Bridges and Stevenson Poem Analysis
Free Response Question: Robert Bridges (1899) “EP?? 1” and “Anne Stevenson (1990) “Eros” Compare and contrast the two poems; analyzing how poet uses literary devices to make his point. Robert Bridges author of “EP?? 1” and Anne Stevenson author of “Eros” both use diction and different rhyme schemes portraying the different views of Eros from nineteenth century to the twentieth century. Bridges creatively construct the poem containing a consistent rhyme scheme of aa, bb, cc etc.
through the course of this rhyme scheme the phrases contained within the poem reveals the perspective of cupid “an image of internal truth” and “only thy soft unchristen’d smile” revealing how love was interpreted as something so valuable and priceless. The consistent rhyme scheme also reveals cupid’s feelings of the result upon the people; it was the idea of inner beauty, true love regardless of the outer beauty that made Cupid, Cupid, and the true God of love.Bridges’ use of formal language sets the tone of the poem a rhythm of love exposing the readers to feel the significance the sweet words and phrases. On the other hand, Stevenson had a different approach, though it was written during the twentieth century in a more modern tone and language. The way Stevenson had chosen to construct her poem, she decided to have a rhyme scheme, though that rhyme scheme would fall apart throughout the poem and soon enough the readers would realize it wasn’t a rhyme scheme to begin with.Due to the fact of the time it was written, the idea of Cupid and love changed.
Inner beauty hadn’t mattered as much as outer beauty fitting with the structure of poem in which reveals the affect it has upon Cupid, “with boxer lips” “And patchy wings askew? ” As it seems to start off with a rhyme scheme it soon falls apart as does Cupid. Between the two poems of Stevenson and Bridges, each constructed differently the best suited for each centuries’ idea on love and cupid through their use of diction and rhyme schemes.
