Essay Questions

What can you deduce about the speaker’s emotional situation “I Live, I die, I burn, I Drown”?

The title connotes a scenario of emotional turmoil whereby the speaker is undergoing an emotional roller coaster. For example, the speaker says, “Suddenly I laugh and at the same time cry.” This line shows that the speaker’s emotions change abruptly; thus, they are inconstant. Laughing is an expression of delight whereas crying is an expression of displeasure. Seemingly, the speaker’s positive and negative feelings are convoluted; hence, their predictability is equivocal.

What is the effect of the line: “Come, Death, and cast thy shadow o’er my fate!” in “While Yet These Tears”

This, "Come, Death, and cast thy shadow o’er my fate!” in “While Yet These Tears”, is the last line in the poem. It comes after the speaker has been crying resulting to the loss of his/her voice. The speaker has reached a saturation point in crying and, thus, cannot cry anymore .Clearly, the speaker is resigned to life and considers death to be the optimal way out. Death is a preoccupation which guarantees the speaker that he or she will not need to be sad or to cry after death.

Why does Louise Lobe allude to ‘Vulcan’ and ‘Adonis’ is Sonnet Xxiv?

This is a religious allusion whereby Vulcan and Adonis are , according to the poem, the 'god of fire' and 'god of desire' respectfully. The religious allusion augments the speaker’s argument about the potency of love. Love is powerful ;thus, it cannot be overcome by mere human beings including the speaker. The desire to love and to be loved is transcendental, thus it prompts human beings to do the impossible to get it.