Anna Letitia Barbauld: Selected Poetry and Prose Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Anna Letitia Barbauld: Selected Poetry and Prose Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

Music and translations

One of the common motifs in the poem entitled "To Mr. Bowring’’ is the idea that music and the art of translating are closely associated. This is a common motif that appears in the poem and it is maintained until the end of the poem.

Breast

In many poems, the author uses the term "breast’’ in relation to different feelings and emotions. Because of this, it is safe to assume that the term breast is used here as a symbol for the symbolic heart, the place where emotions and feelings reside.

Tears

In the poem entitled "On the King’s Illness," the poet mentions the tears shed by those who cared about the King and who were saddened to hear and learn about his illness. The tears are used here as a symbol to suggest the affection which the people had for the King and how they were saddened to see him succumb to illness.

Vaulted domes

Also in the poem "On the King’s Illness,’’ the narrator mentions the vaulted domes that stand over imposing religious buildings. The poet was the member of a religion that was not mainstream and their places of worships were humble in comparison with the grand churches the other religions possessed. Thus, for the author, the vaulted domes were a symbol that stood for the wealth the said religions possessed and also a symbol for their power.

Autumn

One of the important allegories that appears in the poems is the connection between autumn is the poem entitled "Autumn’’ and the end of a King’s rule over the country. The author compares the two in her poem probably also alluding to the dying King who ruled during the time she wrote her poems.

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