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Questions and Answers
What atmosphere does the setting of 'dusk' provide in the poem?
What atmosphere does the setting of 'dusk' provide in the poem?
- A feeling of peace and tranquility.
- A vibrant and energetic mood.
- An atmosphere of sadness and fading light. (correct)
- A sense of joy and anticipation.
The woman singing in the present is described in great detail, providing a clear image of her physical appearance and background.
The woman singing in the present is described in great detail, providing a clear image of her physical appearance and background.
False (B)
How does sound function in the poem regarding memories?
How does sound function in the poem regarding memories?
Sound acts as a trigger for memory.
The poet describes his memory in visual terms, referring to it as 'Taking me back down the Vista of ______'.
The poet describes his memory in visual terms, referring to it as 'Taking me back down the Vista of ______'.
Why does the poet use the indefinite article 'a' when describing the child ('A child sitting under the piano')?
Why does the poet use the indefinite article 'a' when describing the child ('A child sitting under the piano')?
The child's position 'under the piano' signifies the child's dominance over his mother.
The child's position 'under the piano' signifies the child's dominance over his mother.
What does the onomatopoeia of 'boom' communicate to the reader?
What does the onomatopoeia of 'boom' communicate to the reader?
Match the phrases from the poem with their likely meanings:
Match the phrases from the poem with their likely meanings:
What does the personification of 'tingling' strings in the poem suggest?
What does the personification of 'tingling' strings in the poem suggest?
In the context of the poem, what does the phrase 'the heart of me weeps' suggest?
In the context of the poem, what does the phrase 'the heart of me weeps' suggest?
The use of the indefinite article 'a' when describing the mother emphasizes the personal and unique nature of the memory to the poet alone.
The use of the indefinite article 'a' when describing the mother emphasizes the personal and unique nature of the memory to the poet alone.
In the line, 'pressing the small, poised feet of a mother', what does the word 'poised' suggest about the mother's feet in relation to the piano?
In the line, 'pressing the small, poised feet of a mother', what does the word 'poised' suggest about the mother's feet in relation to the piano?
The poet's head fully embraces the memories of the past without any resistance.
The poet's head fully embraces the memories of the past without any resistance.
Explain the significance of the line 'the tinkling piano our guide' in relation to the poem’s central theme.
Explain the significance of the line 'the tinkling piano our guide' in relation to the poem’s central theme.
The poet describes the mastery of the song as '__________', implying a cunning and underhand power.
The poet describes the mastery of the song as '__________', implying a cunning and underhand power.
The poet describes the memory as a 'flood of ______,' indicating its overwhelming and powerful nature.
The poet describes the memory as a 'flood of ______,' indicating its overwhelming and powerful nature.
Match the action with its significance in the poem:
Match the action with its significance in the poem:
Match the following terms from the poem with their meanings:
Match the following terms from the poem with their meanings:
What does the phrase 'Betrays me back' suggest about the poet's feelings towards the past?
What does the phrase 'Betrays me back' suggest about the poet's feelings towards the past?
What does the phrase 'my manhood is cast down in the flood of remembrance' imply about the poet's emotional state?
What does the phrase 'my manhood is cast down in the flood of remembrance' imply about the poet's emotional state?
The contrast between the loud music heard by the boy and the woman's singing suggests the present is more vivid and impactful than the past.
The contrast between the loud music heard by the boy and the woman's singing suggests the present is more vivid and impactful than the past.
The use of the word 'winter' in the poem primarily serves to create a sense of desolation and despair.
The use of the word 'winter' in the poem primarily serves to create a sense of desolation and despair.
What does the act of the boy mimicking his mother's feet suggest about his relationship with her and his learning process?
What does the act of the boy mimicking his mother's feet suggest about his relationship with her and his learning process?
How does the simile 'I weep like a child for the past' encapsulate the overall emotional impact of the poem?
How does the simile 'I weep like a child for the past' encapsulate the overall emotional impact of the poem?
Which of the following best describes the central theme of D.H. Lawrence's poem 'Piano'?
Which of the following best describes the central theme of D.H. Lawrence's poem 'Piano'?
D.H. Lawrence's 'Piano' is primarily about the joy and celebration of childhood memories and familial love without any sense of loss or sorrow.
D.H. Lawrence's 'Piano' is primarily about the joy and celebration of childhood memories and familial love without any sense of loss or sorrow.
How did D.H. Lawrence's working-class background and his mother's experiences influence his literary work?
How did D.H. Lawrence's working-class background and his mother's experiences influence his literary work?
The title 'Piano' not only refers to the instrument but also suggests a musical direction meaning the piece should be played ______ , hinting at the poem's gentle and heartfelt nature.
The title 'Piano' not only refers to the instrument but also suggests a musical direction meaning the piece should be played ______ , hinting at the poem's gentle and heartfelt nature.
Match each element from the poem 'Piano' with its significance:
Match each element from the poem 'Piano' with its significance:
What aspect of D.H. Lawrence's personal life most directly informed the emotional undercurrent of the poem 'Piano'?
What aspect of D.H. Lawrence's personal life most directly informed the emotional undercurrent of the poem 'Piano'?
D.H. Lawrence's diagnosis with tuberculosis had no impact on his writing or his choice of subject matter.
D.H. Lawrence's diagnosis with tuberculosis had no impact on his writing or his choice of subject matter.
How does the poem 'Piano' exemplify the impact of sensory experiences on memory?
How does the poem 'Piano' exemplify the impact of sensory experiences on memory?
Flashcards
Who was D.H. Lawrence?
Who was D.H. Lawrence?
English novelist, essayist, and poet known for exploring the dehumanizing effects of industrialization and complex relationships.
Dehumanizing Effects
Dehumanizing Effects
Lawrence's belief that industrialization stripped individuals of their humanity.
Lawrence's Mother
Lawrence's Mother
His mother, Lydia, valued education and made sacrifices, greatly influencing his artistic and academic pursuits.
"Piano" Summary
"Piano" Summary
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"Piano" Message
"Piano" Message
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Piano Symbolism
Piano Symbolism
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Meaning of "Piano"
Meaning of "Piano"
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"Softly" Importance
"Softly" Importance
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Personification
Personification
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Past's Reality
Past's Reality
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Intimate Involvement
Intimate Involvement
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Poised Feet
Poised Feet
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Insidious
Insidious
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"Betrays Me Back"
"Betrays Me Back"
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Shared Pleasure
Shared Pleasure
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Shared Learning
Shared Learning
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Dusk in Poetry
Dusk in Poetry
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Sound as Memory Trigger
Sound as Memory Trigger
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Vista of Years
Vista of Years
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The Power of 'Seeing' in Memory
The Power of 'Seeing' in Memory
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Indefinite Article Effect
Indefinite Article Effect
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Under the Piano Symbolism
Under the Piano Symbolism
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Mother's Dominance
Mother's Dominance
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Boom (Onomatopoeia)
Boom (Onomatopoeia)
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Metaphor
Metaphor
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Heart (as a metaphor)
Heart (as a metaphor)
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Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia
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Synonymous
Synonymous
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Vain
Vain
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Apassionato
Apassionato
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Glamour
Glamour
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Simile
Simile
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Study Notes
- D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) was an English novelist, essayist, and poet born in Nottinghamshire to a mining family
- Lawrence's working-class origins shaped his beliefs regarding the dehumanizing effects of industrialization
- He secured a scholarship to Nottingham high school and trained as a teacher
- Lawrence eloped to Europe with the wife of his university lecturer
- He spent much of his life traveling and working, but settled in northern Italy after being diagnosed with tuberculosis
- His novel Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928) is known for its explicit sexual content
Lawrence's Mother, Lydia
- Lawrence's mother, Lydia, valued education to liberate working classes from factory work
- Due to her husband's financial issues, she worked in a lace factory
- Lydia was ambitious for her son, encouraging Lawrence's academic and artistic pursuits thus shaping his success
Poem Summary
- The poem recounts an involuntarily triggered memory of the speaker's mother as he listens to a woman sing
- The song reminds him of his mother singing as he sat under her piano
- The poet tries to remain in the present, but memory pulls him back into the past
- He is left crying for his childhood and deceased mother
Poem Message
- Music can trigger involuntary happy or sorrowful time-related memories
"Piano" Title Significance
- Instrument Lawrence's mother used to play which is the focal point of memory and expresses emotion
- Similar to the poet, his memories evoke an emotional response in poetic form
- "Piano," an Italian musical direction, means to play softly and suggests the poem's gentle, heartfelt nature
Softly
- The poem's first word mirrors the musical undertones of the title
- Describes the music Lawrence is listening to
- The poem unfolding during "dusk" creates a sad atmosphere and is a hinge connecting past and present
- Singing is personal and directed at the poet
Sound Trigger
- A woman's expression of feelings through music is juxtaposed with the mother's love for the poem
- Song triggers -'Taking me back down the Vista of years"- refers to a pleasing visual memory
- "Till I see" indicates the memory's vividness with, poet watching the memory rather than imagining it
"A child sitting under the piano"
- The indefinite article "a" universalizes the memory and facilitates personal connection
- Poet is standing back and watches their own memory
- Child is in an intimate, safe place next to his mother
- The position shows mother’s dominance
- The mother creates music, while the child listens and learns
Sensations
- The boy sits in 'the boom of the tingling strings' in the vibrating piano heart
- The onomatopoeia of 'boom' communicates the sound, contrasting with the woman's singing, and illustrates the past's vividness
- 'Tingling' personifies the piano's excitement, mirroring the boy's excitement
Familial Relationships
- The boy is "pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings", making the moment universal
- Distance is produced by time passing, but it is also a way for him to observe himself and possibly restrain his emotional response to the memory
- Mother's poised feet enable pedals for sustaining, damping, or shortening notes which controls the length of the notes and relates to how sustained or prolonged the memory is
Shared Intimacy
- The boy affectionately touches his mother and learns through her feet movements
- Portrays a shared learning experience with shared pleasure
- Despite the poet wanting to resist the memory, ‘the insidious mastery of song' occurs
Insidious Mastery
- Undermines the resistance, with music, ‘Betrays me back', tricking the poet into the past, despite any appearance of happiness
Weeping
- Memory pulls him back until ‘the heart of me weeps'
- It is weeping because it 'wants to belong To the old Sunday evenings at home', which his head resists because the past can never truly be visited
- Winter evokes comfort, with hymns during Sunday religious worship, which the 'tinkling piano' guides
Clamour
- In the present, ‘it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour With the great black piano apassionato.’
- The intense moment of feeling is created through the memory
- With the glamour of childhood memories, manhood is cast down in the flood of remembrance
- The reference compares powerful overwhelming memory wave
Simile
- Poem concludes, ‘I weep like a child for the past'
- This describes poets initial resistance to sadness, as the power defeats the memory in tears for the lost past
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Description
Analysis of the poem 'Piano' including the significance of dusk, the woman singing, and the use of sound and visual imagery. Exploring the poet's memories and the emotional impact of the poem.
