A Certain Lady Poem Analysis

'A Certain Lady' is a clever and moving verse form by Dorothy Parker. In the text, Parker uses articulate and like shooting fish in a barrel to empathise language, allowing her speaker to express herself without engaging whatever sort of elevated facade (different she does when she's talking to the person she loves). Her emotional country is clearly presented, and readers are left to wonder what they'd exercise in the aforementioned situation, 1 that has surely existed for centuries and will continue to practice so into the future.

A Certain Lady by Dorothy Parker

Summary of A Certain Lady

'A Sure Lady' by Dorothy Parker is a adequately brusk poem in which the speaker mourns the fact that the person she loves does non honey her in return.

In both stanzas of 'A Certain Lady,' the speaker admits that she puts on a facade whenever the person she loves comes around. She wants this person to spend as much time as possible with her, then she lets them tell her about the exploits they appoint in. This person brags about the women they've been with and is completely bullheaded to the fact that she cares and then much for them. She hides her sorrows until after they're gone.

Themes

In 'A Sure Lady, ' Parker engages primarily with the theme of unrequited love. Her speaker describes the emotional nature of her human relationship with the person she loves and the complex facade she has to put on then as to not drive them away. If she showed her true self and her truthful emotions, it'southward articulate that she believes that this person would pass up her, and that's not something she can handle. Instead, she suffers through stories of their sexual exploits with other women pretending to be entertained by them.

Structure and Form

'A Certain Lady' past Dorothy Parker is a 2 stanza poem that is separated into sets of twelve lines. These lines follow a unproblematic rhyme scheme of ABABCDCD, irresolute end sounds as the lines and stanzas progress. The poet too chose to structure the verse form in the virtually common metrical patterns used in English language poetry, iambic pentameter. This refers to the number of beats per line and where the stresses occur. In this case, the majority of the lines comprise v sets of 2 beats for a full of 10 syllables. The first of each pair of beats is unstressed, and the second shell is stressed. There are a few moments in which the stresses rearrange themselves, though. Plus, the last line of each stanza is much shorter than the others, with only four beats, or ii sets of 2.

Literary Devices

Parker makes use of several literary devices in 'A Certain Lady.' These include but are non limited to imagery, anaphora, and caesura. The latter refers to pauses that a poet inserts into the middle of lines. These tin can be created either through pauses in the meter or through punctuation. For case, line seven of the first stanza reads: "And you laugh dorsum, nor tin can you always run across," or line seven of the 2d stanza: "Thus practice you lot want me — marveling, gay, and truthful."

Anaphora is a blazon of repetition, one that occurs when the poet repeats a word or phrase multiple times at the commencement of lines. For case, "And" starts 10 lines in the verse form. Additionally, readers should annotation, "Oh, I can," which starts the first line of both stanzas.

Imagery is an important device that occurs when the poet uses vibrant details and interesting phrases that are meant to engage a reader's senses and imagination. For example, these lines from stanza i: "And drink your rushing words with eager lips, / And paint my mouth for you a fragrant ruby."

Assay of A Certain Lady

Stanza One

Oh, I can grin for you, and tilt my head,

And drink your rushing words with eager lips,

And paint my mouth for yous a fragrant red,

(…)

That I am gay as morning, light every bit snow,

And all the straining things within my heart

Yous'll never know.

In the first lines of the poem, the speaker starts to insinuate to the nature of the human relationship she has with the person she loves. She describes her own appearance and how this person sees her compared to how she really feels inside. While this person talks about their exploits with other women, she sits and laughs, interim as though she's "light every bit snow" and "gay equally the morning" These similes suggest that she's really neither of these things. She isn't happy or entertained past this person's stories. She's putting on this facade then that this person will never know the "straining things" inside her center. She suffers when she hears what this person does with others.

All the while, she smiles and tilts her head and acts like many women of her time, or for that matter, whatsoever time might act when trying to appear relaxed and happy.

Stanza Two

Oh, I can laugh and listen, when we run into,

And you lot bring tales of fresh adventurings, —

Of ladies delicately indiscreet,

Of lingering hands, and gently whispered things.

(…)

And what goes on, my love, while you're away,

You'll never know.

The post-obit stanza is quite similar to the first. There are some examples of repetition in these lines when the poet repeats words like "Oh, I can" at the start of the poem, as well as the utilise of "And" at the start of lines. The speaker explains how she might laugh and heed when the person she loves describes the diverse adventures they've gotten upwards to with "ladies delicately indiscreet," but that'south not how she truly feels. She only acts this way then that this person will continue to regard her in a positive light. They go on to come up back to her to tell her of their "belatedly delights." It's through this odd relationship that she's able to stick close to this person.

Despite the time they spend together, this person doesn't seem to have any thought how hurt the speaker is past these stories. They have no thought what "goes on" while they're "abroad." This suggests that as presently every bit this person leaves, the speaker is overcome with sorrow and lets her true emotions bear witness.

Similar Poetry

Readers who enjoyed 'A Certain Lady' should also consider reading some of Dorothy Parker's other poems. For case:

'The Pick' – initially appears to be a dearest sonnet, only as the verse form progresses,, she adds a contemptuous and witty twist.
' One Perfect Rose' – was published in 1926 that alludes to the speaker's exhaustion with the tired cliches of love. She wants more out of life that these cliches can give her.
'A Dream Lies Expressionless ' – is a sonnet in which the poet describes the procedure of a dream's death and the emotions of those who are watching on as the dream falls apart.