The Flowers of Evil is a collection of poems composed by Charles Baudelaire. His work was heavily influenced by political events that occurred throughout French history, along with personal experiences in his life.
After reading, “To the Reader,” I have noticed the extreme extent to which Charles Baudelaire describes aspects of humanity in a negative manner.
The author credits the devil as the reason for why human nature is so evil. He states how the devil’s “flattery” is leading everyone to hell, that everyone is full of sin, along with the recognition that we are insincere because we are full of lies and empty promises. In the end, the author personifies the idea of boredom, by describing it as a creature that, “would murder for a moment’s rest, and willingly annihilate the earth,” and how it possesses the most immortal behavior (“vice”). While reading this poem, I noticed several themes such as sex, immoral and sincerity.
How does the author use figurative language such as similes and metaphors to convey his overall message/theme?
Also, how is the apparent theme of irony portrayed?
This is a reply to Michelle Chou
I think that his poems were more influenced off of personal experiences in his life. While reading the biography, it seem as if he was more of the type to be wasteful of the family’s fortunes. He also wasn’t as stable, and was always going around having sex, got expelled from school, contracted STI, buying unnecessary things and overall rebellious. I feel that when he was writing the poem, he’s trying to reflect back, looking at how the evil may have taken over him.
The poem, and i agree not this, is pure evil. It has such a negative notion to it that, all he talks about his negative things; he talks about demons, boozing in the brain, poison, arson, sex, narcotics, etc.
I think the reason why this was so popular, was because i was a contradiction to what people wanted. In the biography, it said that he “established his reputation as writing…only in 1857, at the age of thirty-six, did his first slim poetry appear….The Flowers of Evil was fully intended to scandalize its reader. IT succeeded. French authorities seize the book and fined the writer.” Pretty damn funny way of getting famous if you ask me. haha.
First of all, I thought this poem “To the reader” in “THE FLOWERS OF EVIL” is song of curse. In the poem “To the Reader”, author seems that he knows about how people’s mind are dirty and wicked. I felt that author wanted to say that people are controlled by evil or bad mind. The words that he use are dark and dirt such as avarice, flattery, arson and so on. Unlike other poems that I have read during in class, the ambiance of this poem is obviously dark. However, the author’s way of expression is so brilliant. It is very metaphor. This poem sounds so chaos and it could reflect society in French when this poem had been written. For example, “the devil watching by our sickbeds ~ precious of our will boiled off in vapor for this scientist”, I a little understand this, even though people try to behave ethically, something, some bad temptation, allure people’s minds to make the world disorder. And author mentioned it as devil. His line can be interpreted diverse meaning because it is very metaphor. Author points out the BOREDOM, he expressed it as “obscene beast chain-smokes yawning for the guillotine”. I personally agree this line because lots of problem that I have come from boredom and laziness.
Unlike the poem “to the reader”, the other poetry of Charles Baudelaire has totally different impression. He also talks about love, and great nature things. In my opinion, Charles Baudelaire had definitely a diverse experience involve with love, people, and disorder society of 19 century’s in French.
First of all, I thought this poem “To the reader” in “THE FLOWERS OF EVIL” is song of curse. In the poem “To the Reader”, author seems that he knows about how people’s mind are dirty and wicked. I felt that author wanted to say that people are controlled by evil or bad mind. The words that he use are dark and dirt such as avarice, flattery, arson and so on. Unlike other poems that I have read during in class, the ambiance of this poem is obviously dark. However, the author’s way of expression is so brilliant. It is very metaphor. This poem sounds so chaos and it could reflect society in French when this poem had been written. For example, “precious of our will boiled off in vapor for this scientist”, I kind of understand this, even though people try to behave ethically, something, some bad temptation, allure people’s minds to make the world disorder. His line can be interpreted diverse meaning because it is very metaphor. Author points out the BOREDOM, he expressed it as “obscene beast chain-smokes yawning for the guillotine”. I personally agree this line because lots of problem that I have come from boredom and laziness.
Unlike the poem “to the reader”, the other poetry of Charles Baudelaire has totally different impression. He also talks about love, and great nature things. In my opinion, Charles Baudelaire had definitely a diverse experience involve with love, people, and disorder society of 19 century’s in French.
“The Flowers of Evil” by Charles Baudelaire is a group of poems which are inspired by his personal experiences as well as political events that had taken place through out French history.
Charles Baudelaire portrays humanity in a very negative way in his poetry. For example, he believes that the devil has a lot to do with why nature is considered evil in his eyes. He interprets that the devil is the reason why we keep empty promises and lie which leads everyone to make these certain sins and go towards hell.
This is a very powerful poem as many people can agree and many can disagree.
“To the Reader” by Charles Baudelaire is a heart-wrenching piece of poetry that takes the reader through the wormhole of “infatuation, sadism, lust, and avarice”. It is in many ways a critique of the many things wrong with many people in the world. It is almost as if this poem is depicting the demons within Baudelaire screaming out and embodying themselves within this poem. This poem is basically what happens when we let our self-control and values of self-preservation go. This poem is definitely a reflection of Baudelaires sex, drug-fueled and out of control life. The way he speaks is of somebody with no control, someone taken over by a devil. I think Baudelaire felt overwhelmed by his demons and used these feelings to critique how our demons which he lists in the beginning “infatuation, sadism, lust and avarice”, will “willingly annihalate the earth”. In many ways I agree with Baudelaire, and have experienced the same self doubt and lack of self preservation in my own life. However, the first step to enlightenment is the first step away from hell and the more power we give to our demons the more power they have over us.
The Flowers of Evil is a collection of poems composed by Charles Baudelaire. His work was heavily influenced by political events that occurred throughout French history, along with personal experiences in his life.
After reading, “To the Reader,” I have noticed the extreme extent to which Charles Baudelaire describes aspects of humanity in a negative manner.
The author credits the devil as the reason for why human nature is so evil. He states how the devil’s “flattery” is leading everyone to hell, that everyone is full of sin, along with the recognition that we are insincere because we are full of lies and empty promises. In the end, the author personifies the idea of boredom, by describing it as a creature that, “would murder for a moment’s rest, and willingly annihilate the earth,” and how it possesses the most immortal behavior (“vice”). While reading this poem, I noticed several themes such as sex, immoral and sincerity.
How does the author use figurative language such as similes and metaphors to convey his overall message/theme?
Also, how is the apparent theme of irony portrayed?
-Michelle Chou
This is a reply to Michelle Chou
I think that his poems were more influenced off of personal experiences in his life. While reading the biography, it seem as if he was more of the type to be wasteful of the family’s fortunes. He also wasn’t as stable, and was always going around having sex, got expelled from school, contracted STI, buying unnecessary things and overall rebellious. I feel that when he was writing the poem, he’s trying to reflect back, looking at how the evil may have taken over him.
The poem, and i agree not this, is pure evil. It has such a negative notion to it that, all he talks about his negative things; he talks about demons, boozing in the brain, poison, arson, sex, narcotics, etc.
I think the reason why this was so popular, was because i was a contradiction to what people wanted. In the biography, it said that he “established his reputation as writing…only in 1857, at the age of thirty-six, did his first slim poetry appear….The Flowers of Evil was fully intended to scandalize its reader. IT succeeded. French authorities seize the book and fined the writer.” Pretty damn funny way of getting famous if you ask me. haha.
First of all, I thought this poem “To the reader” in “THE FLOWERS OF EVIL” is song of curse. In the poem “To the Reader”, author seems that he knows about how people’s mind are dirty and wicked. I felt that author wanted to say that people are controlled by evil or bad mind. The words that he use are dark and dirt such as avarice, flattery, arson and so on. Unlike other poems that I have read during in class, the ambiance of this poem is obviously dark. However, the author’s way of expression is so brilliant. It is very metaphor. This poem sounds so chaos and it could reflect society in French when this poem had been written. For example, “the devil watching by our sickbeds ~ precious of our will boiled off in vapor for this scientist”, I a little understand this, even though people try to behave ethically, something, some bad temptation, allure people’s minds to make the world disorder. And author mentioned it as devil. His line can be interpreted diverse meaning because it is very metaphor. Author points out the BOREDOM, he expressed it as “obscene beast chain-smokes yawning for the guillotine”. I personally agree this line because lots of problem that I have come from boredom and laziness.
Unlike the poem “to the reader”, the other poetry of Charles Baudelaire has totally different impression. He also talks about love, and great nature things. In my opinion, Charles Baudelaire had definitely a diverse experience involve with love, people, and disorder society of 19 century’s in French.
First of all, I thought this poem “To the reader” in “THE FLOWERS OF EVIL” is song of curse. In the poem “To the Reader”, author seems that he knows about how people’s mind are dirty and wicked. I felt that author wanted to say that people are controlled by evil or bad mind. The words that he use are dark and dirt such as avarice, flattery, arson and so on. Unlike other poems that I have read during in class, the ambiance of this poem is obviously dark. However, the author’s way of expression is so brilliant. It is very metaphor. This poem sounds so chaos and it could reflect society in French when this poem had been written. For example, “precious of our will boiled off in vapor for this scientist”, I kind of understand this, even though people try to behave ethically, something, some bad temptation, allure people’s minds to make the world disorder. His line can be interpreted diverse meaning because it is very metaphor. Author points out the BOREDOM, he expressed it as “obscene beast chain-smokes yawning for the guillotine”. I personally agree this line because lots of problem that I have come from boredom and laziness.
Unlike the poem “to the reader”, the other poetry of Charles Baudelaire has totally different impression. He also talks about love, and great nature things. In my opinion, Charles Baudelaire had definitely a diverse experience involve with love, people, and disorder society of 19 century’s in French.
“The Flowers of Evil” by Charles Baudelaire is a group of poems which are inspired by his personal experiences as well as political events that had taken place through out French history.
Charles Baudelaire portrays humanity in a very negative way in his poetry. For example, he believes that the devil has a lot to do with why nature is considered evil in his eyes. He interprets that the devil is the reason why we keep empty promises and lie which leads everyone to make these certain sins and go towards hell.
This is a very powerful poem as many people can agree and many can disagree.
“To the Reader” by Charles Baudelaire is a heart-wrenching piece of poetry that takes the reader through the wormhole of “infatuation, sadism, lust, and avarice”. It is in many ways a critique of the many things wrong with many people in the world. It is almost as if this poem is depicting the demons within Baudelaire screaming out and embodying themselves within this poem. This poem is basically what happens when we let our self-control and values of self-preservation go. This poem is definitely a reflection of Baudelaires sex, drug-fueled and out of control life. The way he speaks is of somebody with no control, someone taken over by a devil. I think Baudelaire felt overwhelmed by his demons and used these feelings to critique how our demons which he lists in the beginning “infatuation, sadism, lust and avarice”, will “willingly annihalate the earth”. In many ways I agree with Baudelaire, and have experienced the same self doubt and lack of self preservation in my own life. However, the first step to enlightenment is the first step away from hell and the more power we give to our demons the more power they have over us.