StaceyK293920
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Question: Below is an essay introduction based on a reading of ‘The Lady of Shalott’. Write a 250 word paragraph based on one of the arguments outlined in the introduction.
You will be marked on:
‘The Lady of Shalott’ is a poem that deals with the position of women in the Victorian Era. By evoking the Arthurian figure of the Lady, Tennyson highlights the tension between the role of women in Victorian society and their desire for political and emotional freedom. Tennyson uses a highly structured, rhythmic ballad form which symbolises the entrapment of the Lady and the conflict between her caged life in a tower and her desire to experience a real life. The Lady lives vicariously through the tapestry she creates which mirrors the real world. It is when love, in the guise of Sir Lancelot, enters the Lady’s realm that she decides to quit her private sphere and enter the public one, enabling a curse to be fulfilled. This is a metaphor for the treatment of women in the nineteenth century, when any action made by a woman, independent of the will of a husband or father, was deemed inappropriate and frowned upon by acceptable society. In addition to this idea, the nature of a woman’s action, independent of her role in the domestic or private sphere, led to her labelling as a sexually liberated individual, in a society of sexual repression. The Lady dies in her attempt to enter the real world where love and happiness are possible, reflecting the inability of women to express independence and sexuality in the conservative and repressive world of Victorian England.
The arguments:
Part 1: The Lady
Part 2: Tennyson’s form
Part 3: The tapestry and its symbolism
Part 4: Private/public sphere
Part 5: Sexual repression
I'm in desperate need of help. Which topic should I choose? Any suggested ideas per topic or your own perspective for a whole topic? Post it up and good karma will come back to you
. Thanks guys.
You will be marked on:
- Your use of a clear and concise topic sentence
- Poetic techniques used to support the argument
- Elaboration and clarification of the argument
‘The Lady of Shalott’ is a poem that deals with the position of women in the Victorian Era. By evoking the Arthurian figure of the Lady, Tennyson highlights the tension between the role of women in Victorian society and their desire for political and emotional freedom. Tennyson uses a highly structured, rhythmic ballad form which symbolises the entrapment of the Lady and the conflict between her caged life in a tower and her desire to experience a real life. The Lady lives vicariously through the tapestry she creates which mirrors the real world. It is when love, in the guise of Sir Lancelot, enters the Lady’s realm that she decides to quit her private sphere and enter the public one, enabling a curse to be fulfilled. This is a metaphor for the treatment of women in the nineteenth century, when any action made by a woman, independent of the will of a husband or father, was deemed inappropriate and frowned upon by acceptable society. In addition to this idea, the nature of a woman’s action, independent of her role in the domestic or private sphere, led to her labelling as a sexually liberated individual, in a society of sexual repression. The Lady dies in her attempt to enter the real world where love and happiness are possible, reflecting the inability of women to express independence and sexuality in the conservative and repressive world of Victorian England.
The arguments:
Part 1: The Lady
Part 2: Tennyson’s form
Part 3: The tapestry and its symbolism
Part 4: Private/public sphere
Part 5: Sexual repression
I'm in desperate need of help. Which topic should I choose? Any suggested ideas per topic or your own perspective for a whole topic? Post it up and good karma will come back to you
. Thanks guys.
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