Assignment

Critical Appreciation of Encouragement by Emily Jane Bronte

Subject
Women Literature
Submitted to
Ma’am Shaista
Submitted by
Javaid Raza
BS English 8th

National University of Modern Languages Multan Campus

 ‘Encouragement’ by Emily Bronte
Emily Bronte is one of the important novelist and poet from the Victorian
area. She is best known for her only novel ‘Wuthering Heights’ which is
considered as a literary classic. The writing style of Emily Bronte was figurative
and self-effacing interspersed with poetic prose. Emily, a sibling of five had an
isolated lifestyle and sought refuge in her art. Her poetry speaks for her literary
genius. Themes of her poetry revolve around, love, romance, death, sadness,
nostalgia, nature and past. She was a solitary individual who preferred being alone
with her thoughts, feelings and imagination, her “spirit wandering wide / Through
infinite immensity”, as she wrote in I’m Happiest When Most Away. Emily died in
1848.
Encouragement by Emily Bronte is one of the most touching poems written
by the gifted poet, about the loss of a mother figure and a family that must carry on
despite the tragedy. This is a poem that resonates with the Bronte’s own lives, as
the matriarch of that family passed away very young Emily Bronte herself was
only three, which makes the subject matter of the poem a subject for some
controversy. In the poem, Emily Bronte addresses a grieving sister, but the Bronte
sisters lived nearly their entire lives without their mother Anne, the youngest, was
an infant at the time of her passing, and Charlotte, the eldest, was five. Despite the
apparent disconnect from age, Encouragement manages to be a powerful piece that
addresses the indescribable and lasting grief and pain that follows such a tragedy.
Encouragement offering a perspective that is very unusual in its relative
indifference to a clearly tragic event. The first few lines of the poem state not only
that the speaker “does not” weep, but that they “would not,” suggesting that they
see no reason to shed tears, despite the heavy implication from the next line that
the speaker’s mother has passed away. Addressing another character, the speaker
then advises that they stop crying, because it is vain to hold onto grief without
cause. The second verse is even worse in this regard, using repetition of the phrase
“what though” essentially being a kinder way of saying “so what if” in response to
ideas such as a mother never being gone forever. As well, the concept of the death
of one’s mother being the source of “causeless grief” is extremely cold in its
delivery. If the death of one’s mother is not a valid cause for grief, then what
possibly could be.
The images Bronte invokes are those of a mother smoothing her daughter’s
hair, and comforting her during the inevitable pains of life. Each of these ideas
feels like something that would objectively improve a person’s life, whether in the
form of a minor comfort or a need to be fulfilled. The importance of the two
images are contrasted and paralleled with each other to demonstrate how important
a mother’s role is in each of its aspects, from the seemingly minor ones to the life-
changing moments. Then She uses the phrase “angel spirit,” and provides a reason
for the idea of not weeping: faith. For the speaker of the poem, the only thing that
has died is the “mortal body” of the woman, and not her angelic spirit or caring
presence. The speaker suggests that the mother’s spirit continues to thrive in the
open wintry fields that presumably constitute a setting around their home. It is
possible that the siblings are visiting their mother’s grave as the speaker expresses
the content of the poem to their sister.
The conclusion of Encouragement forms a theme of hope, a reminder to the
reader that there is more to the world than meets the eye, and an opportunity for
Emily Bronte to share the comforts of her faith during the most difficult times in
her life. Rather than a mother, the narration now suggests that the siblings have a
guardian angel instead and surely, given a new spiritual form, a mother would do
everything in her newfound power to defend her children from the world “You
know I’m right,” to paraphrase the final verse’s first line. The speaker admits that
it is difficult to be physically separated from their mother, but that weeping
because their mother is severed from them forever is silly and untrue. In that sense,
they still have their mother, and will for the rest of their lives.
The shift in Encouragement towards the titular concept takes a small amount
of time, and it is possible that Emily Bronte intended for the tone of the piece to be
one of “tough love,” so to speak. In the vein of a gentle rebuke towards her sister,
this piece makes sense, though it does end on a significantly more optimistic note
than it begins on. From the title, it is meant to be inspirational, a reminder of the
enduring love of a parent, regardless of whether or not they still live, for their
children. If in her lifetime, Bronte did feel protected and blessed by the spirit of a
mother she scarcely knew, then it was likely a great source of inspiration and
strength for her, and it is admirable to think of her using her talents to spread that
strength to others.