1.1.4

Key Quotes & Comparisons

Test yourself on Key Quotes & Comparisons

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Key Quotations: When We Two Parted

Here are some key quotations to remember from When We Two Parted:

<b>'Silence and tears'

'Silence and tears'

  • 'When we two parted / In silence and tears...How should I greet thee? - / With silence and tears'.
    • The repetition of the "in silence and tears" at both the beginning and the end of the poem gives it a circular structure, demonstrating that our narrator is unable to move on.
<b>'Long, long shall I rue thee...'

'Long, long shall I rue thee...'

  • 'Long, long shall I rue thee / Too deeply to tell'.
    • The word "rue" means to bitterly regret. So this line suggests that he feels that the relationship was not worth the intense pain he feels now.
<b>'In secret we met...'

'In secret we met...'

  • 'In secret we met - / In silence I grieve' (lines 25-26).
    • This quote (lines 25-26) demonstrates the narrator’s frustration at his inability to share with others the nature of his pain.

Key Comparisons: When We Two Parted

Here are some suggestions for poems you could compare When We Two Parted to. Remember, there are endless options!

_Neutral Tones_

Neutral Tones

  • Contrasts:
    • Neutral Tones has a muted tone (which contrasts to Byron’s dramatic narration).
    • Uses natural imagery.
  • Similarities:
    • Circular structure.
    • Another narrator stuck in a painful situation.
    • Use of death imagery to describe his lover.
    • Ominous and foreboding language.
_Porphyria’s Lover_

Porphyria’s Lover

  • Contrasts:
    • You could consider contrasting the use of language around death. Browning uses language to make it seem like his lover is still alive, in contrast to Byron.
  • Similarities:
    • Very similar rigid form used to contrast to the narrator’s uncontrolled mental state.
Jump to other topics
1

When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)

1.1

When We Two Parted Analysis

1.1.1Summary & Structure1.1.2Themes: Death & Loss1.1.3Themes: Time & Anger1.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons1.1.5End of Topic Test - When We Two Parted
2

Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley

2.1

Love's Philosophy Analysis

2.1.1Summary & Structure2.1.2Themes2.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons2.1.4End of Topic Test - Love's Philosophy2.1.5Exam-Style Questions - Love's Philosophy
3

Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)

3.1

Porphyria’s Lover Analysis

3.1.1Summary & Structure3.1.2Themes: Porphyria & Violence3.1.3Themes: Sin & Pathetic Fallacy3.1.4Key Quotes & Comparisons3.1.5End of Topic Test - Porphyria's Lover
4

Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

4.1

Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis

4.1.1Summary & Structure4.1.2Themes4.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons
5

Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

5.1

Neutral Tones Analysis

5.1.1Summary & Structure5.1.2Themes5.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons5.1.4End of Topic Test - Sonnet 29 & Neutral Tones
6

Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)

6.1

Letters from Yorkshire Analysis

6.1.1Summary & Structure6.1.2Themes6.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons
7

The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)

7.1

The Farmer's Bride Analaysis

7.1.1Summary, Structure & Form7.1.2Themes7.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons7.1.4End of Topic Test - Dooley & Mew7.1.5Exam-Style Questions - The Farmer's Bride
8

Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)

8.1

Walking Away Analysis

8.1.1Summary, Structure & Form8.1.2Themes8.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons
9

Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)

9.1

Eden Rock Analysis

9.1.1Summary, Structure & Form9.1.2Themes9.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons9.1.4End of Topic Test - Walking Away & Eden Rock
10

Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

10.1

Follower Analysis

10.1.1Summary, Structure & Form10.1.2Themes10.1.3Quotes and Comparisons
11

‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born 1963

11.1

'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis

11.1.1Summary, Structure & Form11.1.2Themes11.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons11.1.4End of Topic Test - Follower& Mother, Any Distance
12

Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)

12.1

Before You Were Mine Analysis

12.1.1Summary, Structure & Form12.1.2Themes12.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons
13

Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)

13.1

Winter Swans Analysis

13.1.1Summary, Structure & Form13.1.2Themes13.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons13.1.4End of Topic Test - Duffy & Sheers
14

Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)

14.1

Singh Song! Analysis

14.1.1Summary, Structure & Form14.1.2Themes14.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons
15

Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse

15.1

Climbing My Grandfather Analysis

15.1.1Summary, Structure & Form15.1.2Themes15.1.3Key Quotes & Comparisons15.1.4End of Topic Test - Nagra & Waterhouse
16

Grade 9 - Comparisons

16.1

Grade 9 - Comparisons

16.1.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
17

Recap: Main Quotes

17.1

Recap: Main Quotes

17.1.1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)17.1.2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley17.1.3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)17.1.4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (17.1.5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)17.1.6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)17.1.7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)17.1.8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)17.1.9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)17.1.10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)17.1.11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963)17.1.12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)17.1.13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)17.1.14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)17.1.15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse

Practice questions on Key Quotes & Comparisons

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Complete the key quotes from _When We Two Parted_:Fill in the list
  2. 2
    Which quote from _When We Two Parted_ gives the poem its circular structure?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    What does the following quote show about the nature of the relationship in _When We Two Parted_?<br><br><b>'In secret we met – In silence I grieve'</b> Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Similarities between _When We Two Parted_ and _Neutral Tones_:Fill in the list
  5. 5
    Similarities between _When We Two Parted_ and _Porphyria's Lover_:Fill in the list
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Themes: Time & Anger

End of Topic Test - When We Two Parted