Assignment
Answer the following questions for Alfred, Lord Tennyson's and Robert Browning's poems poems
Robert Browning's poems; "Porphyria's Lover" and My Last Duchess
1. What do the male speakers in "Porphyria's Lover" and "My Last Duchess" reveal about themselves over the course of their respective dramatic monologues? (100 words)
2. Why does each one murder the woman in his life? What social commentary do these poems make about men and women and appropriate, sanctioned behavior for women in a patriarchal society? (250 words)
Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Poems; "The Lady of Shalott", "The lutos eathers" and "Ulysses".
1. If we were to look at the Lady of Shalott as an artist, what statement does this poem make about the artist's responsibility to his/her art? According to this poem, what happens to the artist when s/he tries to live as part of "normal" society? What is necessary in order for the artist to be creative? Do you agree with this view? Why or why not? (150 words)
2. Do you agree with the mariners' view that since we will all eventually die, it is better not to waste our lives in toil? Why or why not? (100 words)
3. What does Ulysses's dramatic monologue reveal about himself--his virtues and his flaws? (100 words)