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Rawbeef Posted 20 years ago
Essay & Composition Writing

Help! "comparing the presentation of attitudes to Women

0I really need help with this assignment. I really don't understand how poetic devises refer to the presentation of attitudes towards women in Godiva.02br
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00I am pretty hopeless as english is not my first language01b00 02b00and i need help structuring my essay as well02br
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00any help is much appreciated02br
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001. The men, what are they like, quotations, language, their status02br
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002. Expectations of women, touching on whether or not the envoy planned to leave02br
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00:3. Poetic devices02br
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01b00Here are the poems:02b02br
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01b00My Last Duchess02b02br
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00That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, 02br
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00Looking as if she were alive. I call 02br
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00That piece a wonder, now: Fra Pandolf's hands 02br
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00Worked busily a day, and there she stands. 02br
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00Will't please you sit and look at her? I said 02br
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00"Fra Pandolf" by design, for never read 02br
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00Strangers like you that pictured countenance, 02br
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00The depth and passion of its earnest glance, 02br
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00But to myself they turned (since none puts by 02br
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00The curtain I have drawn for you, but I) 02br
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00And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst, 02br
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00How such a glance came there; so, not the first 02br
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00Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 'twas not 02br
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00Her husband's presence only, called that spot 02br
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00Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps 02br
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00Fra Pandolf chanced to say "Her mantle laps 02br
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00Over my lady's wrist too much," or "Paint 02br
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00Must never hope to reproduce the faint 02br
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00Half-flush that dies along her throat": such stuff 02br
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00Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough 02br
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00For calling up that spot of joy. She had 02br
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00A heart---how shall I say?---too soon made glad, 02br
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00Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er 02br
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00She looked on, and her looks went everywhere. 02br
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00Sir, 'twas all one! My favour at her breast, 02br
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00The dropping of the daylight in the West, 02br
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00The bough of cherries some officious fool 02br
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00Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule 02br
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00She rode with round the terrace---all and each 02br
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00Would draw from her alike the approving speech, 02br
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00Or blush, at least. She thanked men,---good! but thanked 02br
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00Somehow-01del00I know not how02del00-as if she ranked 02br
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00My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name 02br
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00With anybody's gift. Who'd stoop to blame 02br
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00This sort of trifling? Even had you skill 02br
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00In speech---(which I have not)---to make your will 02br
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00Quite clear to such an one, and say, "Just this 02br
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00Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss, 02br
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00Or there exceed the mark"---and if she let 02br
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00Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set 02br
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00Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse, 02br
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00---E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose 02br
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00Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt, 02br
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00Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without 02br
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00Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands; 02br
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00Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands 02br
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00As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet 02br
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00The company below, then. I repeat, 02br
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00The Count your master's known munificence 02br
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00Is ample warrant that no just pretence 02br
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00Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; 02br
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00Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed 02br
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00At starting, is my object. Nay, we'll go 02br
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00Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though, 02br
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00Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity, 02br
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00Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!02br
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01b00Godiva02b02br
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00I waited for the train at Coventry; 02br
00I hung with grooms and porters on the bridge, 02br
00To watch the three tall spires; and there I shaped 02br
00The city's ancient legend into this:02br
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00Not only we, the latest seed of Time, 02br
00New men, that in the flying of a wheel 02br
00Cry down the past, not only we, that prate 02br
00Of rights and wrongs, have loved the people well, 02br
00And loathed to see them overtax'd; but she 02br
00Did more, and underwent, and overcame, 02br
00The woman of a thousand summers back, 02br
00Godiva, wife to that grim Earl, who ruled 02br
00In Coventry: for when he laid a tax 02br
00Upon his town, and all the mothers brought 02br
00Their children, clamoring, "If we pay, we starve!" 02br
00She sought her lord, and found him, where he strode 02br
00About the hall, among his dogs, alone, 02br
00His beard a foot before him and his hair 02br
00A yard behind. She told him of their tears, 02br
00And pray'd him, "If they pay this tax, they starve." 02br
00Whereat he stared, replying, half-amazed, 02br
00"You would not let your little finger ache 02br
00For such as these?" -- "But I would die," said she. 02br
00He laugh'd, and swore by Peter and by Paul; 02br
00Then fillip'd at the diamond in her ear; 02br
00"Oh ay, ay, ay, you talk!" -- "Alas!" she said, 02br
00"But prove me what I would not do." 02br
00And from a heart as rough as Esau's hand, 02br
00He answer'd, "Ride you naked thro' the town, 02br
00And I repeal it;" and nodding, as in scorn, 02br
00He parted, with great strides among his dogs. 02br
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00So left alone, the passions of her mind, 02br
00As winds from all the compass shift and blow, 02br
00Made war upon each other for an hour, 02br
00Till pity won. She sent a herald forth, 02br
00And bade him cry, with sound of trumpet, all 02br
00The hard condition; but that she would loose 02br
00The people: therefore, as they loved her well, 02br
00From then till noon no foot should pace the street, 02br
00No eye look down, she passing; but that all 02br
00Should keep within, door shut, and window barr'd. 02br
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00Then fled she to her inmost bower, and there 02br
00Unclasp'd the wedded eagles of her belt, 02br
00The grim Earl's gift; but ever at a breath 02br
00She linger'd, looking like a summer moon 02br
00Half-dipt in cloud: anon she shook her head, 02br
00And shower'd the rippled ringlets to her knee; 02br
00Unclad herself in haste; adown the stair 02br
00Stole on; and, like a creeping sunbeam, slid 02br
00From pillar unto pillar, until she reach'd 02br
00The Gateway, there she found her palfrey trapt 02br
00In purple blazon'd with armorial gold. 02br
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00Then she rode forth, clothed on with chastity: 02br
00The deep air listen'd round her as she rode, 02br
00And all the low wind hardly breathed for fear. 02br
00The little wide-mouth'd heads upon the spout 02br
00Had cunning eyes to see: the barking cur 02br
00Made her cheek flame; her palfrey's foot-fall shot 02br
00Light horrors thro' her pulses; the blind walls 02br
00Were full of chinks and holes; and overhead 02br
00Fantastic gables, crowding, stared: but she 02br
00Not less thro' all bore up, till, last, she saw 02br
00The white-flower'd elder-thicket from the field, 02br
00Gleam thro' the Gothic archway in the wall. 02br
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00Then she rode back, clothed on with chastity; 02br
00And one low churl, compact of thankless earth, 02br
00The fatal byword of all years to come, 02br
00Boring a little auger-hole in fear, 02br
00Peep'd -- but his eyes, before they had their will, 02br
00Were shrivel'd into darkness in his head, 02br
00And dropt before him. So the Powers, who wait 02br
00On noble deeds, cancell'd a sense misused; 02br
00And she, that knew not, pass'd: and all at once, 02br
00With twelve great shocks of sound, the shameless noon 02br
00Was clash'd and hammer'd from a hundred towers, 02br
00One after one: but even then she gain'd 02br
00Her bower; whence reissuing, robed and crown'd, 02br
00To meet her lord, she took the tax away 02br
00And built herself an everlasting name.02br
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00 01pre
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01b00“Compare the Presentation of Attitudes to Women in ‘Godiva’ and ‘My Last Duchess’02b02br
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00 These two poems were written by Lord Alfred Tennyson and Robert Browning both in the 1901sup00th02sup00 century and they both share some key points about attitudes to Women. The men in both plays also are key characters in both poems because what we learn from them helps us learn a great deal about attitudes towards Women.02br
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00 The husbands of both these women depict a lot about Godiva and the last duchess. The Duke criticises the Duchess as “too soon made glad, too easily impressed,” and does not give a thought for her feelings whatsoever. This is the same in Godiva. The “grim earl” laugh’d, then fillip’d at the diamond in her ear” when Godiva argues to get rid of the tax. This is also an example of how the men treat the Women as objects, how the Earl can do what they want to Godiva. This is also evident in ‘My Last Duchess’. The Duke treats the Duchess as he treats his portrait. He treats the Duchess as an object to “sit and look at” and “the curtain I have drawn for you” is an example of how the Duchess’s presence can be removed whenever the Duke wishes to” and an example of the Duke treating the Duchess as an object. There is the repeated use of “she” and “her” to describe the women but never by their first name unlike the men who are described as the “Earl” and “Duke”. The Husbands in both poems seem to have a higher status than the women. The Earl “laugh’d” and “parted, with great strides among his dogs” at Godiva when she suggests to remove the tax, which shows that Godiva asks upon the men for change and the Earl has no respect for her as well as his power. The Duke’s evidence for status and established power is shown when he describes “his gift of a nine-hundred year old name”. The Duke and Earl also appears to be more sophisticated and knowledgeable than the women in the poems, with the use of perfect iambic pentameter, sophisticated language and more cultural shown when he calls one of the Duchess’ acquaintance as an “officious fool” and the use of the word “munificence. The Duke’s evidence for status and established power is shown when he describes “his gift of a nine-hundred year old name” All these attributes of the men seem to make women inferior apart from already being treated as inferior.02br
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00 The Women in both poems are treated like sex objects. The Duchess flirts with other men, “her looks went everywhere” and the men would “draw from her alike the approving speech”. Godiva is described in much detail when she undresses such an example seen when she “shower’d the rippled ringlets to her knee”, Lord Alfred Tennyson seen using alliteration to emphasize “rippled ringlets”. 02br
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00 Even though the Duchess is described as “A heart . . . how shall I say? . . . too soon made glad, Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er”, effectively an unfaithful, cheating wife, Browning uses irony to reveal that actually the Duchess had compassion, modesty, humility, delight in simple pleasures, and courtesy to those who served her. This is unlike in Godiva. Godiva does not have the respect of everyone, the peeping tom in the poem “had cunning eyes to see” which was disrespectful when Godiva was riding around, and only after she removed the tax away she gained the respect of the peasants and “built herself an everlasting name”. 0-
  

Top answer

0 Very clever, Jason. I'm sure the fact that it's now the first hit on google will help you cheat your way to a GCSE. 0-

  • 0 Very clever, Jason.
  • I'm sure the fact that it's now the first hit on google will help you cheat your way to a GCSE.
  • 0-
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0 Very clever, Jason. I'm sure the fact that it's now the first hit on google will help you cheat your way to a GCSE. 0-

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