Oppenheimer’s interest in Hinduism was about more than a soundbite, it was a way of making sense of his actions. "He was obviously very attracted to this philosophy,” says Rev Dr Stephen Thompson, who holds a PhD in Sanskrit grammar and is currently reading a DPhil at Oxford University on other aspects of the language and Hindu faith. While he never became a Hindu in the devotional sense, Oppenheimer found it a useful philosophy to structure his life around. “A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent.” Oppenheimer, watching the fireball of the Trinity nuclear test, turned to Hinduism. “We knew the world would not be the same,” he later recalled. As wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory, the birthplace of the Manhattan Project, he is rightly seen as the “father” of the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer died at the age of sixty-two in Princeton, New Jersey on February 18, 1967. It is, perhaps, the most well-known line from the Bhagavad-Gita, but also the most misunderstood. That doth not rise or set' (line 15) The notion of resting in a place where the rising and setting of the sun is not necessary comes from the New Testament book, Revelation.A photograph on display at The Bradbury Science Museum shows the first thermonuclear test on OctoBradbury Science Museum / Getty ImagesĪs he witnessed the first detonation of a nuclear weapon on July 16, 1945, a piece of Hindu scripture ran through the mind of Robert Oppenheimer: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. The first verse of 'When I am dead my dearest is written in iambic tetrameter repetition, sibilance and alliteration "i shall not see the shadows/ i shall not feel the rain/ i shall not hear the nightingale." 2.1,2,3 - heaven does not contain the harshities of nature- The repetition of "i shall not" emphasises her surity that she will live a better life.- The nightingale was a common symbol in Romantic poetry "Haply I may remember,Īnd haply may forget" By prefacing the words 'remember' and 'forget' in the same way in both instances, there is a blurring of the distinction between memory and forgetfulness 'dreaming through the twilight By prefacing the words 'remember' and 'forget' in the same way in both instances, there is a blurring of the distinction between memory and forgetfulness Structure Contains enjambment and metre- builds upon spontaneous feeling. And if thou wilt ,remember/ And if thou wilt, forget. In Genesis 6:14, the story of Noah and the Ark, God commands Noah, "So make yourself an ark of cypress wood make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out."- By declaring that s/he has no need of these things, the speaker reassures the lover that s/he will not be jealous or resentful if the lover continues living his/her life rather than to mourn for the speaker. The soft 'sh' sounds in the words 'shady' and 'showers' reinforce his/her weary tone "shady cypress tree/be the green grass above me/ with showers and dewdrops wet" 1.4,5,6 - juxtaposes death with the ongoing life of nature- Alliteration of "green grass" is sensuous and offers a comforting promise.- the cypress was associated with death and the underworld because it failed to regenerate when cut back too severely.- Yet, the cypress is also considered a sign of life. What did Rossetti believe happened after death? You fall into 'soul sleep' What does 'dearest' suggest? They have a close relationship What does the cypress tree symbolise? Mourning and everlasting love What do nightingales symbolise? The natural world is not a place of pure joy What does 'the twilight that doth not rise nor set' show? Death is never ending What is significant about the phrase 'when I am dead'? Death is inevitable What does 'sing no sad songs for me plant thou no roses at my head, nor shady cypress tree' show? Rejection of conventional mourning What does 'thou' suggest? a personal relationship between the speaker and the person they are addressing What does 'if thou wilt, remember, and if thou wilt, forget' show? The speaker is indifferent as to what happens after they die What disease did Christina Rossetti suffer from? Graves disease What is the realtionship between the words 'remember' and 'forget'? They are opposites, create contrast What does the word 'dearest' suggest? The speaker is addressing someone they are close to, possible affection What does the theme of forgetting show in this poem? Forgetting is inevitable with the passing of time What do the phrases 'not see', 'not feel', and 'not hear' show? All senses are lost after death, impact "sing no sad songs" 1.2 - This is ironic as the poem is a song often sung in funerals.-Throughout Song Rossetti uses sibilance to create a song-like tone: highlight the melancholy voice of the speaker.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |