Elizabeth's First Poem example essay topic

Decades before her name became associated with some of the greatest poetry of the Victorian age, Elizabeth Browning was born as Elizabeth Barrett in 1906. She was born in Cox hoe Hall in Durham, England into a family that would be considered multimillionaires according to modern standards (web p. 1). Raised in Hereford, England, Elizabeth experienced a pleasant childhood as the eldest of twelve siblings. She was greatly educated at home by a tutor, by whom she learned to speak Latin, Greek, and read several other languages. Although her younger brothers were able to continue their education elsewhere, Elizabeth's gender restricted her from studying outside her home. Elizabeth's interest in poetry stemmed from her childhood wherein she aspired to one day become a successful poet.

She began composing poems at an early age, with her initial literary efforts traced as far back as age four. Elizabeth's passion for poetry had the full support of her father, who arranged to have Elizabeth's first poem printed in 1819 when she was just thirteen years old (Radley, p. 11). The following year she composed her first collection of poetry, entitled The Battle of Marathon. However rich and prosperous Elizabeth's early life may have seemed, she was soon faced with hardships and sickness that would persist throughout her entire life.

In her mid-teen years, Elizabeth was afflicted with a virus infection, measles, and recurring episodes of pain and fever. Her physical illness was possibly a result of the separation and frustration felt by the absence of her scholarly brothers, and it subsided within a year (web p. 1). In 1821, Elizabeth was prescribed opium after being diagnosed with a "nervous disorder", sparking an addiction to the drug that continued throughout her life. Furthermore, a riding accident in the early 1820's resulted in a spine injury for Elizabeth, which left her an invalid and dependent on morphine for pain relief. After her mother's untimely death in 1928, Elizabeth's sickness returned. Aggravated by London's air pollution, Elizabeth's ailments forced her to retreat to a sick room.

Although she was able to continue her writing in London by contributing to several newspapers, her health suffered when she became very ill as a result of a broken blood vessel. This ailment caused her family to be moved to Tar guay, where the tragedy continued when her favorite brother drowned. After this morbid event, Elizabeth developed an extreme fear of meeting anyone new, which caused her to devote much of her time to literature. Almost as well-known as her literature is Elizabeth's relationship with the poet Robert Browning. When she was thirty-nine years old, Elizabeth began written correspondence with Robert, six years her junior, which developed into courtship. Five months after she received his first letter, Elizabeth allowed Robert to visit her in her sick room and the two quickly fell in love.

Elizabeth's extremely possessive father forbade any of his twelve children to marry, so the relationship was kept a secret until the pair wed on September 12, 1846 in London. Disowned by her father, Elizabeth bravely moved to Florence, Italy with Robert where the fresh air and care of her husband yielded a drastic improvement in her health. Here she developed an interest in Italian politics, which was reflected in some of her poetry of this time period such as "Poems Before Congress", the last work to be published during her lifetime. Elizabeth lived a very relaxed and prosperous life with Robert composing poetry and traveling throughout Europe.

When she was 43 years old, she gave birth to a son, Robert Wiedeman (nicknamed Pen) who would be her only child. Elizabeth continued writing and traveling up until 1861 when her health declined until her death in on July 29 in Florence. The Best Thing in the World What's the best thing in the world? June-rose, by May-dew impearled; Sweet south-wind, that means no rain; Truth, not cruel to a friend; Pleasure, not in haste to end; Beauty, not self-decked and curled Till its pride is over-plain; Love, when, so, you " re loved again What's the best thing in the world? -- Something out of it, I think. Although this poem is relatively short in length, Elizabeth Browning is able to leave the reader with a clear knowledge of what she intended the main idea to be.

This poem expresses the notion of appreciating the simple things in life. The first line poses the question "What's the best thing in the world?" . In the following lines, Elizabeth names some common causes of happiness that many people can relate to, such as temperate Spring weather, honesty between friends, long-lasting pleasure, unspoiled beauty, and mutual love. She concludes her speculation with the opinion that the best thing in the world is "something out of it".

By this statement, Elizabeth affirms that after reviewing all the things that a person would normally name as the "best thing in the world", it becomes apparent that the world is full of these simple pleasures, thus making anything in the world the "best thing". As a whole, this poem reflects Elizabeth's desire to show the reader that the best experiences and emotions in the world are available everywhere at every moment. It leaves the reader with a new perspective on the seemingly simple, unimportant aspects of one's daily life. "The Best Thing in the World" has a structure, but Elizabeth incorporates her own style into it to show that she is not bound by the structure she chooses. One element of the structure is that each line has seven syllables. Furthermore, Elizabeth includes rhyme in her poem, but not in any apparent pattern.

The rhyme scheme for this poem is "a a b c c a e e a g". Using poetic license, Elizabeth creates phrases such as "self-decked" and "May-dew" and words like "impearled" to fit the rhyme, metre, and subject of the poem. The three main literary terms used in this piece are theme, tone, and repetition. As discussed earlier, the theme of this poem is to appreciate life's simple pleasures.

Instead of declaring the theme for the reader, Elizabeth includes her main idea in the form of an implied theme, suggested in the final line of the poem. She uses this ultimate statement to clearly communicate her theme to her audience. Elizabeth Browning's tone, or attitude, in this poem is optimistic, perceptive, and almost naive. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects in life, she looks around at the world and describes the love, beauty, and peacefulness that surround her.

Whether she is viewing the world through rose-colored glasses because of love or she possesses the unconditional hopefulness of a child, the author's tone comes off as innocent because of her slanted view of the world. However, with her understanding of the importance of living life for its simple pleasures, she is able to reflect back on her original question and come up with an answer that fits her tone. Finally, Elizabeth utilizes the literary device of repetition in order to depict a question and answer sequence throughout the poem. For example, the poem begins with the question, "What's the best thing in the world?" which is repeated directly before the answer in the closing line of the piece.

She uses this device to tie the poem together and to allow the reader to recognize the resolution to the original question. Overall, Elizabeth Browning's theme, tone, and use of repetition make this poem more structured, interesting, and clearly understood. Throughout Elizabeth's poetry there is a recurring theme of love and romance, which is directed towards her husband Robert. The tone of these love poems is amorous, blissful, and full of admiration. To this day, Elizabeth is known for her love poems because of the emotion, sincerity, and beautiful language that are present throughout. In general, Elizabeth uses imagery in many of her poems in order to create a scene, which allows the reader to feel the mood of the poem.

What distinguishes Elizabeth's poetry from that of other literary artists of her time period is the wisdom, honesty, and simplicity that make her poems timeless. Especially in poems such as "The Lady's 'Yes' " and "My Heart and I", Elizabeth tells a story that concludes with a moral, leaving the reader with Elements of the many chapters of Elizabeth's dramatic and romantic life are evident throughout many of her poems. To begin with, in Elizabeth's life she pushed the boundaries of what behavior was commonly accepted for woman of the Victorian time period. Not only was she a successful poet on her own regard, she married a younger man, alienated herself from her father, gave birth after age forty, and freely expressed her political views in her writing. Her free spirit and feminist attitude are apparent in the poem Aurora Leigh, in which Browning writes: "We " ll keep our aims sublime, our eyes erect Although our woman-hands should shake and fail; And if we fail...

But must we? -... Deal with us nobly, women though we be. And honour us with truth if not with praise". Furthermore, after Elizabeth moved to Florence with Robert, she became fascinated with politics, especially in the unity of Italy and the abolition of slavery. She made these views known to the public and stated her points in such compositions as "Casa Guide Windows", written about unifying Italy, an anti-slavery book called "The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point", and the collection "Poems Before Congress".

In the poem analyzed previously, "The Best Thing in the World", it was said that Elizabeth was able to view the world as perfect, almost as if she were looking through the eyes of a child. This tone is a reflection of Elizabeth's personal life because she lived a wealthy, comfortable existence in which she was constantly loved and cared for. Because she was never wanting for anything, she had the ability to take the time to enjoy the simple pleasure of life. If Elizabeth had struggled throughout her life, financially or otherwise, the poem would most likely either never been written or been composed with a more negative tone.

Most importantly, the majority of Elizabeth's work is clearly inspired by her fairy-tale romance with her husband Robert Browning. She is best known for her dozens of love sonnets composed with Robert in mind, especially Sonnet 43 from the collection "Sonnets from the Portuguese". This particular sonnet contains the celebrated line "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways". and describes the incomparable and unconditional love Elizabeth wishes to express. Furthermore, the very name of the collection "Sonnets from the Portuguese" was inspired by the nickname "my little Portuguese" Robert gave to Elizabeth because of her dark complexion (web p. 1). In addition to her verse created with the intent of publication, the romantic and poetic letters of correspondence between Elizabeth and Robert have also been published since her death.

Overall, it is difficult, if not impossible, to find a poem composed by Elizabeth Browning that does not reflect some aspect of her life..