GCSE English Literature

Shakespeare
13 Topics
Understanding Macbeth
Character Analysis of Macbeth
Character Relationships in Macbeth
The Context of Macbeth
Language and Dramatic Techniques in Macbeth
Themes, Motifs and Symbols in Macbeth
Understanding Romeo and Juliet
Character Analysis of Romeo and Juliet
Character Relationships in Romeo and Juliet
The Context of Romeo and Juliet
Language and Dramatic Techniques in Romeo and Juliet
Themes, Motifs and Symbols in Romeo and Juliet
Understanding the Tempest
19th Century Novels
20 Topics
Understanding The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Chapter 5-10 Summaries of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Character Analysis of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Themes in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Understanding A Christmas Carol
Character Analysis of A Christmas Carol
Themes in A Christmas Carol
Understanding Great Expectations
Great Expectations Character Analysis
Themes in Great Expectations
Understanding Jane Eyre
Character Analysis of Jane Eyre
Themes in Jane Eyre
Understanding Frankenstein
Character Analysis of Frankenstein
Themes in Frankenstein
Understanding Pride and Prejudice
Summary of Pride and Prejudice
Character Analysis of Pride and Prejudice
Themes in Pride and Prejudice
Drama
38 Topics
Understanding An Inspector Calls
Character Analysis of An Inspector Calls
Themes in An Inspector Calls
Understanding Blood Brothers
Act 1 Summary of Blood Brothers
Act 2 Summary of Blood Brothers
Twins Character Analysis of Blood Brothers
Supporting Characters Analysis of Blood Brothers
Themes in Blood Brothers
Motifs and Symbols in Blood Brothers
Understanding The History Boys
Act 1: Summary of The History Boys
Act 2: Summary of The History Boys
Character Analysis of The History Boys
Themes in The History Boys
Understanding The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Part One: Summary of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Part Two: Summary of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Primary Character Analysis of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Secondary Character Analysis of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
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Prose
19 Topics
Primary Character Analysis of Animal Farm
Secondary Character Analysis of Animal Farm
Themes in Animal Farm
Symbols in Animal Farm
Understanding Animal Farm
Chapter Summaries of Animal Farm
Understanding Lord of the Flies
Chapter 1-6 Summary of Lord of the Flies
Chapter 7-12 Summary of Lord of the Flies
Primary Character Analysis of Lord of the Flies
Secondary Character Analysis of Lord of the Flies
Themes in Lord of the Flies
Symbols in Lord of the Flies
Chemistry – Telling Tales Analysis – AQA Anthology
Odour of Chrysanthemums – Telling Tales Analysis – AQA Anthology
My Polish Teacher’s Tie – Telling Tales Analysis – AQA Anthology
Korea – Telling Tales Analysis – AQA Anthology
A Family Supper – Telling Tales Analysis – AQA Anthology
Invisible Mass of the Back Row – Telling Tales Analysis – AQA Anthology
Poetry
30 Topics
The Farmer’s Bride: Love and Relationships Analysis
Eden Rock: Love and Relationships Analysis
Walking Away: Love and Relationships Analysis
Letters from Yorkshire: Love and Relationships Analysis
Follower: Love and Relationships Analysis
Mother, Any Distance: Love and Relationships Analysis
Love’s Philosophy: Love and Relationships Analysis
Neutral Tones: Love and Relationships Analysis
When We Two Parted: Love and Relationships Analysis
Porphyria’s Lover: Love and Relationships Analysis
Sonnet 29: Love and Relationships Analysis
Before You Were Mine: Love and Relationships Analysis
Winter Swans: Love and Relationships Analysis
Singh Song!: Love and Relationships Analysis
Climbing My Grandfather: Love and Relationships Analysis
Ozymandias: Power and Conflict Analysis
London: Power and Conflict Analysis
The Prelude – Stealing the Boat: Power and Conflict Analysis
My Last Duchess: Power and Conflict Analysis
The Charge of the Light Brigade: Power and Conflict Analysis
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The Farmer’s Bride: Love and Relationships Analysis

GCSE English Literature Poetry The Farmer’s Bride: Love and Relationships Analysis

The Farmer’s Bride was written by Charlotte Mew and published in 1912. Mew was born in London in 1869 and died (by suicide) in 1928.

She is believed to have been homosexual. Unlike homosexuality for men, female homosexuality wasn’t illegal. This isn’t because it was approved of; it was because most people didn’t believe such feelings between women could exist. Women who were homosexual would be outcasts from society, so they generally hid their sexuality.

At the time when the poem was written, women had very little power. They did not have the same employment opportunities as men, so they often married for financial security. Divorce also wasn’t socially acceptable. This meant that many women had to stay in unhappy marriages.

Poem

  Three summers since I chose a maid,
     Too young maybe—but more’s to do
     At harvest-time than bide and woo.
              When us was wed she turned afraid
     Of love and me and all things human;
     Like the shut of a winter’s day
     Her smile went out, and ’twadn’t a woman—
             More like a little frightened fay.
                    One night, in the Fall, she runned away.

     “Out ’mong the sheep, her be,” they said,
     ’Should properly have been abed;
     But sure enough she wadn’t there
     Lying awake with her wide brown stare.
So over seven-acre field and up-along across the down
     We chased her, flying like a hare
     Before our lanterns. To Church-Town
              All in a shiver and a scare
     We caught her, fetched her home at last
              And turned the key upon her, fast.

     She does the work about the house
     As well as most, but like a mouse:
              Happy enough to chat and play
              With birds and rabbits and such as they,
              So long as men-folk keep away.
     “Not near, not near!” her eyes beseech
     When one of us comes within reach.
              The women say that beasts in stall
              Look round like children at her call.
              I’ve hardly heard her speak at all.

     Shy as a leveret, swift as he,
     Straight and slight as a young larch tree,
     Sweet as the first wild violets, she,
     To her wild self. But what to me?

     The short days shorten and the oaks are brown,
              The blue smoke rises to the low grey sky,
     One leaf in the still air falls slowly down,
              A magpie’s spotted feathers lie
     On the black earth spread white with rime,
     The berries redden up to Christmas-time.
              What’s Christmas-time without there be
              Some other in the house than we!

              She sleeps up in the attic there
              Alone, poor maid. ’Tis but a stair
     Betwixt us. Oh! my God! the down,
     The soft young down of her, the brown,
The brown of her—her eyes, her hair, her hair!

Charlotte Mew

Poem Summary

A farmer tells of how he married his wife three years previously. He says that she was young and that it was a marriage of convenience rather than love. He complains that after they got married, she seemed afraid of him. Eventually, she ran away. He and others in the community chased after her and caught her in the fields, then brought her back to the house.

Locked up at home, she is very quiet, scared of her husband and other men coming to the farm. She only speaks to the animals, who are trusting and full of love for her. The farmer is angered that she doesn’t show the same affection for him.

It is now winter. The farmer complains that his wife hasn’t given him a child. He thinks about her sleeping in the attic and longs to sleep with her. It is hinted that he will soon force himself upon her.

The poem’s key message:

The poem demonstrates the oppression of women in marriage and wider society. The young wife is treated more like an animal than a human. She has no freedom to escape from the confines of her married life.

Language

Mew uses animal imagery to show how the farmer views the young bride. When she ran away, the farmer states:

“We chased her, flying like a hare”

This simile gives the impression that she is prey and the men are predators hunting her.

When he lusts about her, he thinks of her with animal imagery:

“The soft young down of her; the brown,
The brown of her.”

The word “down” refers to down feathers, the soft layer of feathers beneath the tougher outer layer on waterfowl (e.g. ducks, geese and swans). They are typically located on the chest or belly of the waterfowl. This shows him lusting after her body while also taking away her humanity.

Nature imagery is also used to show his disapproval of her. He describes how she is:

“Sweet as the first wild violets, she,
To her wild self. But what to me?”

The repetition of “wild” in this quote demonstrates how she doesn’t act how he expects a wife to behave. It makes it sound like he wants to tame her from this “wild” behaviour. He also complains that she is quiet “like a mouse” and “Shy as a leveret” (a young hare). He thinks that she should be more loving towards him. The reader, however, fully sympathises with her because it is obvious how controlling and intimidating the farmer is.

  • The farmer’s wife is not given a name, which shows her lack of individual identity in the marriage.

Structure

  • The first two stanzas are in the past tense as the farmer recalls the events of her running away and being captured.
  • The final four stanzas are in the present tense as he discusses the dissatisfaction that he continues to feel in their marriage.

Form

  • It is narrated in the first person from the farmer’s perspective. This reflects the patriarchy (men having the power) depicted in the poem. The farmer’s wife does not get a voice in the poem because she is powerless.
  • It is a dramatic monologue; a form where the poem is structured as a speech, and the narrator recalls a series of events.
  • The rhyme scheme and stanza lengths are irregular. This helps to show the angry and unpredictable tone of the farmer.

Themes

ThemeAnalysis
Unhappy relationshipThe farmer is unhappy with his wife. He acknowledges that she “does the work around the house/ As well as most”. However, he feels she should also smile and speak lovingly towards him, with the same affection she shows to the animals. He says she “twasn’t a woman”, meaning that she doesn’t behave as he expects a wife to. He is also unhappy that they haven’t had any children.

The farmer’s wife lives in fear of her husband. We only see the poem from the farmer’s perspective, so we don’t see all the reasons for her fear. However, the fact that she is chased down and locked up when she tries to run away shows how much she is controlled and restricted by her husband.
NatureThe couple are surrounded by nature on the farm, and it is through nature that the farmer tries to understand his wife. He compares her, to gentle animals such as hares, mice and ducks to to emphasise her gentleness or meekness. Also, he complains about her being like a “wild” flower, showing how she needs to be tamed to be the type of wife he expects.

Through nature, the farmer’s wife finds comfort in her life. She is “Happy enough to chat and play/ With birds and rabbits and such as they”. The farmer is jealous of the attention that she shows to these animals. Possessively, he thinks that she should give all her love and affection to him.
Desire and LongingAt the end of the poem, we see the farmer’s sexual desire for his wife. He calls her a “maid”, short for ‘maiden’ which suggests that she is a virgin. He loses control as he thinks of her body: “Oh! my God…her eyes, her hair, her hair!” When he talks of their distance being “but a stair”, he hints that he will soon go up to the attic to force himself upon her.

Key Quotes to Learn

QuoteWhy is it important?
“When us was wed she turned afraid”This shows that she only became fearful of him once they were married. It suggests that he has made her afraid of his behaviour. Also, it might hint at societal expectations and pressures, or aspects of their relationship that she wasn’t aware of before marriage.
“We chased her, flying like a hare”She is not allowed to leave him and is “chased” like she is prey and the men are predators.
“her eyes, her hair, her hair!”This obsessive repetition suggests that the farmer’s lust and desire have become uncontrollable as he thinks about her body. He hints that he will soon force himself upon her.
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