My Star by Robert Browning

My Star by Robert Browning Poem Analysis

Today, I'd like to present my poem analysis; My Star by Robert Browning.
This poem analysis would be divided into three parts, namely: introduction which will tell a brief background life of the poet, then to the content where there will be summary and intrinsic elements of this poem, and then move to the conclusion as the finish line. But more importantly, you need to know why I choose this poem, which belongs to Men and Women (1885) poems collections of Browning. It is because this dainty love lyric is just beautiful and simple, in words-chosen and easy to understand too. More importantly, this poem shows us how the beauty of a person is different depending on its beholder. Yet, we should respect the differences. 

All that I know

    Of a certain star

Is, it can throw

    (Like the angled spar)

Now a dart of red,

    Now a dart of blue;

Till my friends have said

    They would fain see, too,

My star that dartles the red and the blue!

Then it stops like a bird; like a flower, hangs furled:

They must solace themselves with the Saturn above it.

What matter to me if their star is a world?

Mine has opened its soul to me; therefore I love it.

Summary

 Basically this poem tells about Robert’s feelings toward an object, which is his star, which sparks different colors from the others; red and blue. See the angled spar words, which is actually the Iceland spar possesses the power of polarizing light and producing great richness and variety of color. He feels excited and content with his own star. It can be seen from his state at the end of the lines; mine has opened its soul to me; therefore I love it. That shows clearly how this poem represents his feelings towards love. This dainty love lyric is also impressive in its condensed contemplation of love’s singularity. By reading this poem, it can be put in mind that love is an intensely subjective experience that should be appreciated differently by each person. Self-proclaiming of revealing him the qualities of soul (from the star) can also be taken as important notes as it doesn’t reveal its soul to others. It is like a declaration of the lover that the loved one reveals her (its) true self to him. All that Robert knows of his certain star is that it is like the angled spar; a thick, strong pole such as is used for a mast or yard on a ship; like a prism. It reflects different colors from different angles. Speaking of his star, it can throw a dart of red then a dart of blue beautifully. Until his friend crave to see his star that shoots dartingly the red and blue. But it stops like a bird and like a flower, it hangs curled up. Then they must solace or cheer themselves up in time of distress as they can’t see his star and turn their attention to the Saturn (it can be the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December, a period of unrestrained enjoyment, which is above his star. In the last lines then he said that what matters to him if their star is a world? His star has opened its soul to him and consequently, he loves it.

This is the Iceland spar (milestone)
source

Intrinsic Elements:

1. Speaker and tone: content, excited, acceptance, enthusiasm. This can be seen from the last line of this poem; how Robert respects how his friends turn away their attention to other star (the Saturn) as the result of his star remains stopped like a bird and a flower, hangs curled up. As for the tone, there are three shifting tones from the first stanza to the second one, namely:

- At the first 9 lines of this poem, the tone shows happiness, confidence.

- At the next line; then it stops like a bird; like a flower, hangs furled: the tone shows sudden shocked of the changing.

- At the 3 last lines, the tone recovers to the first one.

2. Diction: There are figurative languages like simile and personification. The chosen words are quite simple, though Robert used astronomy knowledge, it is still quite understandable.

3. Structure: Open structure. The lines are not fixed and irregular. This poem is two 8-5-line stanzas.

4. Syntax: The sentences here are in simple and compound structures. It can be seen from each line. As for the tenses, there are simple and perfect present tenses.

5. Rhyme: This poem has rhyme: ABABCDCD (1^st stanza) DEFEF (2^nd stanza)

6. Symbol: the Saturn, the angled spar

7. Figurative Language: There are two kinds of figurative languages, i. e. simile (then it stops like a bird; like a flower) and personification (hangs furled).

8. Imagery: There are 3 kinds of imagery, such as kinesthetic (it can throw, furled), auditory (till my friends have said), and visual (they would fain see, too,).

9. Theme: The single use of the word “love” in the very last line is one of several factors that suggest the poem’s primary theme is not love, but the nature of subjectivity. First stanza captures the speaker’s excitement in its short quick lines, whereas the second stanza, with its longer, more traditionally structured lines, it affects a type of objectivity. The star looks like nothing special, especially next to the planet Saturn. That is an objective standpoint. However, even in the midst of expressing himself objectively, he takes a moment to insist to yearn for his star. From this poem, it can be concluded that love is in the eye of the beholder, but by extension, that everything perceivable equally direct to untranslatable personal experience.

Extrinsic Elements:

1. Author’s state of mind and emotion when working on this poem: He was in Florence, probably from early in 1853. This poem is listed on one of his poems collection, Men and Women (1855), the collection of fifty-one poems in two volumes. This collection was not quite popular at that time, different with now. His wife became his muse (inspiration) while he was working on this poem.  He secretly described his romantic abstract’s feelings by replacing his wife with the only-star of him. He was in the notion of falling full of love with his wife and their first son, Robert “Pen” Browning (1849). This clearly shows the notion of this poem is how he can be objective by admiring his “own” star which is not as pretty as Saturn.

2.   Poem’s Setting: As it has been said earlier, this poem was first published in 1855 in Florence, Italy. The exact date is unknown.

That is my analysis for My Star by Robert Browning. I hope you can be more knowledgeable by reading this analysis, since I can honestly say it is quite hard to find the text related to the analysis. Hope my analysis is not that bad. I will make more poems analysis from poets I love. Just wait! :)