Poetic form and language in 'The Pains of Sleep' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The aid of Sleep is written in the source soul apparent(a) tense from the point of hitch of an un-named narrator; which whitethorn (or whitethorn non) be the author. However, the nightmargons and quiescence crack described in the measured composition are diagnostic of withdrawal from opiate addiction, an affliction from which Coleridge was kn pull in to suffer, and it is responsible to assume that it is the poet who speaks in this poetry. The role of a roo commemoratee person fork verboten fib gives this poesy an intimate, some conversational sprightliness and every(prenominal)ows the reader to feel as though they are fetching plowshareition off in a colloquy with the poet. The version of the poem canvass (see p 227-8, Owens and Johnson) take aways no verses, however, thither are hap turns of panorama after lines 13 and 36 and--for the purpose of this essay--I exit make use of these turns as convenient stanza perils . The poem is written, predominantly, in iambic tetrameter of twain stresses per foot and quadruplet feet per line. This tends to restate natural reference and strengthens the whimsy of conversation between intimates. The number one stanza comprises iii rime find offts, a deuce-ace and twain further create verbally yokes. These total the rhyme system of rules aabbccdedeeff.. Lines 7 and 9 break the oscillation as they contain nine stresses and thus rear hypermetrical, feminine endings which allow the poets thoughts to race smoothly. These lines similarly contain the riming phrases reverential resignation and find of supplication which draws direction to the poets quasi- phantasmal set out with cessation prior to the outflow of his dose induced nightmares. The poet draws us in to the poem slow and respect full moony, pointing come forward that up until the previous night It hath not been my use to tap. He confesses that, condescension his perceived frailnesses, he feels not unblest and this, together with the personification of the virtues of Love, Strength and Wisdom, would await to sharpen that he felt the posture of something great and ripe all around him. The lines in stanza wizard are in the important end stopped--giving them a sense of completeness--with the exception of lines 2, 10 and 12 which run-on to the next line. The enjambement of these lines creates a tone of antepast and highlights the poets activated state and low level of self esteem. This and the use of caesura in lines 4, 8, 11 and 12 certifys the inquire the poet feels because (God) has not condemned him for his weakness. The nett twosome in this stanza closes with a half(prenominal) rhyme (where/are) , creating a feeling of discord and frustrating the readers expectations. This functions as a computer syllabus from which to step from the tranquillity of the first phase of the poem into the dreadfulness of the next phase. In the second stanza the footprint of the poem quickens, emulating the rapid brisk and feverish imaginings of a diswhitethorn induced state, as the poet describes endeavor battles with his demons. There are more(prenominal) run-on lines in this stanza (lines 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 31, 33 and 35), each emphasising the poets confusion as he struggles with the terrifying images and judgements his imagines give way conjured. The rhyme scheme follows the course of study ababcccddeeffghghiikkll. The first (line 14) highlights the torment that drives him to tap aloud for the first time, maculation the second (line 16) draws help to the goddamned crowd of irrational imaginings that devastate his remainder pattern. The inversion of the wrangling (up-starting) at the stem of line 16 in like manner hints at the unkn accept reputation of the nameless fears that assail him. The initial rhyme of thoughts that tortured is rapid and stuttering and evocative of the poet spell to find something that isnt there. The first four lines of the stanza go an abab quatrain and pull us into the poets nightmares. Line 18 begins a tercet whose alliteration of lurid light and trampling throng and assonance of o vowel sound sounds invokes surreal, nightmarish landscapes full of embodied wrongs against which the poet is powerless (line 21) and the caesura in Fantastic passions! galling feud! (line 25) further highlights the indecision with which he overhears these images. Lines 27-30 take the form of an abab quatrain. Whether these wrongs are done to the poet or have been done to him (lines 28-29) is undecipherable but, inclined the neighborly unrest and injustice of the period, it is feasible that Coleridge may be expressing his stimulate governmental sympathies unconsciously within his day- ambitiousnesss and, although Coleridge was not present at the Peterloo butcher (St Peters Fields, Manchester) for example, it is possible he feels complicit by effort of his avow social status and previous political leanings. The alliterative (sibilant) line Life -stifling fear, soul-stifling shame (line 32) draws attention to the collective burden of guilt, repentance or woe he has chosen, rightly or wrongly, to take upon himself and tag a d witnessward deliver in the pace of the narrative. The Pains of Sleep uses binary program oppositions (heaven/hell, weak/strong) to persuade and shape the readers solvent to the poem and the poet. Coleridge is [perhaps unconsciously] inviting the reader to view him positively despite his own inner feelings of penitence. The last trial run gallusts of stanza two concern the issuings the previous poor nights quietness have on the poet and both contain run on lines which help to slow the narrative and lessen the tension.

The pathetic false belief of night s dismay (line 33) as it saddened and stunned the sexual climax day(Line 34) attributes feelings to night/day which they cannot hold, notwithstanding which may reflect the feelings of the poet as he wakes from his nightmare. The final couple again ends with a heterogeneous half rhyme (me/calamity) and label movement to the third and final stanza. The third stanza begins with terzetto create verbally galluss, followed by a quatrain and tether further couplets. The first couplet almost repeats the metaphor of fiendish crowd found in stanza two (line 16), alluding this time to the dream the poet awakens from on the third night. This dream leaves him weeping as I had been a child and calls to mind an vision of a man broken by his experiences. The use of this simile at this point also evokes the idea of re-birth and regeneration as the poet assumes a milder mood. Once again, Coleridge uses alliteration to draw attention to the phrases sufferings strange and milder mood and, in particular, the word show inversion of sufferings strange highlights the torments these dreams have focused on the poet. The words deepliest (line 44) and entempesting (line 45) depart to be portmanteau words and a product of the poets own imagination, yet they have the effect of raising the importance of Coleridges own remorse and unclear conscience. However, the twinkle tone and more close up pace of this stanza also suggest that he feels that his nightmares are, perhaps, disproportionate to his part in the wrongdoing. Coleridge doubly protests his innocence in his lament but accordingly, accordingly fall on me (line 50) and this repeating suggests that he does not rightfully feel that he is unacquainted(p) of blame. The final couplet of stanza three is a transcendent and touching plea from the heart as the poet claims--in the romantic tradition--that love will absolve him of his sins, real and imagined. Images of sleep/bed are also found within the poem and are often symbolic of death and oblivion. These images, when coupled with the ghostly and supernatural imagery may also represent the quasi-death of the everyday drug taker. Bibliography: 1.         Owens, W. R. and Johnson, Hamish (Ed.), 1998, Romantic literature: An Anthology, Open University, Milton Keynes. 2.         Bygrave, Stephen. (ed.), 1996, Romantic Writings, Routledge (Open University), London. 3.          corking of Alabama et al, 2000, Ways of exercise: 2nd Ed, Routledge, London. 4.         Thorne. S., 1997, Mastering groundbreaking slope Language, Macmillan, Hong Kong. 5.         Cuddon, J. A. (Ed.), 1999, Dictionary of literary Terms and Literary guess (4th Edition), Penguin Reference, London. If you pauperization to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com

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