Relationships Wall and Tyger - 986 Words

What would the world be like without relationships? Would you be satisfied? What is the definition of a healthy relationship? Why do we separate people from our lives? Why do we welcome certain people in our lives and not others? How do we know when we can trust someone? What is a true relationship? Why do we repair relationships? What is the value of putting up a fence (O’Brien)? All of these questions can be answered with the poems â€Å"Mending Wall† by Robert Frost and â€Å"The Tyger† by William Blake. In these poems both speakers question why to create or build something that is either destructive or will be destroyed. The â€Å"Mending Wall,† by Robert Frost, describes a story about two men who come together each spring to walk alongside the wall that separates their farms. When someone builds a wall, they are separating themselves from something or someone and keeping something or someone at a distance. In â€Å"Mending Wall,† the narrator of the poem is an outgoing, open-minded person. His neighbor, however, is quite the opposite of him. He is quiet, only comes out once a year in the spring, and sticks to what he knows. While they walk along the wall, they fix the breaks in the wall that the hunters and the winter have made during the past year. According to the statement in the poem by the speaker, â€Å"He is all pine and I am apple orchard,† both farms consist of trees. The wall serves no real purpose; it just separates the two farms. Also the poem says, â€Å"I have come after them andShow MoreRelatedI Had a Job I Liked Once by Guy Vanderhaeghe1630 Words   |  7 Pagesgood, hardworking kid. He now works at the town swimming pool in the pump room, which is where he is changed. At the pool Les is bullied very badly- every day when he gets to work there is something new written about him or his mother on the bathroom walls, which he has to clean up. He puts up with this for so long until he finally can’t do it anymore and snaps, which is when he allegedly raped Tracy. Les is then judged because of his family background, and almost found guilty just based on the prejudicesRead More Themes and Styles in Songs of Experience Essay3271 Words   |  14 PagesBlake’s â€Å"The Tyger† represents an i ntense, visionary style with which William Blake confronts a timeless question through the creation of a still-life reverie. To examine â€Å"The Tygers† world, we must inspect Blake’s diction, images, archetypes, allusions, rhyme scheme, meter, and theme. â€Å"The Tyger† seems like a simple poem, yet this simple poem contains all the complexities of the human mystery. The archetype tiger creates reactions of both awe and terror; however by placing his â€Å"tyger† â€Å"in the

Analysis of The Famous Sculpture, Laocoön and his Two...

The piece I decided to analyze is the famous sculpture, Laocoà ¶n and his two sons. I decided on this particular piece for a few reasons, one being the emotion we see on the subjects’ faces, and the other being the importance for future art. When I began this research I could not have possibly understood the relevance this piece had on the art that was yet to come. The Hellenistic period of Greek art spans from the time of Alexander the Great’s death in 323 to 30 B.C.E. (â€Å"Hellenistic Period† 1). However there have been controversies of precisely how long the Hellenistic period lasted. Some argue that from C. 400; to the first century can be classified as â€Å"Pre-Hellenistic† (Janson 138-139). â€Å"Hellenistic, is a term meant to convey the†¦show more content†¦But in 1905 the archeologist, Ludwig Pollack, discovered the original right arm of Laocoà ¶n and it was reconstructed in 1957-60 (â€Å"The Vatican† 185). The style of th is sculpture is immediately classified as Hellenistic, because of the motion on the bodies of Laocoà ¶n and his sons. The agony on their faces portrays the anguish they were feeling at the time of their death, and the bulging muscles, and veins stick out as they try to free themselves of the snakes. The legend says that Laocoà ¶n was a Trojan priest of Apollo. The Greeks who had been trying to sack the city of Troy for years were unsuccessful, and devised a new plan. They created the Trojan horse to offer the city of Troy as a promise to stop the fighting. Laocoà ¶n saw that this was a trap and tried to warn his fellow Trojans of the danger. When he approached the alter of Poseidon to pray, the Gods Athena and Poseidon depending on which version you read, favored the Greeks and decided to punish Laocoà ¶n for his treachery by sending two giant snakes to kill him and his sons. However, there was one Trojan who heeded the warning, his name was Aeneas. Aeneas, fled Troy and this e ventually led to the founding of Rome (â€Å"Musei Vaticani – sito ufficiale†). There are a lot of different theories just on this one story. I have seen that the snakes were sent by Athena, Poseidon, and even Apollo. There is also debate on whether the Trojan horse was a gift to the city of Troy or an offering to the gods.

Succubus on Top CHAPTER 22 Free Essays

string(110) " It overloads the system, making you feel insanely good and susceptible to physical touch and strong emotion\." The waiter brought me another gimlet just as I finished my last one. Good man, I thought. He deserved an ample tip. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus on Top CHAPTER 22 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Four days after the Emerald Lit Fest, I sat in the Cellar with Jerome, Carter, Hugh, Peter, Cody, and Bastien. The usual suspects. It was the first time I’d seen any of them in days. I’d been keeping a low profile, essentially only leaving my home to go to work and back. I hadn’t seen or heard from Seth in that time either. None of us spoke. We just sat there in the dark, nursing drinks. Other people in the pub moved around and laughed, but we were a corner of silence. I could have sliced and diced the awkward tension among us. Finally, unable to take it anymore, I sighed. â€Å"All right,† I snapped. â€Å"You can stop pretending. I know you’ve all seen the video.† It was like letting the air out of a balloon. An opening of the floodgates. Hugh spoke first, admiration shining in his eyes. â€Å"Jesus Christ, that was the absolute best thing I’ve ever seen.† â€Å"I’ve seen it, like, ten times,† added Peter. â€Å"And it doesn’t get old.† Cody’s delighted look spoke for itself. I took down half of my drink in one gulp. â€Å"Sometimes I look around, and I can’t believe this is my life. â€Å" Bastien had done an Oscar-worthy job of capturing my romantic escapade with Dana on film. She had never noticed the disembodied camera floating around; only the incubus had actually been invisible. Of course, Dana had been too preoccupied to really notice much. I’d made sure of that, and while I felt a certain amount of glee over my powers of pleasure and distraction, my post-ambrosia self still didn’t like having that prowess put on display any more than I’d liked Seth’s story being linked to me. At least no one knew who Tabitha Hunter was. † Fleur ,I swear you did things I didn’t even know about,† teased Bastien. â€Å"Oh, be quiet,† I told him, knowing he lied. â€Å"This whole thing is embarrassing enough. I can’t believe you had it all over the Internet in a matter of hours.† He shrugged. â€Å"Good news is hard to keep to yourself.† Jerome’s eyes gleamed with subdued satisfaction. â€Å"No need to be embarrassed. What you did is laurel-worthy, Georgie. You’ll be Succubus of the Year now.† â€Å"Great,† I said. â€Å"Maybe that comes with coupons that haven’t expired.† â€Å"Joke all you want,† continued the demon, â€Å"but you’ve caused havoc in a powerful religious group. That is definitely worth celebrating.† So much so that Bastien was probably off the hook. True, he hadn’t been in the spotlight, but I’d made sure that Jerome played up his role in the official written report. I think the demon knew I’d gone a little overboard in crediting Bastien for his assistance in this caper, but he hadn’t dwelt on the technicalities. Regardless of what the paperwork said, the diabolical community knew it was Jerome’s succubus in the extremely popular video. My boss’s reputation had gone through the roof. As for the CPFV†¦well, yes, it was most definitely in chaos. Dana had resigned as soon as the scandal went public. Suddenly missing their strong leader, the group had collapsed into confusion, flailing about with no clear direction. Poor Bill. In addition to the embarrassment of a philandering wife, he now had to do damage control and still maintain his strong stance on family values for the sake of his political career. Reelections were next year; no one knew how he’d fare. I had mixed feelings about the whole matter. Sure, I hated the CPFV’s horrible actions and was glad to see them go down. But Dana, despite her many flaws, had cared about Tabitha. It might not have been love, but the emotions were genuine. She’d opened herself up to me, and I’d made a mockery of it. Even if she managed to wade out of this mess, she’d probably never accept her sexual inclinations again. She’d bury them, continuing a campaign of homosexual intolerance. That bothered me, for the sake of both her personal and her political lives. â€Å"And when not taking down conservative bitches,† noted Hugh, â€Å"she destroys gods in her free time. Did you really beat up that kid too? You’re, like, a size four.† â€Å"Don’t forget about the Emerald Lit Fest.† Cody grinned mischievously. â€Å"Man, I can’t believe I missed that.† â€Å"Is there anything you don’t do, Georgina?† marveled Peter. â€Å"You haven’t been learning to cook souffl? ¦s behind my back, have you?† I rolled my eyes and turned to the greater immortals, ignoring my friends’ over-the-top praise. â€Å"Are you finally going to tell me the whole story on Sol, or whoever he was? You guys have been terribly laissez-faire about me killing a god.† â€Å"You know most of the details,† Carter told me. â€Å"And you didn’t technically kill him,† added Jerome. I started. â€Å"I didn’t? But†¦he exploded. There was blood everywhere. That seems kind of, I don’t know, final. â€Å" â€Å"You destroyed his human manifestation,† explained the angel in an almost bored way. â€Å"The body he used to walk the mortal world. Sol – or Soma as he’s accurately called – still very much exists.† â€Å"Soma’s another name for ambrosia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began slowly. â€Å"Yes,† Carter agreed. â€Å"In Hindu spirituality, the god Soma is the divine embodiment of the drug. It runs in his veins and is then distributed to mortals.† I remembered his bleeding wrist and how his blood had dried. â€Å"His blood forms the crystals that make the ambrosia. That’s what everyone was drinking. That’s what I drank!† I shuddered. â€Å"You also drank it in its pure form,† noted Jerome, watching for my reaction, â€Å"straight from the source.† â€Å"Oh Lord,† I realized. â€Å"The goblet. I thought it was some sort of date-rape drug.† â€Å"In some ways it was,† Carter told me gently. â€Å"His blood, in its crystal form, serves as a self-enhancement that can be tolerated by mortals – and immortals – because it’s diluted. In its concentrated form, it’s too much to handle. It’s disorienting. It goes beyond amplification of skills. It overloads the system, making you feel insanely good and susceptible to physical touch and strong emotion. You read "Succubus on Top CHAPTER 22" in category "Essay examples" â€Å" Hence my reaction to his advances – and subsequent attack on Alec. Of course, I was still so mad at the former drummer that I half believed my actions wouldn’t have been any different sans ambrosia. â€Å"That’s so disgusting,† I muttered. â€Å"I drank blood. Gross.† Cody and Peter exchanged glances. They grinned. â€Å"What was the deal with that dart thing?† asked Hugh. â€Å"The thing she impaled him with.† â€Å"Mistletoe. It guards the gateway between worlds. The Norse always said it grew on the Tree of Life – the tree that holds the world.† I frowned. â€Å"So, if he’s just lost his physical body, then he’s not really gone.† â€Å"He’s never gone,† said Carter. â€Å"The Food of the Gods is always around – or at least some concept of it. Mortals always have and will continue to believe and pray for some magical cure-all that will change their lives. That’s why he still has so much power, despite most not knowing who he is. People don’t always have to know what they’re worshipping or believing in to still grant it power. â€Å" â€Å"But, when he pops back down to this plane next time, he’ll probably hole up somewhere else,† said Jerome more practically. â€Å"If Carter or I had done anything, it would have been an open declaration of war. Innocent Georgie’s desperate defense sent a charming get-the-fuck-out message that didn’t get any of us in trouble. It only required a small report.† He made a face; the demon hated paperwork. I sighed. â€Å"Okay then. One last question. Why the sex? Why go to all that trouble to get Alex to procure victims?† â€Å"Who doesn’t want sex?† asked Hugh. â€Å"The stories do resound with his lechery, actually,† said Carter. â€Å"One myth even talks about him carrying off some god’s wife because he just wanted her that badly. When you’re a being of euphoria and ultimate physical prowess, I guess sex sort of goes with it. So I’ve heard, anyway.† I scowled. â€Å"And he was too lazy to even get the victims himself. What a bastard.† â€Å"He’s a god,† said Carter, as though there were nothing more to add. I turned to the angel, thinking about what he’d said. â€Å"You’ve been a veritable wealth of knowledge today. But doesn’t it bother anyone else that we’re openly discussing and accepting, what, three different spiritual systems here? Hindu and Norse – plus ours. Which I always thought was the true one, by the way.† Jerome looked genuinely delighted. â€Å"Come now, you’ve rubbed shoulders with immortals from all sorts of ‘spiritual systems’ since the beginning of your succubus existence.† â€Å"Yeah, I know†¦but I never thought about the logistics too hard. I thought we were all disparate – remember? They do their thing, we do ours? Now you’re mixing it up like†¦like†¦we’re all doing the same thing. â€Å" â€Å"Yeah,† said Cody. â€Å"Which one’s right?† Angel and demon shared smirks. † ‘What is truth?’ Pilate asked.† Carter just couldn’t stay away from his quotes. His eyes held barely contained laughter. I sighed again, knowing we’d get no better answer from either of them. As our evening get-together wound down, Bastien unhappily declared he had to leave for Detroit. He made his farewells to the others, and then I walked him out. We stood outside the pub, wrapped in our own thoughts as locals and tourists alike moved through Pioneer Square. Finally, at the same time, we spoke. † Fleur – â€Å" â€Å"Bastien – â€Å" â€Å"No, let me go first,† he said adamantly. I nodded for him to go on. â€Å"What I did at the hotel wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have led you into that – especially when you told me right off not to. And what I said to Seth at your place†¦that was unforgivable. Yeah, I was pretty sloshed, but that’s no excuse. Not by a long shot.† I shook my head. â€Å"God knows I’ve done a lot of stupid things while drunk. And people, for that matter. But don’t beat yourself up too bad – at least not over what happened†¦uh, between us. You were right. I wasn’t a victim; I went along with that. I made my own choices, choices that I have to deal with.† â€Å"It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t forgive me. Especially after you saved me on the Dana thing. You figured out what I’d been too blind to see. No, I’m definitely beyond forgiveness.† â€Å"Maybe. But I’m going to forgive you anyway.† I gave him a playful punch. â€Å"And you can’t stop me.† â€Å"Only a fool would stand in your way,† he said gallantly. â€Å"But I still don’t think I deserve it.† â€Å"Bas,I’ve seen people come and go for over a thousand years. Hell, I’ve seen civilizations come and go. I don’t have many constants in my life. None of us do. I don’t want to write off one of the best ones I’ve got. â€Å" He opened his arms for me, and I rested my head against his chest, sad that he’d be going away again. We stood like that for a long time, and then he broke away so that he could look at me. â€Å"Confession time: I didn’t have sex with you for altruism. You were right about that. And I didn’t do it just because I could either. I did it because I wanted you. Because I wanted to be closer to you.† He touched my cheek and winked. â€Å"You’re worth ten Alessandras. You would be worth going to Guam for.† â€Å"What about Omaha?† â€Å"No one’s worth going to Omaha for.† I laughed. â€Å"You’re going to miss your flight.† â€Å"Yeah.† He hugged me again, then hesitated before speaking. â€Å"There’s one more thing you need to know. The day after my, uh, idiotic drunken outburst, Seth came to see me.† â€Å"What?† I racked my brain. That would have been during the time I was preparing for the Fest. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"He wanted to know what happened. Between us. All the details.† â€Å"What’d you tell him?† â€Å"The truth.† I stared off at nothing. â€Å"That guy’s crazy about you,† Bastien said after a moment’s silence. â€Å"Love like that†¦well, hell itself has trouble standing against love like that, I think. I don’t know if a succubus and a human can really make things work, but if it can happen, he’ll be the one it happens with.† He hesitated. â€Å"I think, no, I know I was a little jealous of that†¦both that he had your love and you had someone who loved you like that.† He gave me a bittersweet smile. â€Å"Anyway. Good luck. I’m always here if you need me.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said, hugging him again. â€Å"Keep in touch. Maybe we’ll get assigned together again some day.† The roguish look, long absent during our solemn conversation, flashed to his face. â€Å"Oh, the trouble we could cause. The world isn’t ready for us again.† He pressed a soft, sweet kiss against my lips, and then he was gone. A minute later, I felt Carter’s presence behind me. â€Å"Parting is such sweet sorrow.† â€Å"That it is,† I agreed sadly. â€Å"But that’s life, mortal or immortal.† â€Å"How’s your high-wire act with Seth going?† I turned to him, almost having forgotten that reference. â€Å"Bad.† â€Å"Did you look down?† â€Å"Worse than that. I fell off. I fell off and hit bottom.† The angel regarded me with his steady gaze. â€Å"Then you’d better get back on.† I choked on a bitter laugh. â€Å"Is that possible?† â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"As long as the wire hasn’t snapped, you can always climb back on.† I left him and walked a few blocks to catch a bus back to Queen Anne. While I was waiting, I blinked and did a double take as Jody walked by. I hadn’t talked to her in ages. After the Dana scandal, Mitch and Tabitha Hunter had dropped off the face of the Earth. I left the bus stop and ducked into a dark doorway §?laSuperman. A moment later, I hurried to catch up with her as Tabitha. â€Å"Jody!† She stopped and turned around. Her brown eyes widened when she recognized me. â€Å"Tabitha,† she said uncertainly, waiting for me to get to her. â€Å"It’s good to see you.† â€Å"You too. How are things?† â€Å"Okay.† We stood there awkwardly. â€Å"How are you? I mean, after everything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her cheeks crimsoned. â€Å"You don’t have to avoid the topic. I can deal with it,† I told her gently. â€Å"It happened. Nothing to be done about it now.† She looked down at her feet, clearly troubled. â€Å"I’ve been wanting to tell you something. It wasn’t†¦it wasn’t just you, you know.† She looked back up, embarrassed. â€Å"She sort of, you know, approached me too, and we did some things†¦things I didn’t really want to do. But I couldn’t say no either. Not to her. It was a rough time in my life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So. I wasn’t Dana’s first taste of forbidden fruit. The notion that she had forced Jody appalled me, more so than Dana throwing herself into rallies that denied her own nature. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so sorry for her anymore. â€Å"Then she got what she deserved,† I declared icily. â€Å"Maybe,† said Jody, still looking upset. â€Å"It’s been a disaster for their family. I feel the worst for Reese. And then there’s the CPFV†¦they’re a disaster too.† â€Å"Maybe it’s for the best,† I said neutrally. She gave me a sad half-smile. â€Å"I know you don’t believe in them, but they do have potential to do good. I’m actually on my way to a meeting right now. We’re going to decide the fate of the group. I don’t think we’ll disband†¦but I don’t know what direction we’ll go in either. There are some people who think just like Dana. They’re not a majority, but they’re loud. Louder than people like me.† I remembered our gardening conversation. â€Å"And you still want some of the things you talked to me about? Helping those who need help now?† â€Å"Yes. I wish I could walk right in there and speak up. If I could get enough people’s attention, I think we could really go in a new direction. A better direction that might actually affect change instead of just censuring and calling people names.† â€Å"Then you should do exactly that.† â€Å"I can’t. I don’t have the skill to talk to people like that. I’m not that brave.† â€Å"You have the passion.† â€Å"Yeah, but is that enough if I can’t get it out?† Suddenly, I had to fight a giddy smile from taking over my face. â€Å"I’ve got something for you,† I told her, reaching into my purse. â€Å"Here. Take this.† I handed her the last packet of ambrosia. It was dangerous, perhaps, to give it to a mortal, but one dose wouldn’t hit her too badly, and she’d never be able to get more. Besides, taking the temptation away from me was probably for the best. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"It’s a, um, herbal supplement. Like an energy blend. Haven’t you seen those?† She frowned. â€Å"Like ginseng or kava or whatever?† â€Å"Yeah. I mean, it won’t change your life, of course, but it always sort of gives me a kick. You just mix it in a drink and go from there.† â€Å"Well, I was about to buy coffee†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"That’s perfect. And it can’t hurt or anything.† Smiling, I squeezed her arm. â€Å"Do it for me, so I’ll feel like I’ve given you a good-luck charm.† â€Å"Okay. Sure. I’ll take it as soon as I get the coffee.† She glanced at her watch. â€Å"I’ve got to take off now if I want to be on time. You take care of yourself, okay?† â€Å"I will. Thanks. Good luck tonight.† To my surprise, she gave me a quick hug and then disappeared into the crowd of pedestrians. As I rode the bus home, I found I felt better about myself than I had in days. I’d sort of wanted to save the ambrosia for next year’s Emerald Lit Fest, but I supposed I wouldn’t need it so long as I actually allowed myself two days instead of one. After all, a little leeway never hurt. How to cite Succubus on Top CHAPTER 22, Essay examples

Compare and contrast similarities and differences of Porphyrias lover and My last Duchess Essay Example For Students

Compare and contrast similarities and differences of Porphyrias lover and My last Duchess Essay My Last Duchess is an example of a dramatic monologue. It is written in the first person an Italian Duke. The audience the Duke is speaking to is a representative of a count whose daughter the Duke wishes to marry. The Duke shows the representative a painting done of his late wife, his duchess. He starts by exhibiting it with a great sense of pride: Willt please you sit and look at her?, this is because he had it painted by a famous painter Fra Pandolf; That piece a wonder now, Fra Pandolfs hands worked busily a day. The Duke speaks of how beautiful his wife was called that spot Of joy into the Duchess cheek but also how she did not respect him enough, and he says he hired someone to kill her; I gave commands, then all smiles stopped together. The Duke is a very proud man my gift of nine hundred years old name he is saying here that when marrying his duchess, she took on his name, which was a gift and had a history of nine hundred years, he sees it as an honour. However he feels she does not appreciate it as if she ranked My gift With anybodys gift The counts magnificent pride is also illustrated through his enthusiasm for the painting of his duchess. This is why he makes a point of telling the counts representative the history of it and asks him to stop and look at it Willt please you sit and look at her?. From the Dukes title we can straight away see that he is a very powerful man, secondly we notice he was not scared to confess he had his wife killed: I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together. He sees himself as above the law, that no one could prosecute him for killing. The Duke has moved on from his late wife and is already in search of a new wife, this shows he did not necessarily love his late wife but that he wanted to have a someone by his side, someone to control and have them do what he wants. He is very selfish and seems only interested in collecting people like objects. Porphyrias lover is also a dramatic monologue. At first glance you note that Porphyria must be someone important as the name suggests precious jewel. This poem is about Porphyria a young woman from a background of high status who has become part of a relationship with a man from a low status background, who has an obsessive love for her. Unfortunately because of Porphyrias status she must keep her relationship a secret, as her family would not approve. Porphyrias lover wants to have a proper relationship with her, to settle down and live together. He does not want to be a secret, and it may seem to him that she is ashamed of him. So he sees the only way he can have control of her and keep her is to kill her. Porphyrias lover starts by describing the setting around the cottage of her lover: It tore the elm-tops down for spite, And did its worst to vex the lake. The use of the word vex indicates trouble and danger which prepares the reader for what is to come. Following this Porphyria appears to be angelic: When glided in Porphyria; straight She shut the cold out and the storm and all the cottage warm. It seems her presence casts out unpleasant things and she brings warmth to the environment around her. One of the first similarities and differences between these two poems are status and control. .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e , .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .postImageUrl , .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e , .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e:hover , .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e:visited , .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e:active { border:0!important; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e:active , .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uff45ba4490c9dac8c3f7940bd6eca51e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How Grace Nichols' Poetry uses figurative language to achieve EssayIn both poems the person of higher status is in control of the relationship; in Porphyrias Lover it is Porphyria and in My Last Duchess it is the Duke. The difference to go with this, is, in My Last Duchess the man is in control I gave commands. In Porphyrias Lover the woman is in control she put her arm about my waist Porphyria is the active person. Both men want complete control of their relationships and almost ownership/possession of their lovers. The men want control so badly they are willing to have the women killed. Because the Duke already has a lot of control he hires someone to murder his wife. In comparison Porphyrias lover, who has no control, kills her himself, by strangling her with her hair. Hair can be quite a sexual thing and when he strangles her with her own hair, it is almost as if Porphyria, and her lover are killing her together, his hands and her hair. For the first time, they did something together and it was not only her in control, he has achieved his aim. Another similarity is the men are both killers, and the women are both killed. But the difference is, Porphyria is killed out of love, she is only killed because it was the only way her lover could stay with her forever. The duchess is killed out of spite and principal, the Duke did not love his wife as he just has her killed and he moves on, searching for a replacement. Another difference is that the Duke is a powerful man and sees himself as above the law, at his level there is only his law so he will get away with his wifes death even if someone finds out. On the other hand Porphyrias lover has no power at all and will be in especially big trouble because he killed some of a lot higher class than himself. In My Last Duchess the Duke was married to his lover, which should show a strong relationship. In Porphyrias Lover, Porphyria is only a partner/girlfriend of her lover, which should show they do not have as strong a relationship as the Duke and his Duchess. The ironic difference is that the Dukes marriage is weak and he doesnt love his wife he just owns her, this is why not long after her death he is in search of a new wife; the counts daughter he just likes to have a woman as a possession, someone to have control of. Porphyrias lover does love her and wants to keep her forever. Another similarity is that in both poems the men are telling the story. The difference that goes with this is that Porphyrias Lover is written at present, her lover is telling the story as it happens. In My Last Duchess, the Duke has moved on he is already waiting to re-marry he is telling his story in the past tense. In Porphyrias Lover he regresses upon killing her, contemplating whether or not, killing Porphyria was the right thing to do I am quite sure she felt no pain. But he reassures himself: All night long we have not stirred, and yet God has not said a word. If God has not punished him yet, then killing Porphyria was not such a terrible thing. The Duke in My Last Duchess only looks back on killing his wife when he tells the representative but he does not show guilt, he is more proud that he has such power I gave commands, then all smiles stopped together. Porphyrias Lover does not tell his story to a particular person, like the counts representative in My Last Duchess, Porphyrias Lover is just telling it to an audience, to anyone who will listen, usually when people do this they have something they want to get off their chest, in this case Porphyrias death. Again this shows guilt and regret from Porphyrias Lover, he still loves her and has compassion for her. The Duke does not care, he is only worried about himself, and he has moved on, this again shows he is very selfish. .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 , .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .postImageUrl , .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 , .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147:hover , .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147:visited , .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147:active { border:0!important; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147:active , .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147 .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0b5ea62f663199fe398f24af6f3eb147:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How does the presentation of life journeys compare between Tita and Mikage in Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate and Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen? EssayStructure is another major theme of the two poems. Looking at the structure is another way of seeing where control lies. Rhyming couplets show control and the rhyme scheme in My Last duchess, is rhyming couplets the whole way through, so evidently the Duke has lots of control. In Porphyrias Lovers there are only rhyming couplets towards the end, as he kills her, this is the only time in the poem where he has control. On a superficial level, Robert Brownings two monologues are very similar, with the bright, innocent ladies murdered by their twisted, neurotic partners. But on a deeper level there are large differences in the class and circumstances of his characters. In My Last Duchess, the pompous, cruel Duke murders his wife out of convenience. Whereas in Porphyrias Lover the lonely, isolated man kills his adoring lover so he can keep her with him beautiful and loving forever. He was sure that she wanted to die because she did not struggle: So glad, it has its utmost will. The Duke chooses never to stoop and is overly conscious of class and social etiquette. Porphyrias Lover is a total contrast to this. Instead of trying to be magnificent and powerful, like the Duke. Porphyrias Lover is silent and eerie; he seems to be disinterested in life, sitting in the cold, with the sullen wind and the door open. But the two characters are alike in that they share common values; they want to be appreciated and be the only person in their partners life. These values can be seen as very selfish. Porphyria in lines 21-30 is murmuring how she loves her partner, but she was above him in status so she cannot set her hearts struggling passion free, and make their relationship public. She seems very arrogant and assured of his love. And yet in lines 15-30 the impression you might get of Porphyria is of a sweet, caring girl who is besotted with her lover and is giving him a mini speech about how she loves him. Both women are uniform in their cheerfulness, as the men are comparable in their callousness. The men are intense whilst the women light. My Last Duchess is written in a statelier and higher approach. This immediately becomes apparent when comparing it to Porphyrias Lover, which is written in eight syllables per line and has a more ordinary feel to it.