La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats and When We Two Parted by Byron Essay Example

La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats and When We Two Parted by Byron Paper I intend to compare, When We Two Parted, a romantic poem by Lord Byron and La Belle Dame Sans Merci, also a romantic theme but a ballad by John Keats. In When We Two Parted the poem tells of a loving relationship which has ended, when one of the partners feelings for the other waned. It expresses the emotions of resentment, betrayal, sorrow and anguish which are those sentiments which are often felt by the one in the relationship who has been left. It is personal to the poet and written to his lost love. The poem by John Keats La Belle Dame Sans Merci has a similar message because it tells of a breakdown in a relationship; it is written as a ballad. It is a romantic story set in times past. It tells of the heartless reactions of a lady to her love-lorn knight. It is an allegory, perhaps written by the poet after he had been let down by his true love. In both poems a story is told in stages, represented in each stanza. Love is expressed in each poem by a feeling of pain and despair at its loss. The authors use expressive language to portray their pain and anguish, in La Belle Dame Sans Merci Keats work didnt really focus on religion or ethnic issues, he wrote mainly about sensations and the richness of life. The style of poetry that Byron uses in We will write a custom essay sample on La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats and When We Two Parted by Byron specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats and When We Two Parted by Byron specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on La Belle Dame Sans Merci by Keats and When We Two Parted by Byron specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer When We Two Parted suggests that he also preferred to write in a similar way; this is what makes the two poems suitable for comparison. The two poems are structured completely differently. When We Two Parted is made up of four eight line stanzas and alternate lines rhyme. The rhyme is enhanced by a rhythm which is made by the constant use of five syllables in each line. The use of this form, allows the reader to become immediately drawn to the intention of his poem. It has a rather stilted feeling about it, giving the impression that Lord Byron was so full of passionate hate when he wrote When We Two Parted that it did not flow from his pen easily. The poet uses colons, semi-colons, dashes and full stops to emphasise the depth of his feelings: Colder thy kiss; Sorrow to this! This gives the impression that Byron was angry and miserable when he wrote the poem but that he also wanted to express these feelings as shortly as possible. He ends the poem with a question which he answers: How should I greet thee? With silence and tears. This not only echoes the opening two lines of the poem it also strengthens his feeling of eternal despair at the loss of his love. La Belle Dame Sans Merci is made up of twelve four line stanzas in which only the second and fourth lines rhyme. We can see in La Belle Dame Sans Merci that the author wrote the poem in the style of a ballad, this is because this type of poem is a story. Keats probably saw his poem as an epic that could be remembered and retold by generation after generation, as a story of heart break and love. It is written as a romantic tale of love that has ended, almost like a play, and each verse represents a scene in the play. The regular use of commas and full stops allows the poem to flow from one idea to the next. One similarity between the two poems is the use of repetition to emphasise the poets feelings and to return the reader to the initial reason for the poem being written: Though the sedge has witherd from the lake, And no birds sing. In When We Two Parted Lord Byron uses language that expresses a feeling of physical as well as emotional sickness. The dew of the morning Sunk chill on my brow This gives the impression that Byrons emotional state is making him feel cold, clammy and feverish. Byron adds to this feeling with the constant use of words related to coldness; shudder, colder thy kiss. This links with the emotional and physical illness that Keats narrator is going through, from loss of love, in stanza three; I see a lily on thy brow With anguish moist and fever dew, And on thy cheeks a fading rose Fast withered too. We can see in the quote above, a sense that love is dying along with the rosiness in his lovers cheeks which are fading, signalling that as love is fading so is her stunning beauty. Byron emphasises the idea that love has died using such phrases as: To sever for years. This means that their love has been cut up and will never be whole again: Thy vows are all broken. means that the relationship has reached such a state that all the promises they made to each other have been broken and: A knell to mine ear suggests that a bell of death is tolling to tell of the passing of their love. There is also a mood of regret in such lines as: Truly that hour foretold Sorrow to this. Why wert thou so dear? In silence I grieve Overall Byron gives a sense of disillusionment and betrayal. This is reflected in La Belle Dame Sans Merci but the ways in which these feelings are portrayed are entirely different. Keats tells of the emotions connected with the loss of love, through a dream-like ballad of times long past. The main characters are a chivalrous knight and a passer-by, who questions the knight about his sadness. Keats uses romantic, almost archaic language that is reminiscent of Shakespeare. I met a lady in the mead, The squirrels granary is full And the harvest done. Hath thee in thrall. These quotes give a definite time frame. With the type of language used by Keats, we can see that the ballad was written at a time when the romantic poetry was extremely popular and poetic style was often influenced by the master of such poems; Shakespeare. The author has written the ballad in sections; we can identify a beginning, a middle and an end; the beginning is shown in the first four stanzas with the introduction of a: lady in the meads it then moves smoothly into the middle part of the ballad when the two lovers are having fun and enjoying each others company. The author is giving his lover romantic presents: I made a garland for her head and the end tells of the break-up, the word death signals the death of a relationship. Parts of the ballad are in dream sequence: and there she lulled me I saw their starved lips Here, you get the feeling that reality has struck him hard, this is where he realises that he has been abandoned and that how dreadful he feels now this has happened. The ballad is aiming to give the message that love hurts and that you never know that its over until you wake up and get hit by the knowledge. Mood and tone are key elements of any poem and are definitely present in both of my poems; Byron creates mood and tone by using dull and depressing vocabulary that reflects the poems theme; tearsbrokenchill on my browsorrowcold These give a sense of pain and loss in each line, each with a word of heart ache, which lets the reader know of Byrons deep heartache and distress. Repetition is also another way in which byron has portrayed the mood. He uses the word cold twice, directly after each other, which implicates his cold and broken heart. It sets the tone as being depressing and lonely. This feeling of coldness appears several times throughout the poem, with words such as, chill and shudder. These words help to set the mood by constantly referring to the bleakness of winter, and how to Byron, the loss of his love is like a winter. There is a shift in Byrons When we two parted between the second and third stanza. The first two stanzas depict his own feeling of their parting, and he describes how he felt at the time, and is almost like a flashback of that fatal moment. The last two stanzas are almost like a reality check, and another influence is brought into the poem: they. This shifts the tone of the poem from being reflective to being a more questioning tone. It is also portrayed through literary technique. Alliteration is a key aspect, and Byron uses this at several points throughout the poem: They knew not I knew thee Who knew thee too well: Long, long shall I rue thee Too deeply to tell. The repetition of the th sound enhances the loss of this love, and creates a sound that fits the mood. In La Belle Dame Sans Merci there are a lot of commas and semi-colons throughout the poem: what can ail thee, knight at arms, death pale were they all; they cried La Belle Dame Sans Merci These give the poem a short sharp quality which lets the reader be aware of the type of pain that is affecting the poet. As in When We Two Parted the tone is partially set by the repetition of phrases and words in the stanzas: sedge witherd from the lake, This is repeated in the last line, along with: and no birds sing these open and close the poem, this is very effective for the tone and also the mood of the poem, as the narrator, who is talking to a knight at-arms, is at the beginning of the poem the narrator is alone and lonely and looking for a love, and at the end when he realises that his new-found lover is actually quite floozy and has left many men; I saw pale kings, and princes too, Pale warriors, death-pale were they all; Who crydLa belle Dame sans Merci Hath thee in thrall! This is to show that the mystical woman doesnt only treat the narrator like this, she treats everybody like this, even kings, and princes too,. In addition to When We Two Parted and La Belle Dame Sans Merci I have comed through three other poems, they are, Porphyrias Lover, Never Seek To Tell Thy Love and The Despairing Lover. These poems are all from the era of my main poems and all compliment the theme of loss loss of love. In Never Seek To Tell Thy Love the structure is unique, it is very short, in line length and poem length, it is a group of three quatrains and has a regular syllabic pattern, these things make it short and snappy and give the poem a feeling of sharp pain as it is in very small blistering sections. In Never Seek To Tell Thy Love it is similar to La Belle Dame Sans Merci because of the way the narrator is left by hiss lover and is distraught because of his loss: Soon as she was gone from me A traveller came by Silently, invisibly O, was no deny. This is from Never Seek To Tell Thy Love it is the same as when the poet in La Belle Dame Sans Merci expresses his loss in the way: I saw pale kings and princes too, Pale warriors, death-pale were they all; They cried-La Belle Dame sans Merci Hath thee in thrall! This links to Never Seek To Tell Thy Love because of the way they find out about their lover adultery, it is obviously a big shock. It is apparent that their lovers were maybe a bit loose, I can say this because the way they find out that their love has left them. Porphyrias Lover is linked to When We Two Parted by the tone used to portry their pain. The tone used is very cold and bitter: cold, colder thy kiss These types of words give the poems real pain, it almost gives the effect of physical sickness, this is told byt the authors with great anguish as they use many words like this to give across their throbbing heart soreness. In conclusion I think that the poets bring their themes to life well, by using all the things mentioned structure which is important to set the mood and tone, language which is important to set the mood, tone and gives the speed of the poem. Also the view of love is expressed by all the poets well as being unrequited as it is not really returned in the same way as it is being bestowed on the poets love.

Concepts of Alzheimers disease

Concepts of Alzheimers disease Women and Alzheimers disease Introduction Alzheimer’s disease, popularly known as AD, is an irremediable, progressive ailment of the brain that destroys brain cells responsible for executing brain roles such as memory and thinking. Alzheimer disease destroys some brain faculties making the person unable to perform even the simplest tasks. To begin with, the disease affects regions of the brain, which manage language, memory and thought.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Concepts of Alzheimer’s disease specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, women suffering from Alzheimer disease find it hard to memorize things that have occurred lately and in most cases, they cannot even remember the names of people conversant to them. As time goes by, the symptoms become ubiquitous and worse. The disease also affects men but not vicious as compared to women. Source: https://farm1.static.flickr.com/95/225036858_d88c73896e .jpg For instance, women like men suffering from Alzheimer disease cannot recognize family members, experience some speaking difficulties and they loose their ability to read and write. Additionally, they forget to do even simple things like combing hair and brushing their teeth. With time, they become very nervous and belligerent, wandering far away from home never to return back as they cannot remember the way back home. The symptoms of Alzheimer disease become prevalent the age of 60. This means that as one gets older, the risks becomes high. Notably, research shows that the disease leads to dementia- a disease common among older people- men and women. Dementia is a brain disease characterized by the loss of cognitive functioning.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, persons suffering from dementia have remembering, thinking and reasoning intricacies, whic h end up affecting their daily activities. So far, statistics reveal that there are over 5.1 million people suffering from Alzheimer disease in United States alone and the disease affects more women than men (U.S National Institute of Health, 2010, p.1). Brain Changes with Alzheimer’s disease So far, medics are yet to identify the real cause of Alzheimer disease. Additionally, medics are busy doing research to identify how the process starts and whether brain damage occurs 10 to 20 years prior to the appearance of first symptoms. The brain changes are the same in both men and women suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Nevertheless, some medical practitioners believe that it all starts with the development of tangles in the brain especially in the entorhinal cortex and affects more women than men. Other regions of the brain may also develop plaques. Further development of the plaques and tangles within the brain regions hampers the normal functioning of the healthy neuro ns. Eventually, the neurons become less efficient and cannot communicate effectively with each other; consequently, they die leaving the person in big problems. The tangles and the plaques continue to damage the entorhinal cortex and eventually spread into a nearby region, hippocampus. The hippocampus is the region of the brain responsible for memory. There is also a significant increase in the death of the neurons leading to the shrinking of the affected regions. Source: https://www.drugdevelopment-technology.com/ Signs and Symptoms The society has mixed perceptions on the signs and symptoms of the disease. In most cases, they associate them with disability. Alzheimer’s disease develops slowly making it hard for medics to establish the whole process.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Concepts of Alzheimer’s disease specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Several neuropsychological testing reveals the dominan ce of mild cognitive intricacies eight years before the real diagnosis. Some of the common early symptoms include memory loss, which affects the person’s ability to remember or even get new information. In the early stage, persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease experience memory loss, language difficulties, changed perceptions (agnosia), and difficulties in moving from one place to another, apraxia. At this stage, the disease does not impair all memory capacities. Even if it affects these memory capacities, the extent of damage is not uniform across all memories. For example, research shows that the episodic memory responsible for remembering past happenings, the semantic memory responsible for recognizing learned facts, and the implicit memory of how the body works has lesser damages as compared to other memory capacities. This problem is more prevalent in men than in women. Additionally, both men and women experience language problems like hesitancy of words and dwindling vocabulary hence, the penury of spoken and written language. Nevertheless, the person can still perform fine motor tasks for example, walking, eating, writing, and drawing (Forstl, H. Kurz, 1999, pp. 288-290). The second stage of symptoms is the moderate. Here, the early signs and symptoms starts to deteriorate and eventually hinders the independence of a person. In most cases, this effect is dominant in men. On the other hand, women also experience speech difficulties and become prevalent-paraphasias. With time, they loose the ability to read and write. The memory loss problem also worsens and the person cannot even recognize family members. This stage exhibits behavioral and neuropsychiatric changes such as tetchiness, labile effect, outbursts, itinerancy, sundowning and aggression. In the advanced stage, the both men and women cannot perform any task individually. There is complete loss of speech characterized by single words and phrases. Nevertheless, although such pe rsons cannot communicate effectively, they understand and can answer using emotional gestures.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At this stage, they experience acute apathy, aggressiveness and exhaustion and they cannot perform any task including the simple ones minus assistance. Other symptoms include the deterioration of mobility and muscle mass to a stage where they confine to bed, unable to feed themselves. The table below shows the number of incidences affected after the age of 65 (Frank, 1994, pp. 417-423). Age Number of Men and Women Affected per One Thousand 65-69 3 70-74 6 75-79 9 80-84 23 85-89 40 Above 90 69 Causes To date, scientist have not identified the real cause of Alzheimer’s disease, although it is clear that the disease starts with some complications and a chain of events occurring in the brain for a lengthy period of time. Genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors are some of the possible causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Nevertheless, scientists have put across several hypotheses, which tend to explain the cause of AD. For example, the cholinergic hypot hesis depicts the reduced synthesis of neurotransmitter acetylcholine as the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Nonetheless, many scientists do not agree with this hypothesis and always find faults in it. Another hypothesis, amyloid hypothesis, developed in 1991 explains that amyloid beta (AÃŽ ²) causes Alzheimer’s disease. The hypothesis continues further to explain position of the gene in the amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) occurring in chromosome 21, a characteristic experienced by older persons. Since then, scientists have made numerous advances to the hypothesis explaining how amyloid plaques cause impairs the normal functioning of the neurons. Another hypothesis, explains how the breakdown of myelin within the brain causes Alzheimer’s disease. Such breakdowns cause distractions in axonal transport hence, trouncing of neurons. The hypothesis also explains that the iron unconfined during the go kaput of myelin can cause brain damages (Polvikoski, Sulkava, Ha ltia, 1995, pp. 1242-1247). Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease The definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is not an easy task. This is because it involves the assessment of the brain tissue and pathology examination in an autopsy. Nevertheless, due to the development of science and technology, medics are now in a position to determine whether persons suffering from memory problems have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. In order to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, medical practitioners have to perform the following. Firstly, they examine the medical history of the person affected, which includes the ability to carry out different tasks, earlier medical quandaries, and alterations in personality and behavior. Secondly, doctors will then proceed to perform memory tests such as attention and problem solving. They will also test the person’s ability to count and communicate effectively (language). Thirdly, they will then carry out medical tests from samp les of urine, blood and the spinal fluid. The last test involves brain scanning. Using computerized tomography (CT) or another technique called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); doctors can determine the extent of brain damage over time. Perhaps this is the main reason why doctors prefer early diagnosis as they can be in a position to prescribe drugs, which control further development of the symptoms. Early diagnosis will also make many families prepare for the future in advance and develop support networks (Shiel Marks, 2010, p. 1). Society and AD Depending on one’s background, the view on women with Alzheimer can vary greatly. Nevertheless, women are important people in society. Although many women are more likely to be affected, the mortality rate is higher in men than in women. In fact, severe dementia and delirium causes mortality in men. On the other hand, women suffering from dementia are having low insulin as compared to men meaning, the probability of women sufferin g from diabetes is higher than that of men. Women and Alzheimer’s Disease Research shows that women are at high risk of attack of Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, women contribute 66 percent of persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. United States government is going to spend over US$20 billion for over 78 million baby boomers, many of them suffering from this disease. Women suffer most because of their gender, not longevity. Once women reach menopause, they experience estrogen deficiency. Medical research indicates that estrogen is imperative in protecting the mental functioning of the brain. It also controls the production of amyloid, which forms amyloid plaques dangerous to the brain. Thus, as the level of estrogen plummet, the intrinsic fortification of women ceases; nonetheless, as for men, they change testosterone into estrogen even at old ages hence, ensuring them protection against the disease. In women, the brain’s vascular system is dependent on estrogen. Thus, once the production of estrogen stalls, there is no further preservation of the woman’s vascular system (Liesi, Scherr, McCann, Beckett, Evans, 1999, pp. 132-136). Various medical researches indicate that after menopause, the body of women fails to normalize its blood vessels just like in the past due to the absence of estrogen. This can cause further deterioration resulting from such abnormalities. However, with time, the body adapts to the new body condition and sets new modalities of maintaining the vascular system. Blood vessels are like highways that ship oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. As women start their menopause period, certain vascular quandaries develop. Within vessels, some tiny vessels develop causing miscommunication. Doctors cannot use synthetic hormones to correct the situation as it can interfere with the normal functioning of the body. Consequently, abnormal changes occur in the brain; nerves responsible for memory and capacit y to learn damage, and brain cells die. This changes a person’s personality and behavior and in some occasions, the body can loose its ability to perform normal functions like walking, writing, and drawing (Lerner, 1999, pp. 1830-1834). Treating the Psychiatric Symptoms So far, there is no established cure for Alzheimer’s disease.Scientists have developed drugs that treat symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease. For example, in treating agitation, doctors recommend beta-blockers, anxiolytics, trazodone and antipsychotics. However, there is still pharmacological controversy on these drugs regarding their side effects such as stroke and sudden death. For example, some drugs treat men effectively from depression but fails in women. Additionally, women suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, experiencing apathy, and concentrating problems should desist from using antidepressants as they may cause more harm. Research shows that sedating atypical antidepressan ts, trazodone, is effective in controlling the dominant symptoms like agitation, hallucination and insomnia. Other modes of treatment include non-pharmacologic measures such as not taking fluids at night to reduce urination, pain treatment, exposure to sunlight and other activities that induce sleep. Conclusion It is true the disease affects both men and women. However, research shows that women constitute the highest percentage of those affected. Both men and women suffering from Alzheimer’s disease need maximum care, as they cannot perform normal activities due to brain damage. Sometimes, families can have stress in caring for these patients, as they need total attention. Nevertheless, persons suspecting to have the disease should see the doctor for diagnosis and further treatment. Reference List Forstl, H. Kurz, A. (1999). Clinical features of Alzheimers disease. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 249(6), 288–290. Frank, E. (1994). Effect of Alzheimers disease on communication function. Journal of Science and Medical Association, 90 (9), 417–423. Lerner, A. (1999). Women and Alzheimer’s Disease. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, 84(6), 1830-1834. Liesi, E., Scherr, P., McCann, J., Beckett, L. Evans, D. (1999). Is the Risk of Developing Alzheimer’s Disease Greater for Women than Men? American Journal of Epidemiology, 153(2), 132-136. Polvikoski, T., Sulkava, R. Haltia, M. (1995). Apolipoprotein E, dementia, and cortical deposition of beta-amyloid protein. New England Journal of Medicine, 333(19), 1242–1247. Shiel, W. Marks, J. (2010). Alzheimer’s Disease. Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/alzheimers_disease_causes_stages_and_symptoms/article.htm U.S National Institute of Health. (2010). Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet.