9 Matching Annotations
  1. Nov 2017
    1. “For there is no friend like a sister In calm or stormy weather;

      While there is much to say about the entirety of this poem, I feel as though the end of this poem really strikes the reader for many reasons. The ending of this poem seems extremely unnecessary, as almost to draw away from or even dismiss the rest of the sexualized text, but this could also be read in a different way. One may decide to see this as Rossetti's way of showing that the only people women truly could trust and rely on is the women in their life. This entire poem shows the temptation and the shame that lies with being a woman during this time, and the ending of this poem on the surface seems to dismiss the hardships that women face in trying to be able to interact in the real world, but it also draws attention to what women did have and that seems to be in this sense that they have each other to lean and rely on.

    1. His forehead, that I once thought so manly, and that I now think so diabolical, was shaded with a heavy cloud; his basilisk eyes were nearly quenched by sleeplessness, and weeping, perhaps, for the lashes were wet then: his lips devoid of their ferocious sneer, and sealed in an expression of unspeakable sadness.

      I found it interesting that Bronte chose to take the time here to describe Heathcliff. In a way that feels much like a blazon. She gives us so much, but at the same time nothing at all when it comes to his appearance, which so far in the novel has been somewhat of a mystery to us, adding to his supernatural qualities. The way he is described here feels so delicate and almost helpless, which is so different from how he is portrayed in earlier parts of the novel. The juxtaposition of calling his forehead "diabolical" and "ferocious" following with stating his "eyes were nearly quenched by sleeplessness" is so beautiful, yet unsettling at the same time for some reason. I think i find this most interesting because here Heathcliff feels very human, in a way that makes the reader once again feel badly about Heathcliff and his life so far, even though he has done wrong to people in his past. It makes me question if his otherworldly-ness will reconstruct itself or if we will see his entire persona change?

    1. It makes a dog fiercer, and I love something fierce—get me a scissors—something fierce and trim!  Besides, it’s infernal affectation—devilish conceit it is, to cherish our ears—we’re asses enough without them.  Hush, child, hush!

      I find the sentence structure and Hindley's outrange very interesting in this part of the passage. Though at this moment Hindley is obviously acting out in anger, but at the same time he is criticising Hearton of being an "unnatural cub" making it seem as though he is now seeing his own son as animalistic as he sees Heathcliff. What is ironic about these claims and his anger toward his sons "unnatural" behavior is that he is speaking in an almost barking manner as if he is an animal himself. The dashes in his statements make him seem flustered and out of control, much like an untrained animal would be in a situation where they felt threatened.

  2. Oct 2017
    1. They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room; and I had no more sense, so I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it might be gone on the morrow.

      I think this passage is very interesting because the animalistic traits they are portraying on Heathcliff at this time. Though he has been brought into this house and is seemingly the most innocent thing in the household at this point, he is treated as though he is an animal that is yet to be housebroken. By repeatedly referring to him as "it" throughout this entire passage he becomes completely dehumanized to the reader. This makes me wonder why he was brought to their home in the first place? Why was Mr. Earnshaw so determined to "not leave it as he found it," yet when he brought him back the boy was shown no kindness or efforts to change him to something better. By looking at the way the other children act, could this be their way of trying to almost train their children- as if they are animals?

    1. Where rest not England’s dead.

      Throughout the poem,the emphasis on the death surrounding England is obviously very strong. I found it interesting while reading that she used "there" as opposed to "their" because as I was reading it, I felt as if she was speaking about the service men who died, but upon rereading, it seems as though because these men are dying (or are already dead) it is making England weary or dead in itself. This could possibly be alluding to the families that are left behind or that the English soldiers are the heart of England, hence its death. The repetition of the phrase, even in its alterations, makes it clear the mass amounts of people that died for England and gives an leaves an almost guilty tone in the reader's head as if it there is something that could've been done.

  3. Sep 2017
    1. A large and still increasing family, an husband disabled for active service, but not the less equal to company and good liquor, and a very small income to supply their wants, made her eager to regain the friends she had so carelessly sacrificed

      I found this part of the passage to be very interesting because it is positioned in a way that seems to be exactly how she would have positioned her situation in the letter she was planning on writing. It is interesting because it is very clearly stated that they have no issue getting what the family "needs" but it is that they don't have everything that they necessarily want. This emphasizes the class that she is in and the advantage that they have even though she has chosen to distance herself from her friends that she is still eager to fulfill the wants she has for her and her family.

    1. With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run; To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,    And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

      These lines can be read in multiple different ways given Keats' choice of language. At face value one may say that these lines represent the newness that comes with Autumn and how it brings a wealth of benefits for all those who can encounter this. While these lines do seem very genuine and innocent, they also have a very sexual undertone to them, much like the rest of the poem. Focusing especially on the last line "And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core" seems very sexual using fruit and ripeness which both can be used for sexual references. Keats also alludes to other sexual references throughout this poem making it seem as though he is using the season Autumn as the imagery for his sexual ideals.

    1. These waters, rolling from their mountain-springs With a sweet inland murmur.

      By personifying the waters in this part of the poem, Wordsworth is showing the reader his connection with nature and the world around him. Speaking of the "waters" as if they were an old friend, he says they are "rolling from their mountain spring" showing that they are something he is very comfortable with, which gives the reader a sense of calmness and reassurance.

    1. slope of a mountain

      I think Wordsworth's choice of beginning this poem on a mountain is very interesting because of the different ways a mountain can be understood. A mountain can be portrayed as freedom, but when ventured alone is can be quite isolating as well. This can be compared to the how the tone of the poem goes back and forth between depressed as well as somewhat ironically hopeful. It is also interesting that he is on the slope of the mountain which and not the top which could point to the convict never quite finished or reached their full potential.