“A Haunted House” by Virginia Woolf Essay

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Summary

The title of the poem “A Haunted House” brings out bad events that are associated to the house. The poem brings out how the dead are associated to the living; they do not want to wake them up. The poem explains several themes, which include love, positivism, death, and the living. Symbolism has been utilized in this poem.

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Analysis

“A Haunted House” being the title of the poem draws the attention of the reader to dreadful issues associated to the house. The poet talks of the couple as ghostly (Woolf, stanza 1, line 2); this explains why the house haunts many people. The writer of this poem is the occupant of the house, who acts as the owner. The poet explains on a first persona scenario, “…whispering not to wake us…” (Woolf, stanza 6, line 3). The use of the noun “us” brings out an individual point of view. It also shows that more than one person occupies the house.

The poet brings out several themes, for instance, the theme of love. The ghostly couple, as stated by the poet was in love. The fact that they go round the room holding hands is a sign of affection. The ghostly couple remind themselves of the good moments they spent in the house. The poet also talks of them kissing, sleeping, and waking up in the morning together (Woolf, stanza7, line 1). A lot of love is blowing in the air because the poet has brought it out in several occasions “sound asleep. Love upon their lips” (Woolf, stanza 8, line 3). Death is the other theme the poet has brought out diligently. The fact that the center of interest revolves around a ghostly couple affirms that death struck earlier occupants of the house. Life after death is another aspect that the poet has vitally talked about it; the couple could whisper and talk to themselves (Woolf, 2011). The dead still have a brain to remember where they left their valuable goods. For instance, the treasure, which the ghostly couple keeps referring to in the poem, is a clear indication, “Oh, is this your buried treasure?” (Woolf, last stanza, line 4). The apples and roses the poet talked about in stanza 4, line 2 is a symbol of nature and aesthetic value. The ghostly couple talked of spending time in the garden; this would further affirm their beauty affiliation.

Conclusion

The use of the phrase “Safe, safe, safe” in the poem asserts safety and enough security. It indicates that the ghostly couple is not harmful to the living occupying the room. The fact that the man went to all directions before coming back and to his surprise found her shows safety. The poet is talking broadly on the buried treasure, which explains the security in the house although it haunts.

References

Woolf, V. (2011). A Haunted House. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2022, February 2). "A Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-haunted-house-by-virginia-woolf/

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""A Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf." IvyPanda, 2 Feb. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/a-haunted-house-by-virginia-woolf/.

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IvyPanda. (2022) '"A Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf'. 2 February.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. ""A Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf." February 2, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-haunted-house-by-virginia-woolf/.

1. IvyPanda. ""A Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf." February 2, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-haunted-house-by-virginia-woolf/.


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IvyPanda. ""A Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf." February 2, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/a-haunted-house-by-virginia-woolf/.

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