A Comparison Between the poems ‘Cousin Kate’ and ‘Ballad’ Essay Example

surroundings.

The mood of the poem suggests that the protagonist is experiencing cold and icy hostility from those around her, leaving her feeling trapped and alone. The line "When winter nights did darkly prove" sets a gloomy tone to the ballad, emphasizing the sense of entrapment and loneliness. Additionally, the use of the word "thorn" in line forty-two creates a painful mood for the poem. Overall, "Cousin Kate" has a sorrowful mood.

Within the poem, the protagonist expresses regret over her actions, stating "He lured me to his palace home, Woe's me to joy thereof" (lines 9-10). However, as the poem progresses, the protagonist conveys hostility and enmity towards her antagonist. The protagonist feels betrayed and exhibits a hint of jealousy towards Kate. It is apparent that the ballad has been passed down through generations as its author and year of origin are unknown. Given its references to Christianity, it is evident that it was written in an era where the Bible held a greater influence. The opening line of the poem refers to the antagonist as a "faithless shepherd".

The man in the relationship is portrayed negatively in this biblical reference, which implies disbelief in God, Christ, and honesty. The protagonist seeks forgiveness throughout the poem and wishes to be with God rather than living a fearful life on earth or facing damnation for her sins. Line 20 contains a metaphor reflecting the protagonist's desire for death: "My soul with God, my body clay."

The main character recognizes her wrongdoing, feels regretful, and sees death as the only way to resolve her problems and return to her Lord. The author's objective is to demonstrate the intense

agony of a destitute woman who has nothing left to find joy in, and solely desires the tranquility of passing away.

In 'Cousin Kate', the religious connotation in lines 27 and 28, where the protagonist states that the neighbours call Kate "good and pure" while labeling her as an "outcast thing," lies in the implications of being considered "good and pure." The words indicate a sense of cleanliness. The protagonist is demonstrating how her community views Kate as a wise, respectable person, while she herself is regarded as an outsider. The term "outcast" has religious connotations, stemming from the fact that lepers and prostitutes were shunned during the time of Christ. She has violated the societal norms by indulging in premarital sex, making her an outcast. Although she is apprehensive about not being pure in God's eyes, what concerns her more is how her peers perceive her.

The absence of biblical references indicates a dearth of guilt or regret. The central figure fixates on her personal animosity towards Kate for her treachery, which contradicts the principles of Christianity. Christian ideology advocates for turning the other cheek or pardoning and disregarding transgressions. Even without analyzing 'Ballad,' the poem straightforwardly portrays the main character's complaints. She displays regret and remorse, and this is evident.

Within the text, the author expresses a sense of sorrow and despair. In line 33, she mentions weeping for her past and dreading the darkness. Similarly, in line 14, she longs to be an unmarried woman again. The author recognizes her mistakes and desires to undo them. The birth of her child brings her grief, despite it being a typically joyous occasion. She

mourns the consequences that come with being an unwed mother. Throughout the text, the shepherd, who took her virginity, serves as the antagonist.

The focus of 'Ballad' is not on the protagonist, but on her depression over being left destitute by the man who has left her with a baby. In contrast, 'Cousin Kate' features a protagonist who does not grieve over her actions with the man she slept with. The man is a wealthy Lord with power and status, while the protagonist is considered inferior due to her gender and status. The Lord impregnates the protagonist in 'Cousin Kate' and goes on to marry her baron cousin.

The protagonist had a child with the woman he fornicated with, but his wife is unable to bear children. The protagonist must not excessively mourn his wife's actions with the Lord as their son is the only solace from her feelings of anger, betrayal, and jealousy towards her cousin. She speaks to her son about how his genetic father would have given anything for his wife to have a son who could inherit and wear his crown, despite already having a son with her who was treated unfairly. The "Ballad" paints a bleak picture with its language.The author uses certain phrases in the poem to create harsh and unloving images. Specifically, in line six, the words "frost and snow" are utilized for this purpose. Additionally, line eleven portrays pregnancy in a negative light by describing it as "dark" and foreboding. Death and the grave are recurring themes throughout the poem, with line sixteen asking "O when will green grass cover me?" and line twenty-four stating "Left me to want

a bed of clay." These morbid images constantly resurface in the poem's narrative.

'When thou without a friend shalt beWeeping on a stranger's knee'(Lines 35 and 36), this phrase creates an image of solitude which is evident in the words of the protagonist. The character is contemplating the aftermath of her suicide on her offspring, foreseeing a grim future ahead marked by loneliness, due to their dependence on kind strangers. The character mentions in line forty-two that her child will have a difficult start to life due to being born under such circumstances. Nevertheless, there are moments in the 'Ballad' where positive imagery is present, such as the line 'I've made thy pillow on a thorn'.

The reader is transported to warm, happy memories of a summer spent with a lover in "Cousin Kate" when the protagonist was unafraid. Despite the shepherd's promises of luxury, including "beds as fine as silk" (line 20), the poem's protagonist is portrayed in stark contrast to the antagonist. The clear disparity between the two is felt when the protagonist laments, "Even so I sit and howl in dust / You sit in gold and sing" (lines 29-30). Ultimately, these images reveal a harsh treatment that has condemned the protagonist to a life of poverty and labor.

Despite adhering to customary ways, Kate's life is enriched with treasures that allow her to carry out tasks with more significance. In the poem 'Cousin Kate', the main character, who has worked on a farm throughout her life, is portrayed through images of her farming duties in the first few lines of the initial stanza. The writer describes how the protagonist has been 'hardened

by the sun and air' and how she finds solace in her 'cottage mates'. This choice of words creates vivid rural imagery in the reader's mind.

The images presented in line nine are starkly different from the preceding ones. This particular line depicts opulence and sensuality between the main character and her captivating lover, with the phrase "He lured me to his palace home" suggesting both temptation and deceit. The word "palace" evokes impressions of great wealth and authority. Much of "Cousin Kate" reminisces on delightful moments shared between the protagonist and her partner.

'Ballad' comprises of eleven quatrains with two rhyming couplets in each quatrain. The rhyming scheme in 'Ballad' reduces the sense of sorrow and hopelessness conveyed by the poem. 'Ballad' follows a consistent rhythmic pattern of eight syllables per line, making it perfect for singing in the traditional ballad style. Comparison with 'Cousin Kate' reveals that it consists of six stanzas, each comprising of two quatrains.

The protagonist's carefree and content personality is captured through the rhyming of every other line in 'Cousin Kate.' The first line has seven syllables, followed by an alternating pattern of eight and six syllables in subsequent lines. The poem's rhythm aids in conveying the pattern of the protagonist's thoughts to the reader.

The antagonist in 'Ballad' is portrayed as untrustworthy and unreliable, despite not being the main focus of the poem.

According to line fourteen, the woman is discontent with herself more than her partner, as she wishes to be a maid again. The man holds a superior position as a wealthy and influential shepherd, while she is a comparatively lower-status maid. This power imbalance allows him

greater freedom to abandon both her and their child.

Describing him as selfish and lacking in godly values, the speaker in 'Cousin Kate' feels as though the man in question has taken her heart without permission or through deception, as seen in the lines "When my poor heart was strange to men / He came and smiled and stole it then." While the man does not take center stage in the poem, as is also the case in 'Ballad', he is portrayed differently from the antagonist in that piece; instead, he is depicted as having led the persona on and deceived her into giving in.

The man did not abandon the persona as portrayed in 'Ballad', but rather he was disloyal by marrying her virgin cousin. In spite of this, the persona's cousin, Kate, is seen as the antagonist instead of the man who impregnated her. The persona believes that the man who left her pregnant lost what he wanted most, a son for an heir. The fact that she has their son is the only comfort she has for Kate's treacherous behavior. Like in 'Ballad', the man is wealthy, influential, and holds a high status in society. Kate decided to marry the man who mistreated the persona.

The male protagonist is granted more freedom than the female protagonist, allowing him to exhibit cruel behavior. A significant portion of the sorrow depicted in "Ballad" concerns the birth of the main character's child. To underscore how much she yearns to undo events, the author repeats the phrase, "I wish, I wish- but it's in vain-I wish I was a maid again;" (lines 13-14). The individual even goes so

far as to lament that her "babe had ne'er born" (line 17).

Describing her love for her baby, the speaker acknowledges the hardships that will be imposed on him due to her own actions and fears for his future in an unsympathetic society. She envisions death as the only escape for herself, as she cannot bear the thought of her child living a difficult life. Regretfully, she acknowledges that wishing away their lives may be the only option to spare them from suffering.

The persona in 'Cousin Kate' expresses her desire for their sorrows to be taken away and for their souls to be with God while their bodies turn into clay (Lines 43 and 44). Her baby is confirmed to be a boy and serves as comfort to her after being betrayed by her cousin. Although Kate cannot bear children and cannot provide the Lord with an heir, the persona's child becomes the heir to his possessions which he obtained dishonestly. Both women share feelings of disappointment and regret.

The central theme of love is present in both 'Cousin Kate' and 'Ballad', as both poems feature narrators who are women whose lives have been ruined due to mistreatment from others. The persona in 'Ballad' has been treated harshly by her society because she has a baby and her lover abandoned her, while the protagonist in 'Cousin Kate' has lost the respect of her rural community due to her cousin's betrayal. As both poems are written in the first person, it is easy for readers to understand the depth of these women's suffering.

Both 'Ballad' and 'Cousin Kate' feature female protagonists who have been rejected by men

in positions of power, experienced loss of innocence and trust, and have been left without the expected marriage. Both poems use the term 'maid' to portray the characters' purity and innocence. Additionally, both works address themes of betrayal and abandonment by lovers or family. Despite their shared themes of love and ruined women, the protagonists differ greatly in their approaches to their situations. While the protagonist in 'Cousin Kate' only briefly considers death as a solution, the persona in 'Ballad' seriously contemplates it as a way out of her dire circumstances. Ultimately, both characters come from working-class backgrounds and have been deceived by men of higher statuses, resulting in emotional anguish and heartache.

Both 'Cousin Kate' and 'Ballad' deal with issues of ruined relationships and the birth of illegitimate children. However, they showcase different reactions from women towards these situations. In 'Cousin Kate', the Lord marries Kate and remains in society. On the other hand, the shepherd disappears without a trace in 'Ballad'. The protagonist in 'Cousin Kate' finds pride and joy in her baby while the one in 'Ballad' sees it as a shame and humiliation. Lines 7 and 8 read, "When it puckered up with shame/ And I sought him, he never came".