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Heart and Mind - Coggle Diagram
Heart and Mind
Symbols
Lion & Lioness
Represent instinct, passion, physical desire
Show the raw, animal side of human nature
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Sun
Represents power, intellect, energy
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Moon
Represents reflection, melancholy, emotional distance
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Context
The poem is shaped by the Modernism, which emerged after World War I and reflects uncertainty, instability, and distrust in traditional beliefs about truth and progress.
Modernist writers often explore fragmentation and multiple perspectives, which is seen in the poem’s use of different symbolic speakers instead of a single voice.
The poem reflects early 20th-century debates about whether human behaviour is driven more by emotion or reason, influenced by thinkers like Sigmund Freud, who argued that unconscious emotions control human actions.
Edith Sitwell uses experimental and symbolic poetry, blending myth, philosophy, and dramatic voices to explore internal conflict.
References to Hercules and Samson place the poem in a wider cultural tradition, showing that even the strongest figures are defeated by emotion.
The poem reflects Dualism, presenting humans as divided between opposing forces (heart vs mind), with no clear resolution.
Setting
The poem has a timeless and non-realistic setting, avoiding any specific place or historical moment.
It takes place in symbolic and cosmic spaces, including:
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The setting is universal, suggesting the conflict between heart and mind applies to all humans across time.
Structural progression
Physical / natural world → lion and lioness (instinct, desire)
Death and time → skeleton (mortality, reflection)
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Speakers
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Sun
Represents power, energy, intellect
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Moon
Represents reflection, melancholy, emotional distance
Offers a quieter, more contemplative perspective
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Form
The poem is a dramatic dialogue poem, structured as three separate voices.
Each voice represents a different perspective on heart vs mind, creating debate.
It is also a philosophical lyric, focusing on abstract ideas rather than narrative.
The use of animals, skeletons, and celestial bodies creates a mythic, timeless tone.
Metre
The poem uses irregular / free verse, with no strict metrical pattern.
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The poem has a dramatic, speech-like cadence, reinforcing the idea of debate.
Structure
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Progression of scale
Animal world → Human experience → Cosmic universe→ This shows the conflict is universal, not just personal
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Rhyme
There is no fixed rhyme scheme, typical of modernist poetry.
Instead, Sitwell uses sound patterns
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→ This makes the poem sound fluid and natural rather than controlled, reflecting its themes of instability.
Key vocab
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White crone → ageing, decline, emotional distance
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