Monday 4 March 2013

11bEn1 - 'Our Love Now' homework

Hi everyone,

I hope you have enjoyed 'Our Love Now'. It is an interestingly structured poem about a rift in a relationship. Whilst the (presumably) male speaker feels that this rift can be mended, the female disagrees and believes that their love is damaged permanently. This poem can be read however you want: in two columns, or left to right, like a call and response.

Just as there has been a rift created in the relationship, (presumably by an argument, or something more serious) the gap on the page between the man and the woman's words reflects this. Furthermore, if you look at the shape of the stanzas, his words trail towards hers, as if they're reaching out, whereas hers form a blunt line against his, as if she's turning her back on him. Interesting stuff!


For your homework, please answer one of the following questions about the poem 'Our Love Now'. To leave a comment, click on X Comments at the bottom and then type your message into the box.
Helpful hint: Copy the text you have typed before submitting, just in case it gets lost in inter-space!

Your questions:

  • What does the word 'breach' mean? It has a few definitions. Explain how three of these can be applied to the couple's situation.
  • Can you pick out any persuasive techniques which the man uses? Name at least two and explain what they show about the speaker.
  • The woman offers a counter-argument to the man. What does she do to make herself sound reasonable and like she has thought out her decision thoroughly?
  • What are the four metaphors that the man uses to describe their falling out? Explain the effect of each on the reader.
  • The woman repeats "such is our love now" at the end of each stanza, except the last. What is the effect of this?
  • Pick out any language the woman uses which suggests permanence and explain its effect.
Again, if you are wanting to study A-Level English Lit, it will help you if you refer to the points of others in your response.

Happy homeworking!

Miss D

22 comments:

  1. The word 'breach' suggest that one of them has broken the rules of the relationship. It shows that their is an inseparable and their love is broken it also suggests that the broken bond between them can't be repaired. The word 'breach' also can be used in terms of battle and war and this also suggests that the couple are in a state of war and battle and one of them is trying to negotiate with the other.

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  2. The woman uses complex sentences to show that she has taken in and understands everything that the man has said but can still counter argument what he has to say, making herself sound reasonable.

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  3. Martyn Lowery uses sibilance in 'skin slowly' to show how the male speaker feels that their realtionship will need time and patience to heal, but it can be mended.On the opposite side of the page Lowery shows the womans honest viewpoint as she believes the relationship is permantely damanged. Lowery uses both a methaphor and sibilance in the following stanza when the male speaker says `observe the scab of the scald'. The use of sibilance juxtaposes the situation showing that the male speaker believes they can bury their past and start again.

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  4. The women repeats ''such is our love now'' to represent a moment in time which has been damaged by something and which has happened before. On the last stanza when she just says ''such is our love'' it shows defeat as it means this is more permanent and that this can't be changed.

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  5. The woman repeats "such is our love now" to reiterate the fact this is how their love is now. Moreover because she is annoyed with the man in the poem. However in the poem the last stanza has forgotten "now" showing that she is done and that she doesn't want anymore to do with the man. Furthermore, saying "such is love" sounds like she is leaving the man as the "love" sounds so silent.

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  6. The woman counter argues the man using long and complex sentences. By doing this it gives the impression that she is being reasonable and has thought it out thoroughly. She uses passive language such as 'although' and 'almost' that shows she is not attacking the man by speaking at him; she is talking to him in a reasonable way.

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  7. The woman repeats 'Such is our love now' to emphasise the fact that their love is still existent and present in this moment in time even through all the difficulties and obstacles that the couple are currently facing.However this does not apply to the last stanza as she removes the word 'now' which shows that their love has been snuffed out by the changes in their relationship and is now irreparable.

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  8. The woman repeats 'such as our love now' to show the speaker how much their relationship has changed, the female says this at the end of each of her stanzas because its almost as if she is repeating this so the male understands how damaged they are and that it can never be mended in her opinion.

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  9. The effect of the woman repeating 'such as our love now' at the end of her stanzas acts as a constant reminder to the speaker of how damaged their relationship is and that in the womans opinion can never be mended because there has been too much damage between them to ever be the same again.

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  10. The repetition of "such is our love now" by the woman shows how she feels about their relationship at the time suggesting it is broken, the last stanza with the woman ending it with "such is our love" implies that their relationship is broken forever.

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  11. Martyn Lowery uses repetition of "such is our love now" at the end of each stanza until the last stanza where it is altered to "such is our love". This sudden alteration has an immediate effect towards the end of the poem for the reason that it reveals that their love has moved on from the present-day of their love to the termination of their love in the course of the poem and their conversation. Furthermore this amendment emphasises the end of the poem which connotes to the end of their relationship and love.
    SANUJAN CHELLIAH

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  12. The man uses imperatives such as "observe" in order to persuade her to maintain the relationship by encouraging her to look on the better side of things. This shows that the speaker is desperate for the woman to stay and not end the relationship. Furthermore the repetition of the word "mended" shows that he believes their love can heal, therefore he is trying to persuade the woman to maintain the relationship as everything would in fact "heal" and get better.

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  13. The repetition of 'such is our love now' emphasises that they have a broken relationship, but suggests change in the future. However at the last stanza there is a realisation of how damaged the relationship is, and that it will always be that way.

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  14. The woman repeats "such is our love now" to show how she feels about their relationship at that time, and how it is damaged. On the last stanza however she just says "such is our love". This shows that she has finished with him and that their love is no more.

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  15. The repetition of 'such is our love now' shows that their relationship isn't what it once was, and that things have changed for the worse over a period of time. However, in the last stanza, she drops the word 'now' and just says 'such is our love'. This shows that she is done with him and has nothing more to say regarding their relationship.

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  16. The woman uses repetition of "such is our love now". This shows their love is still present, even throughout all the rough patches. However, in the last stanza the woman says "such is our love". The woman has forgotten to say "now" as she has given up and that she's fed up with the man and she doesn't think their love is still present as she did at the start of the poem.

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  17. The word 'breach' can mean that there is a 'tear' or a 'rupture', so when the woman uses the word 'breach' she could mean that there is a tear in their relationship, and tears cannot be fixed to the quality that it was before; she could mean that their relationship would never be the same.
    Another meaning is a violation of a promise. this could relate to her using 'breach' as she could be referring to something that he has done to break her trust to ruin their relationship.
    Breach can also mean a disruption of friendly relations, which would also fit with where she had used the word 'breach', as it could suggest that what he has done would not even leave them as friends, with any kind of relationship.

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  18. the repetition of "our love now" shows that the couple are still in love with each other, however in the last stanza the woman says," the tree is forever dead. such is our love." This shows that their love is dead and she has ended the relationship.

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  19. Pick out any language the woman uses which suggests permanence and explain its effect.

    In each stanza the woman uses language to persuade the male speaker that their relationship is over and that the love they once had is no longer there. In the last stanza the female speaker states that the "tree is forever dead". The comparison of their love to death gives a sense of finality, putting an end to any hope that the male speaker may have of their love blossoming again, like a tree in spring time. Furthermore "forever" emphasizes this ,showing that for the woman its too late: the relationship is over , the love has faded and the pain caused by all the arguments is now permanent and irreversible.

    -Rachael Josiah

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  20. Pick out any language the woman uses which suggests permanence and explain its effect.


    In each stanza of which the woman speaks, she uses language that shows permanence in order to convince her 'loved' one that there is nothing much left in their relationship and the love for which she once had for him has now faded away. In the final stanza of the poem, the woman says, "which can never be repaired." This shows that she is using negative words and counter-argues the male speaker that their relationship is over and nothing between them two will ever be the same again. In addition, the word 'never' suggests that she is determined to get her point across and uses cynical words to show that she doesn't want to deal with anymore pain.

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  21. The repetition of "such is our love now" suggest that over time, their relationship has changed and has become something which she does not want any more. She repeats this at the end of every stanza, to emphasise that she no longer wants anything to do with him. During the last stanza, she changes her closing statement by removing the "now". This is more emphatic to the rest of the stanza, which speaks about how they will never be the same, showing that she is done with him.

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  22. The word 'breach' can mean that there is a 'tear' or a 'rupture', so when the woman uses the word 'breach' she could mean that there is a tear in their relationship.Furthermore the word 'breach' also can be used in terms of battle and war and this also suggests that the couple are in a state of war and battle and one of them is trying to negotiate with the other.

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