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Parsa Posted 22 years ago
My Analysis of “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” by Robert Browning
[Note that I was supposed to do a "200-250 word journal in which you comment upon the meaning of the text and how it is conveyed. This analysis will most likely require and examination of any literary devices found within the text."]
Tell me what you think:
After doing some research about the poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, it is apparent that Robert Browning was inspired, when writing this, from Shakespeare’s King Lear when Edgar says sings in Act III. The title refers to a young noble man who is yet to knighted, Ronald, and is on a quest to find the Dark Tower. The research done made known the fact that this is one of the most difficult and perplexing poems of Browning. A dictionary along with hours of reading and re-reading made it fairly apparent that the meaning of the poem is about the significance of perseverance and determination at times of hardship, even if triumph is virtually and/or seemingly impossible. Browning conveys this meaning through use of rhyming scheme, imagery, personification, metaphor, simile, alliteration, along with historical and literary allusion. He uses an extended metaphor in the seventh stanza to compare Ronald’s apathy and lack of hope with what the dying man says in the last two lines of the fifth stanza. Browning’s extended metaphor helps the reader understand the adversity Ronald is going through and how he has to continue even though he has seen others fail before his eyes. Throughout his quest the speaker faces ugliness and negativity by means of plain and unsightly nature. Browning has symbolized the obstacles and corruption of urban life, the life that was blooming in the Victorian age, through the desolateness and bareness of the landscape. In the eleventh stanza personification is employed by giving the nature the ability to speak so it can present itself as an obstacle in Ronald’s way. Browning, here, wants nature to be the discouraging barrier in Ronald’s road to the Dark Tower. Descriptive imagery is used throughout the poem to portray the horror and bewilderment that he is experiencing. In the twenty-sixth stanza of “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, the imagery, along with the incorporated simile comparing an oak tree to a “distorted mouth that splits its rim/Gaping at death”, is conveying death and nothingness, which subsequently symbolizes the corruption of the Victorian era’s modern life as an obstacle to success and happiness. Robert Browning’s use of personification and metaphor in the second last stanza of the poem presents the failures of the past; those who lost the battle of the Dark Tower are demonstrated before Ronald’s eyes purposely in attempt to horrify him even more. Yet, as depicted in the last stanza, Ronald exemplifies the main point of the poem as he courageously goes to battle, despite being in the dark of death’s ominous shadow.
Tell me what you think:
After doing some research about the poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, it is apparent that Robert Browning was inspired, when writing this, from Shakespeare’s King Lear when Edgar says sings in Act III. The title refers to a young noble man who is yet to knighted, Ronald, and is on a quest to find the Dark Tower. The research done made known the fact that this is one of the most difficult and perplexing poems of Browning. A dictionary along with hours of reading and re-reading made it fairly apparent that the meaning of the poem is about the significance of perseverance and determination at times of hardship, even if triumph is virtually and/or seemingly impossible. Browning conveys this meaning through use of rhyming scheme, imagery, personification, metaphor, simile, alliteration, along with historical and literary allusion. He uses an extended metaphor in the seventh stanza to compare Ronald’s apathy and lack of hope with what the dying man says in the last two lines of the fifth stanza. Browning’s extended metaphor helps the reader understand the adversity Ronald is going through and how he has to continue even though he has seen others fail before his eyes. Throughout his quest the speaker faces ugliness and negativity by means of plain and unsightly nature. Browning has symbolized the obstacles and corruption of urban life, the life that was blooming in the Victorian age, through the desolateness and bareness of the landscape. In the eleventh stanza personification is employed by giving the nature the ability to speak so it can present itself as an obstacle in Ronald’s way. Browning, here, wants nature to be the discouraging barrier in Ronald’s road to the Dark Tower. Descriptive imagery is used throughout the poem to portray the horror and bewilderment that he is experiencing. In the twenty-sixth stanza of “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, the imagery, along with the incorporated simile comparing an oak tree to a “distorted mouth that splits its rim/Gaping at death”, is conveying death and nothingness, which subsequently symbolizes the corruption of the Victorian era’s modern life as an obstacle to success and happiness. Robert Browning’s use of personification and metaphor in the second last stanza of the poem presents the failures of the past; those who lost the battle of the Dark Tower are demonstrated before Ronald’s eyes purposely in attempt to horrify him even more. Yet, as depicted in the last stanza, Ronald exemplifies the main point of the poem as he courageously goes to battle, despite being in the dark of death’s ominous shadow.
Top answer
A few points after a quick scan. 1. Use paragraphs!
- A few points after a quick scan.
- 1.
- Use paragraphs!
- 2.
- 'After doing some research' 'The research done made known the fact that' 'A dictionary along with hours of reading and re-reading made it fairly apparent that'.
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10 Answers
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A few points after a quick scan.
1. Use paragraphs!
2. 'After doing some research' 'The research done made known the fact that' 'A dictionary along with hours of reading and re-reading made it fairly apparent that'. All pointless padding contributing nothing to your answer. You may have a word count target but you have to fill it with relevant material.
3. 'use of
1. Use paragraphs!
2. 'After doing some research' 'The research done made known the fact that' 'A dictionary along with hours of reading and re-reading made it fairly apparent that'. All pointless padding contributing nothing to your answer. You may have a word count target but you have to fill it with relevant material.
3. 'use of
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0 This piece definately needs to be polished! many good points/ideas; however, they are long and drawn out. Work on the conciseness of the works, as well as further develop some of the points made in the text. And, any amateur writer knows how to use paragraphes!! 0-
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Get your facts straight, his name is Roland! The Dark Tower stuff started as a wives' tale in the Middle Ages, in which a young man (Roland, not Ronald) has his young sister kidnapped while playing near a church. He's sent to rescue her by Roland's father after all of Roland's brothers were captured and imprisoned in the Dark Tower trying. He had to venture in the land of the elves, and had to ki
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im just correcting you he doesnt blow a horn at the end, he is supposed to like is in the prophecy which is this poem but he fails this task because he left it behind at the battle of Jericho hill
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everything you said was correct except one part, The hoary cripple isnt Randall Flagg, its Joe Collins, a.k.a. Dandelo the cripple roland and susannah meet on "odds lane" who turns out to be a kind of vampire. Susannah points the fact out to Roland after finding the browning poem in Dandelos bathroom and reading it.
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He doesn't blow the horn at the end (I'm not sure why), but he is in possession of it. King leaves hope that maybe the endless loop may finally come to an end and Roland can finally rest through the horn.
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interesting viewpoint. thanks much. i should think that a Dark Tower can refer to a shadowy "reward" of sorts for any kind of quest. Perhaps it is that to become a great poet (ranked with Shakespeare, mayhaps), but more likely some kind of negative zen enlightenment, the realization that all struggle is for naught, because the final answer is always nothingness, "mu," but even yet might be worth t
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Roland it's already dead and take directions from Charon to cross the Stix or the Acheron river, once he did it, he's at Hades.
the poem it's all about how a dead man feels on his way to ****... That is why is so scary, like once was described by H.P. Lovecraft.
most of the Victorian writers use greek mithology references, the Spanish classic an romantic poetry is also full of it.
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