Essay of a poem in Meeting at Night by Robert Browning DOCX

Title	Essay of a poem in Meeting at Night by Robert Browning
Author	Sarah Alya
Pages	3
File Size	13.7 KB
File Type	DOCX
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Essay of a poem in Meeting at Night by Robert Browning "Meeting at Night", Browning focuses on the clandestine journey of the narrator across land and sea to meet his lover. The development of setting from sea to land complements the shifting tones in the poem, while the sense of urgency for the narrator is gained through the use of the first person narrative and the present tense. Browning's employment of sensory details in conjunction with striking imagery makes the poem particularly vivid and immediate, and the symmetrical rhyme scheme draws together to reinforce the theme. The development of various literary devices mirrors the journey of the narrator to his lover, ending in the romantic image of the two next to each other. This poem explores the journey of the narrator to reach his lover. The setting shifts throughout the journey, from the "grey sea" to the "mile of sea-scented beach" reflecting the terrain, as well as the tones of the poem. The themes of anxiety and tension are enacted using active and energetic verbs and images, such as "startled", "leap", and "spurt". The focus of the poem tightens in its progression, starting from the open sea and the "long black land" to the "farm" and furthermore, to the "tap at the pane". The title of the poem, "Meeting at Night", suggests an element of secrecy and anxiety due to the idea that the meeting has occurred during night and shrouded in darkness, which is manifested in the urgency and eagerness of the narrator. The vivid details seem to have no specific hierarchical value given by the narrator, suggesting the focus of attention on his goal of reaching his lover. Setting plays an important role in creating the backdrop for the journey in the poem, in addition to complementing the shifting tones. The scenic background is created in the opening two lines, a "yellow half-moon large and low", with a heavy appeal to various colours. The reader is moved along by the narrator's eagerness "as I gain the cove" and in "the slushy sand". The second stanza opens with the image of "a mile of warm ... beach", a swift development from the journey at sea, and then onto the fields and building rapidly to the farmhouse. The hurried transition of the setting echoes the urgency of the narrator on his secretive travel. Moreover, the setting complements the shifts in tone that occur, such as the "startled little waves" suggesting a more anxious tone than the gentle pictorial opening would suggest. Browning thus uses setting to complement the development of mood, and enact the themes of urgency and anxiety in this poem. The sense of urgency and eagerness in the poem is created through the use of the first person narrative and the present tense. The poem is made much more immediate through the...