3/29/2023

517

The Farmer's Bride
5
Charlotte
Mew
(1869-1928)
-belonging /ownership
singular
Plura5
Pc
โ†’ first-person
3 years
Three Summers since I chose a

View

The Farmer's Bride: Page 2 Analysis

The second page of the GCSE poetry anthology interpretation of "The Farmer's Bride" delves deeper into the characterization of the bride and the farmer's conflicted feelings towards her. The bride is repeatedly compared to animals and elements of nature, emphasizing her connection to the natural world and her distance from human society.

A series of similes paint a vivid picture of the bride's character: "Shy as a leveret, swift as he, / Straight and slight as a young larch tree, / Sweet as the first wild violets." These comparisons to young animals and delicate plants underscore her youth, fragility, and wild nature. The phrase "To her wild self. But what to me?" highlights the fundamental disconnect between the bride's true nature and the farmer's desires.

The poem then shifts to describe the changing seasons, creating a melancholic atmosphere that mirrors the farmer's loneliness and frustration. The imagery of shortening days, brown oaks, and the approach of Christmas emphasizes the passage of time and the continued isolation within the household.

Quote: "What's Christmas-time without there be / Some other in the house than we!"

This exclamation reveals the farmer's deep longing for companionship and his resentment of the current situation. The description of the bride sleeping alone in the attic, separated from the farmer by just a staircase, creates a palpable sense of tension and unfulfilled desire.

Highlight: The repeated use of "the down, / The soft young down of her, the brown, / The brown of her - her eyes, her hair, her hair!" demonstrates the farmer's obsessive focus on the bride's physical attributes, objectifying her and reducing her to her appearance.

This page of the poem builds on the themes in The Farmer's Bride by Charlotte Mew, particularly the conflict between human desires and the natural world, as well as the objectification and isolation of the young bride.

The Farmer's Bride
5
Charlotte
Mew
(1869-1928)
-belonging /ownership
singular
Plura5
Pc
โ†’ first-person
3 years
Three Summers since I chose a

View

Walking Away: Page 3 Analysis

The third page of the transcript shifts to a different poem, "Walking Away" by Cecil Day-Lewis, which explores themes of parental love, loss, and the process of letting go. This poem provides an interesting contrast to "The Farmer's Bride" while still dealing with themes of separation and emotional struggle.

The speaker in "Walking Away" is a father recalling a significant moment from eighteen years ago when he watched his young son play his first game of football. The vivid imagery of the "sunny day with leaves just turning" and "touch-lines new-ruled" creates a precise snapshot of this memory, emphasizing its lasting impact on the father.

Highlight: The use of cosmic imagery in the simile "like a satellite / Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away" powerfully conveys the sense of separation and loss of control the father feels as his son begins to gain independence.

The poem employs several similes to describe the son's departure, each emphasizing his vulnerability and the father's anxiety. The son is compared to "a half-fledged thing set free / Into a wilderness" and "a winged seed loosened from its parent stem," highlighting the natural yet potentially dangerous process of growing up and leaving the safety of parental care.

Vocabulary: Eddying - moving in a circular motion, used here to describe the son's uncertain movements away from the father.

The final stanza reflects on the lasting impact of this memory, with the speaker admitting that this parting "Gnaws at my mind still." The poem concludes with a powerful statement about the nature of love and individuality:

Quote: "How selfhood begins with a walking away, / And love is proved in the letting go."

This ending encapsulates the central theme of the poem: that true parental love involves accepting and supporting a child's journey towards independence, even when it causes pain and anxiety for the parent.

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English Literature

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517

โ€ข

Mar 29, 2023

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3 pages

Exploring 'The Farmer's Bride' Poem: Themes and Analysis

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Lilia ๐Ÿ’ซ

@lilia_.

"The Farmer's Bride" by Charlotte Mew is a narrative poem exploring themes of unrequited love, isolation, and the clash between human desires and nature. The poem is told from the perspective of a farmer who marries a young woman who

... Show more
The Farmer's Bride
5
Charlotte
Mew
(1869-1928)
-belonging /ownership
singular
Plura5
Pc
โ†’ first-person
3 years
Three Summers since I chose a

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The Farmer's Bride: Page 2 Analysis

The second page of the GCSE poetry anthology interpretation of "The Farmer's Bride" delves deeper into the characterization of the bride and the farmer's conflicted feelings towards her. The bride is repeatedly compared to animals and elements of nature, emphasizing her connection to the natural world and her distance from human society.

A series of similes paint a vivid picture of the bride's character: "Shy as a leveret, swift as he, / Straight and slight as a young larch tree, / Sweet as the first wild violets." These comparisons to young animals and delicate plants underscore her youth, fragility, and wild nature. The phrase "To her wild self. But what to me?" highlights the fundamental disconnect between the bride's true nature and the farmer's desires.

The poem then shifts to describe the changing seasons, creating a melancholic atmosphere that mirrors the farmer's loneliness and frustration. The imagery of shortening days, brown oaks, and the approach of Christmas emphasizes the passage of time and the continued isolation within the household.

Quote: "What's Christmas-time without there be / Some other in the house than we!"

This exclamation reveals the farmer's deep longing for companionship and his resentment of the current situation. The description of the bride sleeping alone in the attic, separated from the farmer by just a staircase, creates a palpable sense of tension and unfulfilled desire.

Highlight: The repeated use of "the down, / The soft young down of her, the brown, / The brown of her - her eyes, her hair, her hair!" demonstrates the farmer's obsessive focus on the bride's physical attributes, objectifying her and reducing her to her appearance.

This page of the poem builds on the themes in The Farmer's Bride by Charlotte Mew, particularly the conflict between human desires and the natural world, as well as the objectification and isolation of the young bride.

The Farmer's Bride
5
Charlotte
Mew
(1869-1928)
-belonging /ownership
singular
Plura5
Pc
โ†’ first-person
3 years
Three Summers since I chose a

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Walking Away: Page 3 Analysis

The third page of the transcript shifts to a different poem, "Walking Away" by Cecil Day-Lewis, which explores themes of parental love, loss, and the process of letting go. This poem provides an interesting contrast to "The Farmer's Bride" while still dealing with themes of separation and emotional struggle.

The speaker in "Walking Away" is a father recalling a significant moment from eighteen years ago when he watched his young son play his first game of football. The vivid imagery of the "sunny day with leaves just turning" and "touch-lines new-ruled" creates a precise snapshot of this memory, emphasizing its lasting impact on the father.

Highlight: The use of cosmic imagery in the simile "like a satellite / Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away" powerfully conveys the sense of separation and loss of control the father feels as his son begins to gain independence.

The poem employs several similes to describe the son's departure, each emphasizing his vulnerability and the father's anxiety. The son is compared to "a half-fledged thing set free / Into a wilderness" and "a winged seed loosened from its parent stem," highlighting the natural yet potentially dangerous process of growing up and leaving the safety of parental care.

Vocabulary: Eddying - moving in a circular motion, used here to describe the son's uncertain movements away from the father.

The final stanza reflects on the lasting impact of this memory, with the speaker admitting that this parting "Gnaws at my mind still." The poem concludes with a powerful statement about the nature of love and individuality:

Quote: "How selfhood begins with a walking away, / And love is proved in the letting go."

This ending encapsulates the central theme of the poem: that true parental love involves accepting and supporting a child's journey towards independence, even when it causes pain and anxiety for the parent.

The Farmer's Bride
5
Charlotte
Mew
(1869-1928)
-belonging /ownership
singular
Plura5
Pc
โ†’ first-person
3 years
Three Summers since I chose a

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

The Farmer's Bride: Page 1 Analysis

The opening stanza of "The Farmer's Bride" by Charlotte Mew introduces the central conflict of the poem through the farmer's perspective. The speaker, a farmer, recounts choosing a young bride three summers ago, acknowledging she may have been too young but justifying his haste due to the demands of harvest time. This sets up the power imbalance and lack of courtship that characterizes their relationship.

The bride's fear and withdrawal are vividly depicted through similes and imagery. Her smile disappearing is compared to "the shut of a winter's day," emphasizing the coldness and darkness that has come over her. The description of her as "a little frightened fay" rather than a woman dehumanizes her, highlighting her otherworldly nature and disconnect from human society.

The dramatic event of the bride running away "in the Fall" is recounted, with the farmer and other men chasing her "like a hare / Before our lanterns." This hunting imagery reinforces the bride's vulnerable position and her desperate attempt to escape.

Highlight: The use of non-standard English and rural dialect (e.g. "runned away," "'Out 'mong the sheep, her be'") creates an authentic voice for the farmer narrator and grounds the poem in its rustic setting.

Vocabulary: Fay - an archaic term for fairy, emphasizing the bride's otherworldly and elusive nature.

The stanza ends with the disturbing image of the bride being caught, brought home, and locked up "fast," treating her more like a captured animal than a human being. This confinement sets the stage for the rest of the poem's exploration of her isolation and the farmer's frustrated desire.

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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

I think itโ€™s very much worth it and youโ€™ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still donโ€™t get it!!! In the end I think itโ€™s worth it ๐Ÿ˜Š๐Ÿ‘ โš ๏ธAlso DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DONโ€™T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLYโ—๏ธโ—๏ธโš ๏ธ

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iOS user

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Brad T

Android user

Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help๐Ÿค๐Ÿค

David K

iOS user

The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

Android user

I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend

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iOS user