E102B: Restoration & Revolution

SQ|| Rochester,"The Imperfect Enjoyment"

1. Make a list of all the rhyme words in the poem--beginning with 
Arms
charms
fire,
desire.
embrace
face
played
conveyed
throw
below.
kiss,
bliss.
part
heart,
o’er,
pore

and going on until the end.  Give yourself 2 or 3 minutes and try to write something, using as many of these words as you can.  What happens?

2. What can you say about the following couplet?

Trembling, confused, despairing, limber, dry,
A wishing, weak, unmoving lump I lie.

3. What can you say about Rochester's diction (choice of words), e.g, 

thunderbolt
fluttering soul
balmy brinks of bliss
liquid raptures
dart of love.

What words does he use that are strikingly different from these, and how do the two kinds of words work together?

4. What images are prominent in the speaker's address to his "member"?

5. And what is the effect of the final couplet?

6. Can you imagine a woman or women as the primary audience for this poem?  Why?

7. Can you imagine a man or men as the primary audience?  Why?

8.  Does this poem "belong in the same picture" with The Country Wife? Why or why not?

9. Question to consider after reading Satyr Against Mankind:  Does this poem have any philosophical implications?

10.  Is "The Imperfect Enjoyment" a "good" poem?   What are your criteria for saying either "yes" or "no"?  What do you generally mean when you say that a play or a poem or a movie or a novel is "really good"?  This might be a good noteboard question.

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