Thesis and outline poem wwi: Best Sample 1
Thesis and outline poem wwi: Best Sample 1.How to write an essay using a thesis and outline
You can get help with your poem explication here
The thesis should be the main idea of the essay in one sentence-the idea your essay will seek to proof. Your essay will be summarizing and responding to your chosen WWI poem. In this case your thesis should involve your own response to your chosen poem. Avoid statements such as “I think” and instead seek to prove an idea about the poem.
Poem:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57322/for-the-fallen
For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon
Sample Poem Thesis and outline
Molding Morality in the Victorian Era
Thesis and outline
Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess” exemplifies the Victorian society’s perception of morality and its variation between genders. The poem follows a widowed Duke as he reminisces his deceased wife’s life. He centers his recollection on a painted portrait of the Duchess, which illustrates both the societal expectations of the Victorian woman and their defiance. Browning uses sex and violence as symbols of the relationship between and women, especially in marriage. These symbols also question the skewed concept of morality which intensifies higher up the sociopolitical ladder. Browning uses romantic poetry elements to represent the Victorian male construction of morality.
Thesis and outline
“My Last Duchess” is a dramatic monologue. The poem features the Duke’s narration to an invisible audience. Therefore, it offers the Duke’s uncontested perspective and draws the reader to his emotions. The reader empathizes with him before they begin to analyze the possible positions of the Duchess and the audience. The Duke’s language and performance of the monologue provides a theatrical experience of the poem. Besides, the poem’s structure builds suspense as most phrases do not terminate at the end of a line.
Thesis and outline
The enjambment ensures the monologue’s flow, allowing the narrator to retain control. Browning also uses regular meter to preserve its poetic element. Additionally, Browning imparts a sense of character and historic specificity through the Duke. The Duke raises concerns relevant to the Victorian era, such as female infidelity and marrying from and into families of similar social, political, and economic standing. He also embodies a sense of power pertinent to the aristocracy.
For instance, the Duke confesses to have given commands to stop the Duchess’ smiles.[1] He also expresses his controlling and insecure nature through his monologue. Therefore, the poem provides accurate references to time and society. It allows the modern reader to analyze the morality concept by comparison of Victorian and contemporary times.
Thesis and outline
The Duke expresses both endearment and disdain of the late Duchess. He refers to her as “my last Duchess,” denoting his passion and devotion towards her.[2] The Duke also treasures her portrait which he describes as a wonder. The Duchess’ death affected him greatly. Thus, he keeps her portrait to always remind him of her presence. The Duke also shows the portrait to his guests, demanding that they look at her and admire her features. She radiates depth and passion which constituted her most attractive characteristics. However, the Duke’s tone changes as he explains that several men inspired the joy on her face.[3] He begins to describe his late wife as a morally loose woman.
The Duke also suggests that she flirted with the painter. While the Duke is disgusted by her infidelity, he continues to refer to her as “my lady”.[4] He was torn between his love for her and his annoyance with his behavior. The tiles “my last Duchess” and “my lady” also denote men’s sense of ownership over women. Marriage granted husbands rights over their wives and required the latter’s subjugation. Therefore, the Duke’s conflict arises from having to share his wife with other men and its effect on his image.
Thesis and outline
The Victorian society required women to uphold high standards of beauty and fidelity. The expectations were more stringent on aristocratic women who had to protect their husbands’ and families’ images. Therefore, the Duchess’ relations with men outside the nobility were more scandalous. The Duke provides that she was “Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er”.[5] She also accepted gifts from men whom the Duke perceives unworthy. The Duchess showed no regard for the Duke’s “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old-name”.[6] The marriage between the Duke and the Duchess shows the Victorian concept of marriage that they had to marry within their social, political, and economic classes.
Thesis and outline
The Duke’s family name also imposes a greater responsibility on him and the Duchess to protect its reputation. Society condemned romantic relationships between members of different classes. It was more contemptuous of women who defied the societal norms, such as the Duchess, whom it considered immoral. For instance, the Duke refrains from criticizing the morality of the men with whom the Duchess was involved. Instead, he admonishes her for cheating and stooping. He also provides that blaming or correcting her would demean his social status.[7] Thus, the Victorian construct of morality and punishment for immorality applies differently across genders and social status.
Thesis and outline
Society’s concept of morality focuses on sexual offenses and overlooks other wrongdoings. The Duke commands empathy through his convincing description of his wife’s infidelity. His performance of the monologue and emphasis on the Duchess’ behavior draws attention away from his murder crime. The Duke provides that “[he] gave the commands; / Then all smiles stopped together.”[8] He refers to killing his wife indirectly and justifies his actions.
Thesis and outline
The Duke presents himself as a problem solver who stopped the Duchess from defying moral codes and destroying their reputation. The poem also presents death as a plausible punishment for female infidelity. The men involved remained unpunished, reaffirming that society’s notion of infidelity is gender biased. Besides, the Duke does not examine his character as a possible cause of the Duchess’ dissatisfaction with their marriage hence infidelity. Browning highlights the ironic construction of morality that punishes sexual offenses while ignoring greater evils such as murder.
Thesis and outline
Browning uses art as a vessel of morality. The portrait of the late Duchess is the poem’s centerpiece which conveys her immorality. It is a realistic image that mirrors her flirtatious nature and triggers the Duke’s repulsion. Browning credits the painting to Fra Pandolf, a fictitious painter, who the Duke also accuses of having an affair with the Duchess. He uses Pandolf to represent Victorian painters whose works reflected societal codes and real life occurrences. He also presents a negative dimension of artists as they contribute to the morals decay.
Thesis and outline
The Duchess’ portrait, especially, highlights moral decadence and serves as an example. The Duke displays the painting in his house and performs his monologue to guests as a warning, especially to his next bride. The Duke also own other paintings, showing that they were a characteristic possession of the Victorian upper class. They measured their worth by their rarity and meaning. Browning’s poem is also a work of art that conveys society’s moral standards.
Thesis and outline
“My Last Duchess” illustrates the Victorian concept of morality. The male perspective gives a one sided approach to women’s moral deviation. Besides, the intersection of gender and social status provides a more biased moral code. Browning also presents other social norms such as the relationship between husband and wife.
Thesis and outline
