Poem Similarities???!!?

Question

i have been assigned some homework, asking me to spot similarities between ::

Porphyrias Lover - Robert Browning and

Daffodils - William Wordsworth

I havve been asked to think about-setting, mood, characters, theme, ideas and words used.

I am really having difficulties, any help would be good

thank you

Answer 1

Yes, I can see why you're having difficulties.

These are two poems from opposite ends of the vast Romantic spectrum. Similarities are therefore few and far between.

In "Daffodils" the poet recalls an uplifting experience of nature at its most benign and inspiring: the sight of the expanse of flowers beside a tranquil lake. The lake in Browning's poem is dark and forbidding, and is the backdrop to the horrific drama that enfolds in the cottage.

To answer your question, what I suggest you do is to look for words which are common to both poems ("lake" is one example) and see how each one is used.

In looking for similarities in this way,  I think you'll find that the two poems have very little in common.

Both poets want to preserve the moment of intense emotion, but Wordsworth chooses a more literate way, i.e., through poetic devices. So in "Daffodils" the poet and the wandering flower-spotter are pretty much the same person. On the other hand Browning's protagonist chooses a macabre necrophilia, so poet and narrator are (one hopes!) two quite separate characters.

Romantic elements: solitude, humans affected by external nature, man-centred (rather than God-centred) existence - just a few thoughts here.