English Literature Group

Presentation
OUR GROUP- GROUP 8, CONSISTS OF 6 MEMBERS-
● 6A08-MAHID ZAMAN
● 6A10-RAJESH SAHA
● 6A11-MD. MAHDHIR RAHMAN
● 6A12-DAIBODEEPTO BHOWMICK
● 6A13-SHAYAN IBTESHAM RAHEEL
● 6A14-MAZUMDER TAHASEEF KAMAL AROWSH
About the Good Morrow

“The Good-Morrow" is a poem by John Donne, published in his 1633 collection

Songs and Sonnets. Written while Donne was a student at Lincoln's Inn, the poem is
one of his earliest works and is thematically considered to be the "first" work in Songs
and Sonnets.
John Donne was an English poet, scholar, soldier and
secretary who lived from 1572 - 1631.
He is considered the preeminent representative of the
metaphysical poets. His poetical works are noted for
their metaphorical and sensual style and include
sonnets, etc.
John Donne
Good Morrow (1st Stanza)

I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I

Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers’ den?
’Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be.
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desired, and got, ’twas but a dream of thee.
 Stanza 1 - Good Morrow

In the first stanza of John Donne's poem "The Good Morrow", the speaker reflects on the time before he fell
in love with his partner. He expresses wonder at what they did before they loved each other, asking whether
they were simply indulging in childish pleasures or sleeping like the Seven Sleepers, a reference to a legend
about seven Christian youths who fell asleep in a cave and woke up centuries later. The speaker then
dismisses these possibilities, declaring that all such pleasures and fantasies pale in comparison to the beauty
of his beloved. This stanza emphasizes the transformative power of love, suggesting that everything that
came before it was insignificant and unreal. The speaker's love for his partner is all-encompassing, rendering
all other pleasures and desires meaningless.
Good Morrow (2nd Stanza)

And now good-morrow to our waking souls,

Which watch not one another out of fear;
For love, all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone,
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,
Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one.
 Stanza 2- Good Morrow

In the second stanza of "The Good-Morrow," Donne continues to reflect on the

nature of his love for his beloved. He begins by expressing wonder at what he and
his beloved did before they fell in love, suggesting that their lives were incomplete
or immature without this deep connection . He then uses a series of metaphors to
illustrate this idea, suggesting that their previous experiences were like childish
pleasures or a kind of unconscious existence, reminiscent of the Seven Sleepers'
den . Donne then shifts his focus to the idea of beauty, suggesting that any beauty
he ever experienced before meeting his beloved was ultimately unsatisfying and
unreal, merely a "dream" of her. This idea reinforces the central theme of the poem,
which is that true love transcends all other experiences and is the only source of
true fulfillment.
Good Morrow (3rd Stanza)

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears, 

And true plain hearts do in the faces rest; 
Where can we find two better hemispheres, 
Without sharp north, without declining west? 
Whatever dies, was not mixed equally; 
If our two loves be one, or, thou and I 
Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die.
Stanza 3- Good Morrow

In the last stanza of "The Good Morrow", the speaker suggests that their love has
transformed them into a new and better version of themselves. They say that they
and their lover are "one another's all" and that all of their pleasures and desires
are wrapped up in each other. The speaker suggests that their love has allowed
them to transcend the mundane pleasures of the world and find a higher, more
spiritual pleasure in each other's love. The final lines of the poem emphasize the
enduring power of their love, suggesting that even in death, their love will
continue to exist and transcend the limitations of mortality.
 About Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger

'Aunt Jennifer's Tigers' is a 1951 poem by the American poet Adrienne Rich,
published in her first poetry collection, A Change of World, which was
published while the precocious Rich was still in her early twenties
Adrienne Cecile Rich (1929-2012) was an American
poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the
most widely read and influential poets of the second
half of the 20th century", and was credited with
bringing "the oppression of women to the forefront of
poetic discourse".

Adrienne Rich
Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger (1st Stanza)

Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen,

Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.
They do not fear the men beneath the tree;
They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.
Stanza 1- Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger

The first stanza of "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" describes the tigers that Aunt
Jennifer is creating through her needlework. The tigers are depicted as lively
and powerful, living in a world of green. The stanza also describes Aunt
Jennifer as massive and ringed with ordeals, suggesting her burdensome
existence. The contrast between the lively tigers and Aunt Jennifer's own
oppression sets up the central theme of the poem, exploring the tension
between the powerful dreams Aunt Jennifer harbors and the oppressive reality
of her life..
Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger (2nd Stanza)

Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool

Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.
The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band
Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.
Stanza 2- Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger

The speaker describes in the next stanza how quickly Jennifer’s

fingers move. They “flutter” through the movements but are without
real strength. The word “flutter” means the image of the gentle
movements of birds wings. Her hands have trouble maneuvering the
needle. There is something weighing them down, a “wedding band”.
The ring that ties her to marital responsibilities keeps her from
moving beyond who she is at that moment. It “Sits heavily” on her
hand, her mind, and her soul.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger (3rd Stanza)

When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie

Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.
The tigers in the panel that she made
Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.
Stanza 3- Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger

In the final stanza, the speaker contemplates Aunt Jennifer's mortality

and the legacy that she will leave behind. The word "terrified"
suggests that Aunt Jennifer lived in fear throughout her life. The
"ordeals" she was "mastered by" refer to the constraints placed upon
her by society, particularly the patriarchal norms of marriage and
domesticity. The final two lines suggest that, despite Aunt Jennifer's
struggles, her art will endure and her tigers will continue to
symbolize power, freedom, and fearlessness.
Thank you Everyone
FROM GROUP-H