Close Reading In Practice

1. Close Reading In Practice How to develop sophisticated analysis

2. Swift first describes Celia right after she finishes dressing: “The goddess from her chamber issues, / Arrayed in lace, brocades and tissues” (2-3). WEAK: Swift’s description of Celia as a “goddess” indicates that she is beautiful and admirable, which sharply contrasts with the scene Strephon encounters once he enters her dressing room. BETTER: Swift’s description of Celia as a “goddess” indicates that she is beautiful, but that term also connotes elevation and divinity, as if Celia is superior to the observer in some way. Celia is also wearing “lace, brocades and tissues,” which were elegant and expensive fabrics; this detail reinforces the impression of Celia’s beauty and elevation. These opening lines thus sharply contrast with the scene Strephon encounters once he enters her dressing room.

3. Swift first describes Celia right after she finishes dressing: “The goddess from her chamber issues, / Arrayed in lace, brocades and tissues” (2-3). BEST: The narrator’s description of Celia as a “goddess” indicates that she is beautiful, but it also connotes elevation and divinity, as if Celia is superior to the observer in some way. Celia is also wearing “lace, brocades and tissues,” which were elegant and expensive fabrics; this detail reinforces the impression of Celia’s beauty and elevation. In addition,to “array” something is to arrange it for viewing; the suggestion that Celia has been, essentially, arranged in her clothing, rather than merely wearing it, portrays Celia as an image or object rather than a normal woman. The observer, of course, may be the narrator, but these lines may also indicate the way Strephon views Celia—he is mentioned in the very next line. Swift’s description of Celia as an otherworldly “goddess” arranged for display helps to explain Strephon’s fascination with getting behind the scenes; it also heightens the possibility that Celia is unreal in some way, and that this idealized diction is unrealistic.

4. Ariel exhorts Belinda to consider “what an equipage thou hast in air, / And view with scorn two pages and a chair.” WEAK: Ariel flatters Belinda by suggesting that the number of sylphs attending her makes her important, even though they are ultimately unable to save her lock. BETTER: Ariel flatters Belinda by comparing her sylph attendants to a fine “equipage,” which normally consisted of a carriage and footmen. The simile suggests that the sylphs believe in their own personal power and importance, even though they are ultimately unable to save her lock.

5. Ariel exhorts Belinda to consider “what an equipage thou hast in air, / And view with scorn two pages and a chair.” BEST: Ariel flatters Belinda by comparing her sylph attendants to a fine “equipage,” which normally consisted of a carriage and footmen. Only the wealthiest and most fashionable Londoners could afford such finery, so the simile suggests that the sylphs symbolize Belinda’s personal power and importance. However, even as Ariel speaks these words, Pope subtly undermines the sylph’s boast. Belinda may have an equipage, but it’s in “air;” this word does denote that Belinda’s fluttering attendants are literally airborne, but it also connotes emptiness, insubstantiality. One is reminded that these sylphs are tiny and invisible. The word “air” suggests their insignificance—and ultimately, by the end of the poem, their impotence.

6. Many people admire Belinda as she sails to Hampton Court: “On her white breast a sparkling cross she wore, / Which Jews might kiss, and infidels adore.” Weak: Belinda wears a cross, which is a mark of godliness, but she’s clearly more interested in getting attention than in expressing devotion. Pope thereby implies that Belinda is superficial. Best: Belinda wears a cross, which is a mark of godliness, but Pope’s lines suggest that she is not wearing it for religious reasons. The description focuses entirely upon the worldly effects of the cross. First, it is portrayed “on her white breast,” which is an image of genteel beauty; in addition, the cross is “sparkling,” which suggests that it is studded with expensive gemstones. Belinda is thus wearing an item which both proclaims her wealth and draws attention to her white skin. Nothing in these lines indicates that Belinda is prayerful or that she chose the cross for pious reasons. Instead, the cross’s purpose appears to be to provoke earthly admiration; it is jewelry which “Jews might kiss, and infidels adore.” Pope’s choice of words is significant, given that Belinda is ostensibly Christian. Her cross does not inspire Anglican piety, but the implicitly physical, secular attraction (“kiss” and “adore”) of those outside the faith; she does not seem to care if her charms reinforce Christian faith, as long as they get attention. Pope thus implies that Belinda is more interested in securing admirers than in expressing devotion.

7. After the Countess leaves, the birds “neither sing, nor chirp, nor use their wing, / But with their tender feet on some bare spray, / Warble forth sorrow, and their own dismay.” WEAK: The sadness of the birds creates an atmosphere of gloom and depression regarding the Countess’ departure. BETTER: The birds’ song shifts from a cheerful, energetic “chirp” to a more subdued “warble” as they express their grief. The bough is also described as “bare,” which suggests bleakness, as if the abundance of summer has departed with the Countess. Nature is clearly reliant upon the Countess.

8. After the Countess leaves, the birds “neither sing, nor chirp, nor use their wing, / But with their tender feet on some bare spray, / Warble forth sorrow, and their own dismay.” BEST: Lanyerconveys the birds’ regret with a subtle shift in diction; while the Countess is at Cooke-ham, the poet implies that they “sing” and “chirp;” both words suggest cheerful energy. Now, however, they only “warble,” a quieter, more subdued term—to which she additionally ascribes both “sorrow” and “dismay.” Lanyer’s description of the birds’ “tender feet” implies vulnerability; even the bough on which they perch, the “bare spray,” connotes bleakness, as if the abundance of summer has departed with the Countess. In addition, the pace of the lines is slowed by repeated pauses and polysyndeton: the birds “neither sing, nor chirp, nor use their wing.” The repeated negative conjunctions, as well as the commas, both slow the reader and reinforce the atmosphere of loss. Nature appears to bedeeply affected by both the Countess’ presence and departure. Lanyer’s depiction of Cooke-ham thus suggests that the natural world is closely tied to, and often even dependent upon, the human sphere; the poet envisions nature as tame or domesticated rather than wild.

9. Lead-Ins How to integrate a quote into your analysis

10. Lanyer also writes, “The house cast off each garment that might grace it, / Putting on dust and cobwebs to deface it.” After the Countess’ departure, even the property itself appears to grieve: “The house cast off each garment that might grace it, / Putting on dust and cobwebs to deface it.” After the Countess departs, “The house cast off each garment that might grace it, / Putting on dust and cobwebs to deface it.”

11. In addition, “The trees with leaves, with fruits, with flowers clad, / Embraced each other, seeming to be glad.” Lanyer employs frequent personification in order to depict the property’s natural surroundings—even the “trees with leaves, with fruits, with flowers clad, / Embraced each other, seeming to be glad.” The speaker is awed by Cooke-ham’s natural beauty, suggesting that even the “trees with leaves, with fruits, with flowers clad, / Embraced each other, seeming to be glad.”