AF=AFFECTIVE FALLACY
Keyla Aguilera
Mr. Jennings
AP Eng. & Comp.
January 26, 2014
Poem Explication
“She Walks in Beauty” by George Gordon is a poem that exposes the thoughts and
feelings of someone in love. This is one of the most romantic pieces of literature widely known
up to this day. At times it gives you the feeling that you are violating the intimate privacy of the
speaker. It has such a profound meaning that one can forget it being a poem but rather a
confession. The author manages to capture the contrast between the lustful love a man feels for
this woman while at the same time being aware of her palpable innocence.
At the moment we read AF the first line the point of view is clearly exposed. “She walks
in beauty, like the night” CITE, ETC. the person speaking is clearly observing this woman. The
word choice like “nameless grace” and “so soft, so calm, yet eloquent,” throughout the poem
tells us AF ETC. how much the speaker admires this person and it also helps describe what this
mysterious woman might look like. “And all that’s best of dark and bright/ Meet in her aspect
and her eyes;” with this description we can see that she has a dark eye and hair color. These lines
are describing her as being the ‘best’ of both worlds with a perfect balance between darkness and
light. Apart from her aspect the speaker also mentions in many occasions her internal qualities,
lines 11-12 are an example “Where thoughts serenely express, / How pure, how dear their
dwelling-place”. This description using alliteration gives us an insight into her mind forgetting
for once her appearance. In here he talks about her thoughts, how peaceful and pure they are.
Devices like metaphors, imaginary, alliteration and similes are used to keep harmony. All
this helps us visualize the two opposing forces, which in this case is when darkness and light
unite to create something different, better even. The image of “starry skies” is for most perceived
as a perfect view, the speaker uses this to his advantage by comparing the view to her therefore
extending our perception of her beauty. During lines 7-10 the use of imaginary once again keeps
the balance and allows us to picture an angelic looking person “One shade the more, one ray the
less, / Had half impair’d the nameless grace / which waves in every raven trees, / Or softly
lightens o’er her face;”. The words “shade and “ray” are the ones who create the sense of
ongoing balance.
During the last stanza especially lines 17-18 the speaker reveals something intimate about
the woman she is talking about. “A mind at peace with all below,/ A heart whose love is
innocent!”. Before this stanza the speaker was determined at describing her in a physical sense,
praising her beauty. In the last stanza it takes a turn we are surprised AF when the speaker talks
about her in a ‘sexual’ manner by publicly stating that she is a virgin. It makes us, the readers rethink all that has been said before
This poem is effective. In the end the speaker is capable of convincing the reader of the
how beautifully perfect this woman is. The descriptions used to show this are sometimes
contradictory but overall the contradictions are what create the balance making her ‘perfect’ in
his eyes. This poem is a spot on example of what someone in love thinks. When in love one
tends to blur the defects with the good qualities in a person. In some instances this may carry
undesirable consequences however those truly in love learn that those defects is what keeps the
good qualities there, without them the good wouldn’t be truly appreciated.
Works Cited
She Walks in Beauty
By Lord Byron (George Gordon)
1-She walks in beauty, like the night
2- Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
3-And all that’s best of dark and bright
4-Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
5-Thus mellowed to that tender light
6-Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
7-One shade the more, one ray the less,
8- Had half impaired the nameless grace
9-Which waves in every raven tress,
10-Or softly lightens o’er her face;
11-Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
12-How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
13-And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
14-So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
15-The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
16 -But tell of days in goodness spent,
17-A mind at peace with all below,
18- A heart whose love is innocent!