Practice Literature Question

Compare the way two of the poems use language to convey emotions:

'The Farmers Bride' by Charlotte Mew and 'The Manhunt' by Simon Armitage both express cold emotions. Although the subject of each poem is different, comparisons are very clear.

'The Farmers Bride' portrays emotion through a relationship. The continuous imagery suggests the farmer and his wife have reached breaking point in their marriage. Line six and seven of the poem use simile and metaphor to put emphasis on the brides emotions using words such as 'her smile went out' and 'the shut of a winters day' comparing her to negative things.

The linguistic techniques are clear in this poem making the insecurities between the couple very real and exaggerated. The use of personification and alliteration at the end of the first stanza make the stanza appear very cold with a sense of no genuine love or heart. This is effective as an opening as it's very bold and striking which immediately catches your attention.

One of the main feelings you gain towards their relationship through the poem it that it is rushed and that the early, initial stages of their relationship were fast and forced. This is suggested by the unpredictable lexis and irregular syntax. The pace of the poem and the unusual way in which it is written reflects the brides behaviour with a dramatic tone.

Through the very male dominated poem, we can gather a sense of what the farmer is like in their relationship. Having this knowledge puts the perspective onto their emotions towards/for each other. There is no sense of belonging, romance or lust, only senses of coldness and insecurity that suggests that they are not emotionally attached to each other and not in harmony with each other. It appears that they're scared to embark on a real relationship and that their relationship is shadowed by thoughts of fear.

The very archaic and basic language puts across a heavy sense of awkwardness between them with a feeling that they don't understand each other, they're not in sync with each other. The semantic field of hunt midway through the poem reflects some of the brides feelings of her husband and we get an insight into what does make her happy.

The constant animal and nature references give us an understanding that she feels happy, content and safe when she is close to animals, nature and the outdoors. The animal imagery reflects her feelings of escapism and freedom in contrast with the feelings she holds for her husband.

'The Manhunt' presents cold emotion in another way. Although the poem still features a relationship, the coldness comes from war and military. The poem features the connection between war and conflict and a woman that's husband has left to fight. With 'The Manhunt', we can ascertain the coldness before we start reading as we know it's about war whereas with 'The Farmers Bride', we gather the cold emotions as we are reading through and understanding the poem. With that poem we gain a sense of sympathy but with 'The Manhunt', we instead gain a sense of admiration.

'The Manhunt' carries the past and the metaphor in the first stanza references to this. The rigid structure reflects the careful operations of the soldiers at war.