John Browning

mind and he himself contradicts himself as he talks has already been discussed, one interesting aspect to consider is how Browning writes the speech of the speaker, in iambic pentameter. This creates a much more lyrically pleasing poem, as it using clever rhyme and meter to accentuate the intelligence and speaking skills we perceive the Duke to have. The words be used by Browning, and ultimately the Duke are very meticulously chosen, as he opts to phrase things in a particular fashion to paint…

Chaucer wrote of The Book Duchess as an eulogy for Blanche of Lancaster, the wife of his friend, patron and employer John of Gaunt. The poem is organized as a dream vision and as such is build in circles that are closed and interlinked with around each other. At the core of the poem is the Man in Black’s lament for his queen and on the most outer circle is the poet, tormented by a personal loss, that remains unexplained within the text. While the Knight is entirely overcome with his grief and…

Myrna Pena-Reyes’ “Breaking Through” and William Carlos William’s “This is Just to Say” expresses the relationship of the persona with another person through the use of different figurative devices. In “Breaking Through”, we see the persona as the daughter and the “you” in the poem as her father. Meanwhile, in the poem “This is Just to Say”, the persona of the poem is the husband, while the “you” in the poem refers to his wife. These two poems present a similar conflict – the persona is…

“The Importance of History in Literature” Two English poets, John Donne and Margaret Cavendish, wrote during the periods known as the Renaissance and the Restoration respectively. “The Sun Rising” by Donne details a scene in which the speaker berates the sun for rising and disturbing him and his lover. “A World in an Earring” by Cavendish discusses the idea that on the inside of an earring there is a smaller version of our world. In the Donne poem, the speaker utilizes personification such…

objectification of women that Browning suggests makes him unpaired, and unmatchable. Browning’s choice to use these contrasting couplets, then, calls into question the logic of the speaker himself. If there is irony in the physical nature of the poem, does Browning suggest there is an irony that exists in the content of the Duke’s words themselves? It sure seems that way. By contrasting the use of these poetic couplets with the Duke’s words in “My Last Duchess,” Browning is able to bring…

An instant, authoritative voice is found present in Browning’s words during this scene. Even after she dies, Porphyria is not allowed the freedom to understand her own feelings (Buron). Through this particular work, Browning reveals that Victorian women had no freedom in almost every aspect of their life. The one true power that was held, such as expressing one’s feelings, is taken away. By doing so, men take away the purpose of being. The persona simply declares Porphyria’s…

Lover and My Last Duchess) Robert Browning was a wonderful and talented author during the Victorian era. He produced many popular and extraordinary pieces of work throughout his life. One form of literature he is known for today is his dramatic monologues. Two of Browning's famous dramatic monologues include Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess. Browning was not only able to catch the reader's interest with his work, but was able to invoke thought. Browning used the dramatic monologues…

Actress and activist Pamela Anderson admits that Julian Assange is one of her favorite people; however, she will not verify whether or not she is dating the contentious founder of WikiLeaks. Questions regarding the extent of their relationship surfaced after photographs of Anderson visiting him became public several months ago. Anderson Believes in Assange’s Message At the 47th annual Earth Day event in Vancouver, Anderson tells Erin Cebula, who is a reporter with the Canadian version of…

Jackson Pollock was a psycho-alcoholic. According to the movie Pollock, Jackson Pollock’s work was first exhibited at a show with future wife, Artist Lee Krasner. In the beginning of his career, Pollock’s style of painting was close to the style of Picasso’s art, Cubism. Pollock seemed to have a love/hate feeling for Picasso. He seemed to admire him and maybe had been studying him for so long, like he was trying to crack some sort of code of Picasso’s paintings, but became frustrated that…

The Duke manipulates language throughout the monologue, only offhandedly saying what he means throughout. He reveals that he did love his late wife when he gets lost in admiration as he describes her. However, it quickly turns when he remembers “all and each would draw from her alike the approving speech.” Using euphemisms, the duke indirectly admits to having his wife murdered by saying, “I gave commands; then all smiles stopped together.” Smiles symbolize his wife’s life, as she smiled at…