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“Despondency” by Anne Brontë

I have gone backward in the work,

The labour has not sped:

Drowsy and dark my spirit lies,

Heavy and dull as lead.

How can I rouse my sinking soul

From such a lethargy?

How can I break these iron chains

And set my spirit free?

There have been times when I have mourned

In anguish o’er the past,

And raised my suppliant hands on high,

While tears fell thick and fast;

And prayed to have my sins forgiven,

With such a fervent zeal,

An earnest grief and strong desire,

As now I cannot feel!

And vowed to trample on my sins,

And called on Heaven to aid,

My spirit in her firm resolves

And hear the vows I made.

And I have felt so full of love,

So strong in spirit then,

As if my heart would never cool,

Or wander back again.

And yet, alas! how many times

My feet have gone astray!

How oft have I forgot my God,

How greatly fallen away!

My sins increase, my love grows cold,

And Hope within me dies:

And Faith itself is wavering now;

Oh, how shall I arise!

I cannot weep but I can pray,

Then let me not despair;

Lord Jesus, save me lest I die

And hear a wretch’s prayer.

Anne Brontё[] wrote “Despondency” on the 20th December 1841. This is one of “Several of AB’s poems record the struggle for faith in terms reminiscent of Christina Rossetti (writing several decades later).” []

“Another 'pillar of witness' poem Anne wrote shortly after she had returned home from Thorp Green for her Christmas holidays in 1841. It clearly expresses her feelings of depression, which is unusual considering she was now back at home with her family: possibly her return had not given her the lift she was expecting - the cause of which can only be speculative. Possibly William Weightman was away for the period - there is no evidence one way or the other concerning his whereabouts at this time.110[]

The poem seems to indicate that the religious worries she experienced in 1837, resulting in her requesting the visitation of the Reverend James La Trobe, were returning. She was particularly worried about her 'sins', and the fact that she was feeling little enthusiasm to express any earnest repentance. 'Evangelical Christianity encouraged the believer to feel love for God, and taught that this would be as a result of genuine repentance'; and it was by these keen principles, preached by Wesley and others, that Anne had always judged herself.111 [] Her sins were probably nothing more than a lack of enthusiasm to perform her work for the Robinsons, and her general feelings of discontent with the place. They may also have included feelings of jealousy over the fact that Charlotte had chosen Emily to accompany her to the school in Brussels; and this may also have contributed to Anne's depression, making her feel more tied with 'iron chains' at Thorp Green. Charlotte and Emily would soon be far away in Belgium, and all these points could account for Anne not feeling any brighter on her return home for the Christmas holidays.

Edward Chitham suggests that only the lack of drive in this poem prevents it from being a good congregational hymn, although Anne probably did intended it as a hymn - copying "it into her 'Hymns' MS'." The word 'wretch', found at the end of the poem, occurred frequently in Wesleyan hymns, though Charlotte removed this word in her 1850 edited version of the poem”.[]

Analysis

"Despondency" is the loss of hope; faith; confidence; courage. It is also the feeling of dejection and the depression of spirits, suggesting this is what the poem is about.

Stanza One: Stanza one begins with the pronoun "I" giving the idea that Anne feels alone and isolated. The evidence that this may be true is when this poem was written, Charlotte decided to take Emily to Brussels and Patrick was away working, which meant Anne was alone. The use of the metaphor "Drowsy and dark" suggests death is a theme in this poem, although we are unsure what or who has died. The alliteration of the hard "d" sound shows the depth of her "drowsy"; how deep in despair she is. In the same line, Anne talks about how her "spirit lies". This once again links to the theme of death as someone's "spirit" is thought to be what remains of someone when they die. The use of the words "Heavy and dull" give a negative mood to the poem, suggesting that even though the poem has a flowing rhyme scheme, it is not a happy poem. This is further suggested by the use of the words "sped" and "lead": they give a heavy sound to the end of their lines, suggesting something ominous is about to happen. These words also rhyme with dead, once again suggesting something is dead/has died.

Stanza Two: In the second stanza, the alloteration of the soft "s" sound suggests that death is a release, but Anne wants to "rouse" her "sinking soul" suggesting that she doesn't want to die. The use of the word "lethargy" is symbolic as to be lethargic is to be lazy, therefore suggesting that Anne feels that her being dead, or her loss of everything important to her is making her lazy in some way. This stanza also implies that Anne did not feel "free" at Thorp Green where she was a governess: she felt she was tied down with "iron chains".

Stanza Three: The use of the verb "mourned" gives the idea of death once again. In addition to this, the action of Anne raising her "hands" suggests she is raising her "hands" towards heaven. This gives the reader an impression that Anne is almost embracing "despondency" yet "tears" are still falling suggesting that Anne doesn't want to be in the position she is in.

Stanza Four: The reference to God suggests Anne is asking God for help, but we are unsure what she is asking help with - she asking God to forgive her "sins" but what are her "sins"? Does Anne feel that her loss of faith, courage, hope - her "despondency" - are her "sins"? Anne also says she can no longer feel, but that makes the reader wonder why - is she numb to emotion because of all she thinks she has lost?

Stanza Five: The use of the verb "vowed" suggests hat Anne has made a promise between herself and God. She writes about trampling "on my sins", which implies that she believes she will overcome this feeling of loss and dejection. This stanza also confirms that Anne is turned to God for help, and religion is an important part of Anne's life, which is why she turns to God. This is shown by the capitalisation and personfication of the place "Heaven", giving it more power and importance than it actually has.

Stanza Six: Stanza six shows the strength of Annes's emotions. The stanza creates the impression that her "heart" is distinct from her body, suggesting that her "heart" can "cool" but Anne does not want her "heart" to "wander back£ either, suggesting that she has felt dejected like this before and does not want to feel like this.

Stanza Seven: The connective at the start of this stanza shows that Anne has more opinions about what she is saying, she has more to say. The use of the word "alas" shows a sense/feeling of shockedness, which is then further emphasised by the exclamation mark at the end of the word. Anne also personifies her "feet" as if they have a mind of their own. She feels that she may be led "astray" from something. Here, we ponder as to what Anne will stray from: is it religion? Family? Faith? Is this idea of personifying her feet suggesting that Anne is having conflicting emotions and thoughts between herself about whether she should follow God or not? The last two lines of this stanza also show that Anne has strayed from religion before, and is angry with herself for doing so.

Stanza Eight: The eighth stanza shows the link between the themes of "sins ... love ... And Hope ... And Faith". She feels that her "sins increase" when her optimism and support in God falters, that losing or forgetting God is a major sin. The connective "And" is used to show the different things/emotions she is losing "Faith" in and suggests she is becoming pessimistic. The "Oh" on the other hand, suggests that Anne is in despair and is turning to God, once again, for help.

Stanza Nine: The use of the connective "but" shows a change in the mood and tone: she feels that even though she is losing faith, there is still a fleck of hope for her. The last two lines implies that Anne wants Jesus to save her because otherwise she feels she will die from these "sins". The wretch Anne talks of at the end of the poem is herself, and this poem is her prayer.