5 minute read
Hope & the Romantics Lilly Michaels Lauren Bacchus
HOPE & THE ROMANTICS
HOW DO THE POETS EMILY BRONTË & LORD BYRON CONVEY THE HOPE & OPTIMISM INSPIRED BY THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES?
Lilly Michaels Lauren Bacchus
Writers use their freedom of expression and ingenuity to communicate an overall message to their readers. Beyond this, one can often discover parallels to the author’s life in their writing - especially if their objective is to encourage and motivate others. It could be argued that it is, indeed, unavoidable to include personal experiences.
This can be seen in To A Wreath of Snow by A. G Almeda by Emily Brontë. It was written in 1837, from the perspective of the Queen of Gondal, a fictitious character from a land created by Emily and her sisters when they were young. Another fanciful kingdom, named Angora, replicates the idyllic landscape of Yorkshire where she grew up. Despite this imagined element, Brontë takes the opportunity to glorify the beauty of nature through sensory imagery and emotive language, ending with a sense of hope and optimism. Her character is looking out of her prison cell whilst it is snowing, and the initial line containing celestial imagery - “O transient voyager of heaven!” is a joyous exclamation revealing her belief that the snow is some sort of divine message of reassurance “that comforts me while thou art here/ And will sustain me when thou art gone.” Moreover, the asyndeton of “voiceless, soulless messenger” highlights her isolation regarding a lack of human interaction in prison; this links back to Brontë, as they lived in quite a remote location throughout her childhood. The semantic field of ethereal strength and hope is maintained with “all the suns that ever shone,” “angel like” and “silvery form” creating a positive atmosphere that triumphs over when her “heart was weighed with sinking gloom.” It was also around the time this poem was written that Emily’s sister Anne fell ill, in late 1837. Brontë’s writing may have been a refuge and source of comfort, as well as an ode to the magnificent nature surrounding her. Anne survived this bout of gastritis and later died in 1849 from tuberculosis, after a final trip to Scarborough’s coast in order to observe the sea before her death; she evidently had a similar appreciation for nature. To A Wreath of Snow relays Brontë’s creative process, in establishing a whole kingdom for her stories to take place but also in achieving a sense of escapism in her work that has a motivational effect. Although her primary objective is most likely to express an appreciation for the natural world and to be grateful for it, instead of having a didactic aim, the poem holds an element of timelessness. It is that “living in-thepresent-moment” mentality that is perhaps communicated more unmistakably in poetry than in any other literary form - only rivalled by that of theatrical works such as plays, which depict live, poignant renditions of these stories defined in the moment. The reader can become engaged in the material by relating to the genuine human tone and sincerity of the writer. A connection on this level is key to get a response from the reader, as shown in the preceding example of Byron. Commenting on Lord Byron’s poems So We’ll Go No More a Roving and On this day I Complete my Thirty Sixth Year in conjunction, will highlight his discussion on legacy and the acceptance of one’s true self, which again provides an optimistic tone amidst the struggles of the writer. Byron, a romantic era poet, came from a privileged background and spent a lot of time travelling (from writing autobiographically in Greece in 1809, to The Grand Tour - a traditional trip through Europe made by members of the aristocracy). He was known for having a lavish lifestyle, resulting in over-drinking. So We’ll Go No More a Roving provides a sense of closure to his escapades; this in revealed when he states “the sword outweighs the sheath” and “love itself have rest.” His regular pattern of rhyming and alternating couplets is changed by the half-rhyme of “sheath” and “breathe,” allowing for a natural pause which is slightly longer and emphasizes his point. Although there are bittersweet implications in the poem, hope is conveyed in the line “though the heart be still as loving” and “still is” repeated in the next line to show they remain capable of this level of happiness, as the narrative voice is taking on a calm and reassuring stance. The present participle “loving” reiterates the importance of the current moment for Byron, who is striving to improve his life and view it with optimism. Similarly, in “On this day I complete my Thirty Sixth year,” he acknowledges the trials he has experienced when he says “The hope, the fear, the jealous care, / The exalted portion of the pain/ And power of Love I cannot share.” There is a relentless juxtaposition of emotions, and in associating exaltation with pain, Byron reveals the dejected and hopeless mental state he had previously experienced. However, an immediate tone shift shows his desire to discount the fear and negativity by exclaiming “But ‘tis not thus – and ‘tis not here/ such thoughts should shake my Soul, nor now,” with the italicised words expressing the conviction with which he delivers this message. The repetition of the negative adverbs is quite hyperbolic and almost structures the line as effectively as his choice of punctuation. In comparison, prescience is adopted in his 1816 poem When We Two Parted, in which Byron anticipates the future when he meets his ex-partner again. The closing lines of the poem “How should I greet thee? With silence and tears” use hypophora to emphasize his emotional state and give positional priority to a phrase from the beginning of the poem (“silence and tears.”) This poem maintains a saddened tone to accurately reflect how he was feeling at the time. Byron died in Greece at the age of 36 from a fever, but his poem On this day I Complete my Thirty Sixth Year remains a testament to his unfaltering attitude and resolve to move on, showing that when difficulties occur in life and there seems to be no way around them, that this is in fact not the case. For both Brontë and Byron, their legacy is enhanced by the suggestion of hope and - whether consciously or subconsciously- the inclusion of this hope, with potent links to human relatability, strengthens a narrative beyond the confinement of the time it was written in.
