Ali 1 Yawar Ali Mrs.

Wilson English IV B 15 May 2013 Waves of Sorrow After the idealistic, emotional era of passion and originality that was the Romantic period, the world again deviated back into the practical and realistic perspectives of the Victorian Era. Under the rule of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), England was met with great economic and social prosperity with a shift towards progress and innovation. In this era, many authors and artists took advantage of the various opportunities offered by the emerging markets and interests in social classes and the drive towards becoming true Englishmen. The emerging authors attempted to express moral idea or write literature of some practical purpose. In her own literature, Elizabeth Barrett Browning expresses her resentment toward her current state of affairs using repetition, allusion to scripture, and a somber tone in De Profundis. Her constant usage of repetition is evident in every stanza of the poem. Through her continuous repetition of [a]nd yet my days go on, go on (Browning I), Elizabeth Browning illustrates the monotonous cycle of her life. Rarely is her day met with an event that brightens up her mood on the current state of her life. She talks about how every morning is greeted with [g]ood day which makes each day good yet is hushed away (Browning II) to leave her stranded again with her own thoughts and the longing to experience what the new day brings. More clearly is the repetition of go on (Browning I) throughout the literary piece, an indication that the passage is primarily about living out a life which is not worth living. Browning questions her own reason to go on, asking herself and eventually proposing rhetorical questions to the

Ali 2 reader, with He reigns with Jealous God. Who mourns / Or rules with Him, while days go on? (Browning XVIII). The definition of the title, De Profundis itself is a cry of appeal expressing one's deepest feelings of sorrow or anguish, which begs the question as to what is Browning mourning? At the time the poem was written, Brownings brother had drowned in Torquays bay while accompanying her to the city against their fathers wishes. Browning took the cause of the death upon herself, feeling guilty for her decisions - expressing her emotions on paper. She strays slightly from the Victorian Era, expressing deep emotions in her paper about the continuity of life and the mourning of a loss. Her poem is laden with sincere regret and emotional pain paralleling the Romantic Era. Yet at the same time, she orderly structures her poem in passages and ventures to question lifes purpose in a practical manner - staying true to the Victorian age. De Profundis shares roots with A Modest Proposal and The Chimney Sweeper with their utilization of pathos over any other rhetoric to appeal or convey their purpose to the reader. Their arguments or illustrations revolve around the response of the audience to the specific ideas being expressed - without the direct involvement or interest of the reader, the poem itself would fall to pieces. Later she transitions her poem away from the self-centric attitude towards that of God and overarching principles. She alludes to the crown of sovran thorns (Browning XVIII) of the scripture, illustrating an image of Jesus on the cross. Browning questions the legitimacy of the suffering that she endures, stating [n]o mortal grief deserves that crown (Browning XX). Her shift towards religion and God demonstrates a variety of elements in her poem. Browning strays away from the Neoclassical view of Greek and Roman culture and Gods, rather towards a monotheistic view. She then leaves behind the pure emotional state of her own individual (a drift from the Romantic Era). Her shift is marked by, Gods Voice, not Natures! Night and noon /

Ali 3 He sits upon the great white throne / And listens for the creatures praise / What babble we of days and days? (Browning XVI) in which she rejects the conception of Nature as an answer of her problems and instead looks to God. Unlike, The Chimney Sweeper Browning does not blame her problems on society rather she accepts her state and seeks to improve on her life. Yet, she cannot find the will to continue on until she illustrates her relationship with God. A Modest Proposal blames its problems on that of England and references God very little, rather providing statistics and appealing to pathos to convey Swifts argument. Finally, the tone that transcends the entire poem drives the point home, Browning is experiencing a state of distress. With diction like [c]ool deadly touch (Browning XI) or anguish pierces to the bone (Browning V), Browning obviously isnt expressing her happiness. She mourns over the accident that took her brothers life but the outcry over her own illness, tuberculosis, which has plagued her entire life probably also trickles into her writing. Only at the very ending of her poem does she talk about the love and passion that keeps her living through her days, I praise Thee while my days go on; / I love Thee while my days go on: / Through dark and dearth, through fire and frost (Browning XXIII). But that does not erase her distraught displayed throughout most of her poem. She finds strength only with the spirit of God and in the very last line of the poem she defiantly challenges her state of being, [s]miling - so I. THY DAYS GO ON. (Browning XXIV). Unlike A Modest Proposal, she does not keep her cool like Jonathan Swift; her very emotions aid her in expressing her conviction. The sudden change between despair and hope shapes the poem and further nails in the point being conveyed. Life goes on. Through the thick and thin, one has to survive through its misery and hope for a better tomorrow. Like the Victorian Age, the practicality of nature and life shines through, the morals of life and continuing it rather than ending it also is expressed.

Ali 4 With frequent repetition, allusion to scripture, and continuous somber tone in De Profundis, Elizabeth Browning expresses her lifes problems, yet strives through the despair to a better, prosperous future. Like with A Modest Proposal and The Chimney Sweeper, the utilization and manipulation of emotions draws the reader into the situation at hand and molds their thought process on the subject. Combined with purposely prose and diction, all three authors: Blake, Swift and Browning are successful in conveying their topic at hand using the background and literary styles of the time period to do so.

Work Cited About.com. "Elizabeth Barrett Browning - De Profundis - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (18061861)." Elizabeth Barrett Browning - De Profundis - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861). N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013. Norton Anthology of English Literature. "The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Victorian Age: Introduction." The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Victorian Age: Introduction. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013. ThinkQuest. "The Romantic Era." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 15 May 2013. UNLV. "The Victorian Period." The Victorian Period. University of Nevada, Las Vegas, n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.