| Front | Thomas Hardy - The Ruined Maid Explore: x4 -'I wish I had feathers, a fine sweeping gown, And a delicate face, and could strut about Town!'- 'My dear - a raw country girl, such as you be, Cannot quite expect that. You ain't ruined,' said she. |
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| Back | •Mimicks endearement 'my dear' in a satirical, condescending tone - takes control and cuts off the first speaker as tension increases. •'raw country girl' is anonymous as she becomes an emblem for all working class women + sense of degradation - not worth a name. •Structure poem concludes with Melia's pride - thus Hardy reinforces his criticism of Victorian values: Melia is shameless and unrepenting of her prostitution •Would a modern reader respect Melia's right to choose what she does with her body? Or reprove of the society she lived in for forcing her to resort to this? |
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