Question

2. How does Charlotte Bronte explore the
theme of optimism in her poem
"Life".Substantiate your answer with quotes
from the poem(10)​

Answer 1

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What message does the poet give us in "Life" by Charlotte Brontë?

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MARIETTA SADLER eNotes educator | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR

The message in Charlotte Brontë’s poem “Life” is that we should be hopeful rather than hopeless and optimistic rather than pessimistic. In the first stanza, Brontë lists a series of weather events which are usually perceived as negative and shows why each should in fact be perceived as positive. When “clouds of gloom” gather overhead, she says we should remember that they are “transient all,” and that these showers “will make the roses bloom.”

The clouds are, of course, metaphorical and allude generally to hard times. Likewise, the roses are metaphorical and allude generally to good times. The message is firstly that bad times will soon enough give way to good ones, and also that bad times are often necessary precursors to good ones.