Comparing Unseen Poetry

Please note, this is a lite version, so your response is likely to be more thorough given full poems to analyse. 

Upper Lambourne is a poem that suggests that success is transitory, while nature is timeless and will continue to live and thrive. By contrast, Imitated from Ossian conveys the idea that everything grows old or changes over time and nothing remains perfect forever. 

Both poems seem to indicate a sense of control as they are tightly structured into 3 stanzas and 4 lines per stanza. However, Upper Lambourne breaks from this structure and utilises freeverse with occasional rhyme, along with enjambment. This break from the expectations of grammar and structure might be indicative of how nature breaks free from human rules and restrictions. On the other hand, Imitated from Ossian has an even tighter structure with a consistent abab rhyme scheme, which might be used to indicate the predictability of time - it always continues in the same, expected manner. However, this is broken with the use of enjambment and caesura, which might echo the decay of structure and power at the hands of time. There is also a sense of a cyclical structure with the repeated use of "lumin", which might again emphasise how time never stops. 

Coleridge and Betjeman also use strong language to convey their ideas. In Upper Lambourne, the repetition of "up the" gives the reader a sense of climbing and moving higher, which might be a way to demonstrate transition. Likewise, we see personification in the phrase, "climbs the ivy". Ivy is largely associated with being a very hardy plant and one that easily takes over whatever space is given to it. Is this perhaps a metaphor for humans who are constantly trying to achieve greater things at the expense of the environment around us? We can also see another stark use of language in the phrase "neglected elder" which has a double meaning: a rotten tree or a forgotten older person. If readers return to the ideas of the ivy, this might then be interpreted more as the latter idea, as we again focus on our success and not those around us. Imitated from Ossian also uses nature and personification to convey its meaning. Such lines as, "stream...creeps", "lily weeps", and "slow-waving to the gale" creates a negative and sad tone to the work. Readers might then feel remorseful at the implied loss that nature feels as things slowly change. There is also a use of alliteration in the line, "tomorrow shall the traveller" which might mimic the sound of the tapping of shoes as the person enters and comes in. 

Finally, both poems use vivid imagery in their lines, especially that of nature. Upper Lambourne uses plants like "ivy" and "nettles", both of which do not have purely positive connotations. This is somewhat reflected in the weather as well, in which sibilance is used in the line "shift the shade". Shade is not entirely negative as it is not dark, but it is also not as positive as sunlight. We also associate shade with a reprieve in hot weather, so perhaps the author is suggesting that calm or sadder times help protect us or give us a moment to reflect on the good in our lives. We also see flowers and weather in Imitated from Ossian, where there is a semantic field of a floral note. A "lily" is mentioned, along with "flowering vale" and "blooming". This might make us think of a space filled with flowers, which would bring us comfort and peace. This might stress his message to enjoy the good while it lasts, as it won't remain forever. 

When reading Upper Lambourne, the reader is meant to feel a sense of loss and nostalgia as they look back fondly on achievements in a life now past. Meanwhile, in Imitated from Ossian, the reader is meant to gain a sense of perspective and scale in their life. Worries of growing older and time passing should not consume them, but rather they should take comfort from the continual presence of nature. 

Wendy Cope’s poems “He Tells Her” and “Your Mother Knows” both explore the theme of oppression. In “He Tells Her,” Cope presents a man who constantly explains things to a woman in a patronising way, even though she already understands. This highlights how some men try to control conversations and act as though women are less intelligent. In “Your Mother Knows,” a mother argues that the earth is flat, citing religion as a reason for her beliefs. Both poems deal with the disappointment and frustration experienced as a result of societal oppression.

The tone of “He Tells Her” is dry and ironic. The repeated phrase “He tells her” shows how often the man dominates the conversation. Even when the woman challenges this, she is undermined by him and forcibly put back into her place. In “Your Mother Knows,” the tone is more knowing and uses emotional guilt to try and make her case. The rhyme scheme makes the message sound sing-song and repetitive, emphasising the child's exasperation at this absurd argument. 

Both poems focus on how domaneering societal forces suppress scientific knowledge, especially in women, and expect complete compliance in order to continue to remain in power. In "He tells her", the male maintains control by refusing to discuss the subject as an equal, in "Your Mother Knows", the woman has clearly been brainwashed and has no academic foundation to her beliefs (a commentary on the lack of education provided to women). 

Overall, Wendy Cope uses irony and simple, clear language to comment on how women are not given the same rights and privileges as their male counterparts. She uses this as a way to expose the damaging effects of oppression and how absurd it is to block or change facts in order to maintain power.