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experience.
The second couplet uses the terms 'a young woman' 'a
folder' 'a copy of Chaucer', by almost describing the
young woman as an object, and references her in the same
way as he describes a book and a folder, it almost
emphasises the unusual nature of the event, leaving the
author to resort to depersonalise the situation. This is
very similar to how the unusual stop in the poem
'Adlestrop' is presented. Edward Thomas uses certain
description such as 'no one left and no one came' 'on the
bare platform' showing the isolation of the place the
train has stopped in, all the while showing a personal
emotion to show through, by use of casual language and
simple diction.
Both in the third and fourth couplet of Text 19, the poem
shows an educated voice, showing his knowledge of Troilus
and Criseyde, yet fear at the same time, afraid of making
a tangible two-way engagement, and showing frustration
and forced logic of not being able to make contact due to
her not being opposite, and by her being next to him,
cutting off and chance he had of a conversation.
The use of the present tense connects the reader with the
author, allowing empathy she show through in order to
feel the same emotions he is attempting to convey. This
is contrast to Adlestrop, where the author has described
the experience in the past, allowing his emotional
involvement for Adlestrop (especially with the natural,
vivid beauty he describes) to shine throughout 'A
willows, will-herb and grass and meadowsweet, and
haycocks dry' This runs throughout the poem, but is
especially relevant here, as it leading to the conclusion
of the poem, and effectively the end of his obsession.
Both poems are short poems, focusing on only minutes of
an assumed journey. Both use the first person, and the
reader assume the position as reading as the author would
in order to impart emotional memories onto the reader,
through use of internalised thoughts and feelings, and of
course, in both poems nothing actually happens in a
tangible sense, only affecting the poets psyche and how
they determine a situation.
- Nick Brett