Dax+Analysis

The Farmers Bride Bride 3rd hour english By Dax Earl

In the poem The Farmers Bride, By Charlotte Mew, Charlotte brings to light suppressed feelings she has. She was born in London, the daughter of an architect Frederick Mew. Frederick died without preparing for his children's futures, leaving a bad image of the institution of marriage. As a child, two of Charlotte's siblings were sent to metal institutions and three others died at a young age. This early loss of family negatively impacted Charlotte for the rest of her life. Charlotte and her sister Anne made a promise to one and other to never marry for fear of passing on mental illness to their children. After the death of her sister she became very depressed, culminating in her suicide.

Looking at Charlotte's childhood one can observe some very traumatic events which are sure to have shaped the way she wrote. The poem The Farmers Bride conversely shows Charlotte's lust for a man due to her insulting him. She insults men and the institute of marriage in order to make her self feel better about the promise she made to her sister to not be married. “Too young maybe - but more's to do. At harvest-time than bide and woo.” This quote indicates her disdain for the institute of marriage and her belief that it is just bored people having fun. She describes men as suffocating with as “So long as men-folk stay away. 'Not near, not near!' her eyes beseech When one of us comes within reach.” Another line, “We caught her, fetched her home at last And turned the key upon her, fast.” shows, as in the last quote, that she feels men are suffocating and lock women in. She contends although women are beautiful, they are wild and free “Sweet as the first wild violets, she, To her wild self.”. She is showing her strong dislike or even hatred for men. One of the most common stereotypes for women is of them cleaning. She mentions “She does the work about the house” which displays the lack of respect women got back then and another justification for her to not have a husband. In the end, she gives up this charade. She describes the man being very loving toward the women and complimenting her which could indicate that she is feeling sad she does no have a man and wishing she was loved in this way “The soft young down of her; the brown, The brown of her - her eyes, her hair, her hair!”. If Charlotte had allowed herself to enter into marriage and have a husband, maybe her adulthood would have been different. Maybe she would not have spiraled into such a devastating state and the world would have a few more wonderful poems.