Explore the ways in which Mew makes Rooms such a sad poem.
Rooms
I remember rooms that have had their part
In the steady slowing down of the heart.
The room in Paris, the room at Geneva,
The little damp room with the seaweed smell,
And that ceaseless maddening sound of the tide—
Rooms where for good or for ill—things died.
But there is the room where we (two) lie dead,
Though every morning we seem to wake and might just as well seem to sleep again
As we shall somewhere in the other quieter, dustier bed
Out there in the sun—in the rain.
(Charlotte Mew)
High-Level Response (A/A*)
Mew evokes deep sadness in Rooms by using quiet, restrained language and powerful images
of emotional decay and loss.
From the opening lines, “rooms that have had their part / in the steady slowing down of the
heart,” we are told that these spaces are not just physical but emotional landscapes—places
where love, hope, or even life itself has gradually ebbed away. The adjective “steady” and the
image of a “slowing” heart convey a sense of long, drawn-out grief.
The list of places—“Paris,” “Geneva,” and the “little damp room”—at first suggests glamour or
variety, but quickly becomes darker, especially with the sensory detail of “the seaweed smell”
and “the maddening sound of the tide.” These elements evoke loneliness, stagnation, and
possibly mental anguish. The personified tide feels oppressive, constant, and consuming.
The most striking sadness comes in the final stanza. The speaker refers to a room where “we
(two) lie dead,” immediately presenting a metaphorical death within a living relationship. Despite
waking “every morning,” there is no sense of life, love, or purpose—only numb repetition. The
contrast between waking and sleeping, and the calm but chilling image of the “quieter, dustier
bed / out there in the sun—in the rain,” suggests a peace that only literal death can offer. Mew
presents sadness not as drama, but as quiet, slow erasure.
In conclusion, the poem’s emotional power lies in its subtle and haunting portrayal of how time,
memory, and emotional numbness accumulate across spaces. Through imagery of decay,
emotional death, and quiet despair, Mew creates a deeply affecting meditation on love lost and
the lingering emptiness it leaves behind.
Strengths:
● Perceptive and sensitive reading of the poem.
● Highly effective analysis of language (e.g. “steady slowing down,” “dustier bed”).
● Sophisticated interpretation of metaphor and tone.
● Insightful observations about the emotional weight of rooms and what they represent.
● Excellent structure, flow, and integration of quotation.
Intermediate-Level Response (C/B)
The poem is sad because it talks about people losing their feelings or dying emotionally.
In the first lines, the speaker remembers rooms that made her heart slow down. This shows that
the rooms made her feel more and more sad over time. She lists different places like Paris and
Geneva, but instead of nice memories, they are connected to things dying.
The line “that ceaseless maddening sound of the tide” shows how annoying and depressing the
sound was, and it adds to the sadness. The seaweed smell also gives a damp, unpleasant
feeling, like the room is cold and forgotten.
The last part of the poem is the saddest, because the speaker talks about lying “dead” in a room
with another person. Even though they wake up every day, it feels like they are already dead
inside. The final image of the “dustier bed” in the sun and rain makes it seem like real death
might be better than their current state. The poem makes sadness feel slow and constant.
To conclude, Mew shows sadness by describing rooms that hold painful memories and by
comparing everyday life to a kind of living death. Her use of gloomy images and depressing
emotions helps the reader understand how hopeless and heavy sadness can be.
Strengths:
● Sound understanding of the poem’s mood and message.
● Relevant examples from the text, with some thoughtful commentary.
● Explains sadness through imagery and content (e.g., “ceaseless tide,” “lie dead”).
Limitations:
● Analysis remains basic or literal in places; doesn’t go deep into the how or why of the
poet’s choices.
● Quotes are present, but not fully explored.
● Doesn’t discuss tone, structure, or technique in detail.
● The vocabulary used is poor.
Low-Level Response (D/E)
This poem is sad because the speaker talks about death and bad memories.
She says that rooms made her heart go slow and that bad things happened in them. She
remembers Paris and Geneva but not in a happy way. She says the room had a seaweed smell
and a sound that made her go mad.
At the end, she says she and another person lie dead, even though they wake up every
morning. This is sad because it’s like they are not really living. The “dusty bed” and “sun and
rain” make it feel like a grave.
The poem is about being sad and not wanting to live anymore.
Strengths:
● General understanding that the poem is about sadness and emotional death.
● Some reference to images in the poem (“seaweed smell,” “dusty bed”).
Limitations:
● Mostly paraphrase and description rather than analysis.
● No real exploration of language or how Mew creates meaning.
● Repetitive language and vague expressions.
● No attention to poetic technique or structure.
