Analysis

The poem “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning is an example of dramatic monologue. In the poem the speaker, Duke, explains and reveals some facts about his last duchess’s life for an envoy. The emissary is sent from a family that the duke is planning to marry their daughter. He is giving him a tour of his castle’s paintings (Browning 44). The duke pauses by the “last duchess” masterpiece on the wall and the poem begins. The whole poem includes one stanza in enjambment form which indicates clustered and jammed thoughts of the duke toward his last wife. This particular syntactical form used by the poet shows that the speaker is trying to get through the story as fast as possible to control how much information could be revealed. The duke’s whole purpose throughout the poem is convincing the audience on how his wife was unappreciative and not worthy of her title “duchess”. However behind his words one could clearly see duke's controlling character. The poem begins with a particular metric feet and ends with a specific evidence, the “Neptune” painting, to prove the ruling characteristic of the duke.
The controlling character of the duke emerges from the metric feet of the poem as well. The first line starts with an iamb pentameter following spondee which emphasizes words “my” and “last duchess”. Browning also gives the speaker not only the power to control his wife but also to restrict how much information is revealed for the reader through use of sezuras in the poem. The new statement in line 46 starts with the duke “commanding the smiles to stop” and actually in the next line the statement ends by the word “stop” in the line. Before this claim the duke declares “this [referring back to the duchess smiles to everyone] grew” and then pauses following a semicolon notation. The poet lets the speaker control the audience by such a short clause through the interrupted line of the poem. The duke doesn’t reveal any more information regarding how or even why he murders his wife. The duke’s controlling characteristic is not only visible in the metric feet of the poem but also from the syntactical form of this piece.
The whole poem is in one stanza. The enjambment structure shows the speaker is rushing through the story to possibly control the amount of information he reveals. The careful use of sezuras and pauses as discussed before supports this analysis as well. Having only one stanza in the poem also indicates one’s unreliability which in this case surely the duke fits to these criteria as well. The convoluted syntax form used in lines 35 to 45 also shows unreliability of the speaker. The reader loses track of the subject told through these lines of shattered thoughts of the duke. Repetition also plays a role in directing the audience toward the central idea of the essay.
The phrase “as if she was alive” appears throughout the poem. This reminds the reader/speaker that the duchess is dead and it’s probably due to her unmanageability characteristic. The duke constantly reminds us about his desire to control and indirectly threatens the reader about the consequences of not willing to be ruled over by him. Overall syntactical analysis isn’t the only tool to reveal the central idea of the poem; but also the content of the poem itself carries a great load of proofs for the controlling character of the duke.
Using art of poetry the duke relates another painting, “Neptune” taming the sea horse, to the way he wishes to control people in his life, particularly his last duchess. The duke likes to “command” others and be able to rule over them just like controlling the pawns in the chess game. In fact Browning introduces the duchess character only through the duke. This shaping of a new character in a poetic manner also supports the controlling characteristic of him. The duchess is shown as a woman who enjoyed moments in her life and appreciated them equally. The most prestigious “nine-hundred-year-old” title and a simple gift, “bough of cherries”, equally made her happy (Browning 44). Watching a “sunset in the west” could easily brighten her day and gave her the same “spot of joy” on her cheek as if she received a great favor from her husband (Browning 44). Whether it was the greatest painter “Fra Pandolf”, or a man she just met when she was riding her mule around the terrace, they all were given the same “smile” and “blush” on the face (Browning 44). All these features which the duke “knows not how” to explain illustrate the duchess delightful individuality which the duke is extremely upset on not being able to control. Also he highlights his great desire for controlling her when he first wants to “reveal” the duchess painting on the wall for the envoy. The duke explicitly says no “stranger” gets to view this picture except you (emissary) since the painting is covered by a curtain that no one “but, I” (the duke) can “uncover” it. He mostly uses “I” and “my” subjects also to show his controlling manner toward everything.
The duke reveals as much as he likes about his “last duchess”. Even though the poem centers on the duke himself, still he gets to even rule how much the reader has the ability to absorb the duchess character as well. In the line 49 the duke suddenly changes topic and even completely moves on to a new physical state. He invites the envoy to “rise” and get ready to move downstairs. This dynamic motion transfers to the reader as well. In the other words the duke forces the audience to move on. In the next line he then convincingly asks the emissary to move down with him while he quickly points out to the “Neptune” painting and reveals how much he wished he was able to control the duchess the way that Neptune is taming the sea horse (Browning 44). He couldn’t control his cheerful duchess spirit when she was alive thus he “commands” her death to feel at least more controlling over her existence.

The duke believes he is superior to the duchess in all the aspects and yet he always feels falling behind in terms of being able to control her. Duke’s controlling characteristic and his feeling of superiority to the duchess is the central idea of the poem. He not only gets to eventually control the duchess life but also he controls how much the audience is allowed to know the truth in the poem as well. He commands and all the smiles stop so syntactically does the sentence in that line. Overall based on the time era in which the poem is written, Browning introduces the duke as a typical Victorian man who tends to control his properties including the duchess (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Last_Duchess). In this dramatic monologue the stereotypical male character of the 19th century is exemplified and the suppressed value of the female in the society is shown. Browning does a very powerful work in terms of letting the central idea of the poem rise for the reader through using different forms of poetic art.

Work Cited:
Browning, Robert. “My Last Duchess.” ENL3H Reader. Sharada B. Orihuela. Davis: Davis Copy Shop, Fall Quarter 2010, 44.
Wikipedia Encyclopedia. 2004. 29 September 2010 .

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

That's my last duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now; Fra Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will't please you sit and look at her? I said
"Fra Pandolf" by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
That depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain drawn for you, but I) [10]
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there; so not the first
Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 't was not
Her husband's presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps
Fra Pandolf chanced to say "Her mantle laps
Over my lady's wrist too much" or "Paint
Must never hope to reproduce the faint
Half-flush that dies along her throat:" such stuff
Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough [20]
For calling up that spot of joy. She had
A heart - how shall I say? - too soon made glad,
Too easily impressed: she liked whate'er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Sir, 't was all one! My favour at her breast,
The dropping of the daylight in the West,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace -all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech, [30]
Or blush,at least. She thanked men - good! but thanked
Somehow - I know not how - as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody's gift. Who'd stoop to blame
This sort of trifling? Even had you skill
In speech - (which I have not) - to make your will
Quite clear to such a one, and say, "Just this
Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss
Or there exceed the mark"- and if she let
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set [40]
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse
- E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will 't please you rise? We'll meet
The company below, then. I repeat,
The Count your master's known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretence [50]
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;
Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed
At starting is my object. Nay, we'll go
Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me.

My life on campus at UCDavis

My name is Anahita and I am a freshman student at UCDavis. I enjoy my life here in dorms, on campus. I would suggest that to all freshman for their first year at a any UC.
Living on campus made my life much easier. You definitely appreciate its true value as it gets closer to winter quarter with all that rain and cold weather. I don't have a car, so I have to bike everywhere. So being on campus relived me especially on those very cold rainy days which I have to get into my classes on time and they are all spread apart on campus. I have enough time to run back to my room really quick in between some of my classes when I am just soaked!
Even if I had a car, parking permits are not cheap! Pretty much paying for anything on campus is more expensive than usual but having a bike definitely saves you money and environment of course. That way you are both contributing to your own pocket and your surrounding all at once.
Generally living on campus gives you the opportunity to meet other classmates and friends who are typically sharing the same level of knowledge and experience as you. In fact living on campus is the best time to make ever lasting friendships.
There are several more options to be able to continue living on campus in sophomore, junior a senior year, you just to apply and get accepted either as an RA (resident adviser) or SRA(Senior resident adviser) to get to stay in the dorms for all undergrad period.

Neither Out Far Nor In Deep

The people along the sand
All turn and look one way.
They turn their back on the land.
They look at the sea all day.

As long as it takes to pass
A ship keeps raising its hull;
The wetter ground like glass
Reflects a standing gull

The land may vary more;
But wherever the truth may be--
The water comes ashore,
And the people look at the sea.

They cannot look out far.
They cannot look in deep.
But when was that ever a bar
To any watch they keep?
-Robert Frost