How is the narrative told within Lines 200~295 of the poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning?

How is the narrative told within Lines 200~260 of the poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning?

By writing the whole poem in rhyme Browning has created a childlike feel to the poem. This and the fact that it based upon a traditional children's story makes is accessible to children. I think that this is has been purposely done by Browning to make it a cautionary tale for children. By having it in rhyme and a well known story it means that a more serious message about the government can be passed onto children without being too severe.

Browning has used enjambment between lines 200-226 to show how excited the children were as they followed the pied piper and how frantic the parents were as they ran after their children. He has also shown a frantic and excited feeling in line 200 'like fowls in a farm yard when barley is scattering' representing how greedy the children were. This makes the children's need to follow the piper seem as strong hunger and a need for food. Since you need food to survive it makes the act appear more instinctive as opposed to of their own free will.

Browning has used the voice of the lame boy between lines 235-255 to tell the story. In this the lame boy describes what happened to the children who followed the pied piper. The place the children go to could possibly be a metaphor for heaven, reflecting some of the social and political issues of Browning time. This representation could be what happened to Victorian children that died due to the government’s ignorance, and lack to look after the lower classes. This idea is supported in line 258 'Horses born with eagles wings' which is rather angelic and links with Pegasus a winged horse created by the gods in Greek mythology.

Lines 250-254 'My lame foot would have been speedily cured, The music stopped and I stood still, And found myself outside the hill, left alone against my will, To go now limping as before'. By using lame boy as the narrator for this part of the poem is really effective because it gives him the role of speaker for the children. The fact that he is lame creates empathy from the reader and set the mood for the rest of the poem; you feel especially sorry for the lame boy because he not only alone now the other children have gone but he was the one child who needed the heaven the most as it would have cured his legs. The quote is a good example of Browning describing how the poor were left poor whereas those with better fortunes (able bodied children) were able to move on and go to better places.

The point about the rich being given help/opportunity easier is supported in lines 258-259 'A text which says that heaven's gate Opes to the rich an easy rate' as it says how the gates to heaven open easier for the rich, an important aspect of the themes (social and historical context) that Browning has included.

Write about ways Browning tells the story in lines 191-269 of 'Fra Lippo Lippi'

Browning has used enjambment throughout the poem to help paint the picture that he's drunk and rambling on. The drunken rant is also used to reveal some of the background story about Fra Lippo Lippi himself. The poem uses Iambic pentameters to represent a natural speaking voice. This tells the story to the reader because it shows what he's saying isn't planned it's just his opinions coming out naturally. Also because Browning doesn't stick to Iambic pentameter completely it shows how he has to stop and think what he's saying now and again as well as too much coming out sometimes.

By having the poem as a dramatic monologue it helps the narrator address the situation more as well as directly showing the reader his views on the religious regime.  This has also been done by Browning through use of extreme punctuation e.g. exclamation marks, this displays his emotional state and anger, giving you an accurate idea of the character. This refers back to the point about Iambic pentameter.

Browning has used a linear structure for the poem with flashbacks to different parts of about Fra Lippo Lippi’s life. This works as a metaphor for how the church works because even though time is moving on and forward they keep looking back into the past and using old traditional practices and views; exactly what about Fra Lippo is angered about.

 

Sexual Imagery is used by Browning in line 196 'Oh, that white smallish female with the breasts' demonstrates how Fra Lippo thinks differently to the other monks. This kind of sexual fantasy is frowned upon by monks and the church, this circumstance helps to distinguish Fra Lippo from other members of the church.

Another technique Browning has used is perspective from Fra Lippo (The Narrator) in line 199 'A fine way to paint soul, by painting body' this tells the reader Fra Lippo Lippi's views on church and how he wants to paint people as opposed to using symbolism. This in turn tells the reader the story as it helps you understand why he is having the argument in the first place.

Line 204 says 'Why can't a painter lift each foot in turn, Left foot and right foot, go a double step'. Browning has said this to show perspective from the narrator. By this he means that he wants to move on and make progress with his art instead of doing what the church say he should do.

Browning has used setting the setting of 15^th century Florence. In line 240 ‘I’m not the third, then: bless us, they must know! Don’t you think they’re the likeliest to know, They with their Latin? So, I swallow my rage, Clench my teeth, suck my lips in tight, and paint To please them. This is a direct dig at the church, the fact he has set it centuries ago shows how the church and the religious system still haven’t changed. 

In line 254 'The old mill horse, out at grass After hard years, throws up his stiff heels'  This is a metaphor used to represent Fra Lippo Lippi going against his superiors, and to demonstrate how he wants to do things other than what the church has to told him to do.

To conclude Browning has used a variety of techniques to tell the story in Fra Lippo Lippi.

Naivety Is Ignorance

This is a poem based on a stereotype.

The stereotype I was given: Emo
- 16 Years old
- Male
- Failing School
- Takes Drugs
- Wears Black

Naivety Is Ignorance

My skin beneath me,

Bathed in black. Why try

I can block it out. 

Failure comes to all. 

Just timing differs.

Some say I'm young.

It's age that matters

I care but only 

To disagree. You

Say one pill cannot

Better me? I say

Each beginning is

The start of a fresh

End. So pardon me.

Youth merely helps you

Determine my hope,

Should I have any. 

A smoke can help to

Quicken the despair. 

And for that I am 

Grateful! So leave me.

Leave me be. I have 

My own struggles, as

You are never I.