CLIFS Worksheet
Poem: Prospice
Means ‘look forward’ in latin. Powerful portrait of wife’s death. Persona imagines the
challenges he will experience and looks forward to the time when he will be reunited with his
lost loved one.
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notes
Written in autumn following his wife’s death. Cf. apparent failure. Cannot be
sure persona is browning but there are obvious parallels to draw with his life
at the time.
Defiant from the opening lines – ‘fear death?’ not so much an uncertain
question as a defiance of death. Plosive sounds used assertively in lines 1-4.
This enunciation, when combined with numerous first person pronouns,
suggest courage with which the persona will approach the end of his life.
Present tense adds immediacy and tells us he is ready.
Could be a battle speech – cf. lost leader. 25-26’ ‘shall dwindle...’ – persona’s
transcending of death and passing into the afterlife. Exaggerated for
dramatic effect in lines 13-14 ‘i was ever a fighter’. Concise poem but scale
and sounds mirror the passing of life.
‘i would hate that death had bandaged my eyes’ – sums up the text. The
persona wishes his eyes open when it comes to death. He is a ‘strong man’
(8). ‘bandaged’ would suggest a handicap.
Syntax (order of) the words places death as the one doing the bidding but
persona not prepared to relinquish control. Sensory images ‘let me taste the
whole of it’ as well hearing the ‘fiend voices’. Persona is able to emphasise
the extent of his fearlessness – onomatopoeic words in relation to sense of
touch.
Relies on contrasts to represent the fight: ‘pain’ ‘darkness’ (20) then a ‘black
minute’ before ‘peace out of pain’ and a ‘light’. Simplistic, but this polarity
underscores the persona’s courage – reward at the end.
One stanza = singularity of persona’s mind and wholly set on his goal. Central
metaphor can be seen in the metre – while the majority of the poem
alternates tetrameter and ***. Lines 14-20 also use pentameter and
hexameter lines. Gradual progression parallels the persona’s steady
movement ahead.
‘prospice’ means to look ahead – possible readings of this: could be telling
the persona to look ahead to the final reward, seeing the ‘soul of my soul’
(27) again. Or could hint at the bold characteristic needed if the persona is to
succeed.
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What examples of military imagery can you find in the text?
What is the effect of the closing lines?
How des the presentation of death differ to that of ‘Apparent
Failure’? how are the persona’s attitudes different?
What examples of rhetorical devices can you find in the poem?