Comments on Browning's "The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed's Church" by Sikes

This poem got me to thinkin' 'bout who will remember me when I'm dead 'n gone. If a bishop got no hope of being 'membered 'cept for how big and fancy his tomb is, what worth does my life have in the schema' things? All my life I've been livin' day to day with no regard to the future, 'specially not my death, and 'specially not after my death. What can a criminal hope for out of his life if a bishop can't e'en make sure his life will be remembered? What dif'rence have I made? Who knows what I'ma even sayin' anymore, I'm going somewhere far worse than that Bishop anyways. I guess it don't matter whether I worry over these things anyway's, maybe I was meant to be forgotten. I tell you wot, if I was his son's I'd be getting my hands on that lapis stone and spend rest of my days somewhere better than this gloomy London.

A Few Words by Sikes on "My Last Duchess"

Finally, a male author in this damn anthology! Browning does an excellent job portraying the Duke of Ferrara, and in a lot shorter length than his wife did in "Aurora Leigh". I guess even the rich can't avoid the inconwiencies and embar'sment that women bring. At least his wife knew her job was to obey men, but she obeyed all men instead o' her husband! She treated her husband just as nicely and happily as she treated any other man. Some women just too happy for they own good. Well, off to the streets to find my next house to rob, hopefully Fagin ain't out and 'bout, I don't need no little kid to train today.

The Esteemed Mr. Bumble on the matter of loving marriages

Well my dears, I am quite the expert on marraige. After all, I am married to Mrs. Bubmble, ain't I? I wooed her and won her fair heart sitting next to her fire and counting her dishes. Now, my dears, that is the way to win a woman, not all this fluff about havin' a title to offer, which Mr. Browning seems to think quite important in "My Last Duchess," eh? No no no. None of this disobedience on the part of the Duchess and there must certainly be no "spots of joy" in her cheeks. Even if she does go fishing for compliments from Pandolf the painter, she should not revel in them, eh my dears? The Duchess finally wakes up at the end of the poem and stops smiling and takes her husband's commands, as she rightly should, eh? The law says that a woman should take direction under her husband, right my dears? This Duchess should not be threatening the poor Duke's enviable manhood by treating his 900-year-old title as a trifle, eh? We men do not stand for wives as such who go about threatin' our manhood. Just ask Mrs. Bumble, my dears. I should let her read this poem as a warning of what may become of her someday if she doesn't cooperate with me, eh my dears? She may end up in a fair painting on my wall, for all the parochials to come by and admire.

Sikes' Response to Browning's "Aurora Leigh: Book 5"

This metaphor that Browning uses at the end of the Book, claimin' poets and their poems nurture the people of their age just like a woman's breast nurtures her young and so woman can naturally be poets just as good as any man, this metaphor really gets under my skin. If it weren't for men, women wouldn't never have those babies that they feed. I mean, I guess I can understand her wantin' poets to focus on their own time, but women don't have enough of a grasp of the times to be a poet. They have their own womanly roles to fulfill and anything important to an era is controlled by men. And I tell you wot, I need to start hiding this here anthology because I don't like the way Nancy been lookin' at me and talkin' at me these past few days. This Browning isn't a poet, she's the devil tryin' to disrupt all of society!

Nancy's Response to Aurora Leigh: Book Two

Ah..A twentieth birthday. She has such life in her... she's only a few years younger than I. And look at me...I don't have nearly as much life in me as she does. So young...she will be a great poet. Yes, a poet. She can obviously write just as well as any man.

Ooh, and that Romney...from reading Book One, i got a bad taste in my mouth from thinking about that man. See how he brings her down! Or tries to at least...she's too strong to be brought down. And then to propose afterwards? To say such things to her and propose? I mean, hell, he basically just said that women are dumb compared to men! I'm glad she turned him away...she'll be a great poet.

Sikes' Response to Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Aurora Leigh": Book One

Well, directly following the section on the placement of women in society was a section on Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Her narrative poem, "Aurora Leigh", I don't care for much. Nothin' ain't interestin 'bout a young girl who thinks shes a poet. I'd rather be reading something like the "Newgate Calendar" any day than this poem. Aurora Leigh don't even know how lucky she is to come to England and be taught by her Aunt the true ways of women. English women are 'models to the universe', as her aunt says, and Aurora should take these lessons a littler more serious. Nothing can come from a woman's poetry, like she says there can at lines 873-889. There can be no truth from it, women's minds ain't made for that. Aurora ought to stop dreaming and start looking for a man to support her, just like I support my Nancy.

Sikes' response to "The Place of Women in Society"

I tell you wot, all these women writin' in this book just need to stop actin' like they know wot they talkin' 'bout. Sarah Stickney Ellis got it right when she said the first thing of importance for a woman is to be content to be inferior to men mentally and physically. But wot she talkin' 'bout women can influence a man because she's a on the same moral and religious level as a man? I'd never sleep 'round like Miss Nancy, I'm kind 'nough to to give her a place to stay. She better bring me my gin and water when I ask for it, and she better do it without sayin' nothin' back neither. That's why I wouldn't allow young Nancy to read things like Harriet Taylor is publishin', sayin' womens should have just as active a life as men in politics and careers. Yes, I say Nancy and all women should stick to readin' Coventry Patmore, or better yet, not be readin' at all and just do as I say.

The Place of Women in Society

Hmm...well, I must say, I don't think that I agree with everything I read. But I do find it interesting that Eliza Linton would write about the new girl of the period. What's wrong with a girl who "paints her face" and "dyes her hair".
I dress to please myself...well not only myself, but mostly myself. And why is it "vitiated"? These girls aren't corrupted!

And I tell you what! If its all muddy outside and my dress is going to muddied up, i sure am going to pick it up all the way...who cares!

But Linton does say a few right things. There are some girls who would marry a gentlemen just for what's in his pocket....which isn't right. I mena, I do things according to a man's wallet size, but that's out of necessity, not of want. And, well, men do flirt with me, and don't marry me, and they laugh but do not respect me either...

She's talking rubbish!