Great Works of Literature II, Fall 2019 (hybrid) HTA

Consider why Dickinson’s poetry is more terse and/or brief than most other poetry you might have read.

Emily Dickinson’s poetry is more brief compared to most other poetry because this piece is more of a story-telling poem about a shared adventure between two people. By condensing the words, it would be easy to debrief the ongoing journey and it would hook readers’ attention to make them want to learn more. Additionally, it provides her readers with a better context of how one line/stanza connects to another line/stanza. Unlike most other poetry, Dickinson’s brief poem can be related to her readers’ life experience instantly and leave them questioning the meaning behind those lines. In doing so, she had not only captured their attention, but also made her audiences rethink about the decisions they make in their lives. Dickinson created a suspension throughout her poem, so by employing a few descriptive words or imageries per line, it helps her readers to better interpret the poem.

~ Neo

Consider Dickinson’s uses of literary devices such as irony, imagery, and metaphors.

Emily Dickinson writes the first poem about one’s path to death. One reaches eternity by walking through the “forest.” The “forest of the dead” is imagery used to help the audience visualize a purgatory-like state where one meets their fate (62).

The poem “Hope is the thing…” uses an extended metaphor to compare hope to a bird. The bird is “heard [in] the most chill land” and “never stops” (314). Just like the bird, even in the strongest obstacle, hope cannot dissipate.

Dickinson personifies Death in “Because I could not stop for Death…” to have Death viewed in a new light. Death is not meant to be terrifying but rather peaceful. “Death – He kindly stopped for me” (712). Here, she personifies death amicably. At first, the poem is written as if she had recently passed away. Ironically, at the end of the poem, she describes a century as a day to indicate that she has been dead longer than the audience originally thinks.

Blake uses imagery and metaphors in his various poems and proverbs to give the reader a deeper sense of what hes saying. For example, in “The Gates of Paradise” Blake states, “Every Harlot was a Virgin once,/ Nor canst thou ever change Kate into Nan.” He is basically saying a prostitute was once a virgin and you can’t change one person to another. Next in “London” he paints a picture of faces he sees as he walks down the street and its a path marked by pain and oppression. Blake says in every face he meets there are marks of weakness and woe where men cry and children (Infants) cry of fear. He paint a picture of the chimney sweeper possibly blackened by the cinders and the soldiers sighing as if blood runs down the Palace walls. It’s a gruesome scene he paints with vibrant and touching words. Lastly in “The Chimney Sweeper” he depicts a small man crying in the cold snow who seems to be forced to do the chores of others who seek to praise God, the priest and the King. Another unhappy scene to picture as though Blake seems to show a side of society that is neglected in the light of this specific time period.

Consider Dickinson’s uses of literary devices such as irony, imagery, and metaphors.

Dickinson’s usage of imagery at the beginning of the poem sets a melancholy setting as if all hope is gone. It brings imagery of a “white flag” meaning a lost and their “feet reluctant to led”, bringing the relationship with the other to a halt. Her use of imagery connects with nature and is used to paint an unforgiving picture of romance. Along with that, her irony in her metaphors of “Hope” and “Faith” where they were looked up upon in relationships was torn apart in her eyes. Many people are taught growing up to use hope and faith to believe in romance but instead, she believes that it can distract the truth. She also discusses “The Brain” as something physical to have the power to mentally and physically affect others. Her irony represents the lack of faith Dickinson has for romance. Dickinson ends the poem with “Or every man be blind -” relating to the metaphor earlier of “Success in Circuit lies”. Dickinson encourages others to not be blinded by romanticism because the success in relationships can be made up of lies.

 

Consider Blake’s use of images and metaphor in his various poems and proverbs.

In “The Gates of Paradise” by William Blake, Blake uses imagery to show the destructiveness of a society solely focused on monarchy and religion. In a description of the young Chimney Sweeper, he writes “They clothed me in the clothes of death… And are gone to praise god and his priest and king.” The parents have left the young boy to do a dangerous and dirty job, only so that they can go pray and appease the king. The imagery of a young boy in the snow covered in soot evokes rage towards the parents and society because it shows that the life and happiness of one’s own child is held secondary to the church and state.

In a description of everyday people, it appears that all of them are unhappy with their lives. Blake writes,  Men “cry”, Infants, “cry of fear”, and hapless Soldiers “Sigh.” However, later in the poem, Blake writes, “And are gone to praise god and his priest and king, who make up a heaven of our misery,” showing that the king and priests live a life as though they were in heaven while the common man and child suffer.

How is his work a commentary on the mores, religious temperament, and society in which he lived in late eighteenth century England? What aspects of this commentary are still relevant today?

Throughout his poems, William Blake was able to comment on English customs and society and how they were dominated by religion in late eighteenth century England. Blake compares those that ruled to Satan because they were corrupt and cunning. For this reason, he says that “…dost not know the Garment of the Man” meaning that rulers did not know their people. Blake further says that these rulers are even able to get others that are good like Jesus or Jehovah to worship them, albeit wary. William Blake also comments on the fact that the church is used to justify bad behaviors or illicit acts. In “The Chimney Sweeper,” a child, dressed in “clothes of death,” was left alone or abandoned in a heath because he seemed happy to be there. “Clothes of death” is meant to describe the dirty black clothing that the child is wearing because they are a sweeper. However, the child is singing “notes of woe,” which shows their discontent with their situation. The church accepts what the parents do (possibly abandoning their child or letting them work at a young age in a dangerous job) since they are allowed to go back to “praise God and his priest and king.” Blake’s line of “who make up a heaven of our misery” is meant to reflect that the church functions as a result of the suffering of others.

One aspect that is still relevant today is that there are still people in charge who should not be. These people are corrupt, to some extent, and still have people who follow them blindly. In regard to religion I’d say that the church still dominates the lives of many and dictates the actions of those devotees. Some of these people in following their religious morals and teachings may go against what society has set as a norm. Although they may go against, they have their church to fall back on.

Do you consider Wordsworth’s poetry optimistic or pessimistic or some combination of the two?

Wordsworth the masterful English romanticism poet knows how to play with the words, which makes it harder for readers to interpret if his poem are flowing toward optimism or pessimism. For instance, the first two lines of “Tintern Abbey” seem and mean to be pessimistic. It is phrased as the poet is complaining about the life and long seasons. However, it becomes more clear in the later lines which the poem is mostly flowed toward optimism and the poet is praising the beauty of nature. In my perception Wordsworth’s poetry is optimistic. However, the definition of the words in a poem are meant to be different based on every individual’s interpretation.

Why do you think Shelley chose to write an ode to the wind? Does the wind represent some larger concept?

In “Ode to the West Wind,” Shelley conveyed the message that he would like his poems and works of art to be able to spread and scatter to every corner of the world. He emphasized that desire by describing the powerful nature of the wind and the effect it has; the ability to drive away the dead leaves, carry new seeds and plant them in the earth, and the ability to bring thunderstorms and awaken the oceans. Throughout the poem, Shelley portrayed the West Wind to be an agent of change. Shelley wished that he could have a spirit as fierce and robust as the West Wind that can enable him to affect people on a wider scale. Also, there seemed to be a function for the seasons that he mentioned throughout his poem. In the beginning of the poem, it stated that, essentially, autumn brings upon winter that is filled with decaying, dead leaves, which I believed to be his comparison to society. This implied that society, during that time, may not be as functional as it seemed and desperately needed to be changed, which is why Shelley appealed to the west wind to make him powerful enough so that he can spread his ideas and thoughts across the globe.

 

The role of memory and nostalgia in Wordsworth’s poems signifies growth and transition from his past self to an enlightened present self. In Wordsworth’s poem, “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798”, Wordsworth revisits the Banks of Wye and reminisces about the time when he was there five years ago. Wordsworth utilizes nature as a metaphor to his feelings when he first visited there, “ Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams, / Wherever nature led: more like a man / Flying from something that he dreads, than one who sought the thing he loved.” Wordsworth compares his past self to the isolated and untamed streams and rivers who have no clear distinct path. Similar to the uncontrollable nature, Wordsworth, in the past, seemed lost and out of control of his own life. He fled from his miserable situation, which caused him to seek isolation in nature, rather than going with the flow with what he loves. In the present moment, Wordsworth states that he is no longer lost and pessimistic; he finally feels at peace, in harmony, and in tranquility with nature and his life.

In “Ode on Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood”, Wordsworth recalls the world through his eyes of his younger self. As a child, he sees nature as full of beauty, life, light, and almost dream-like. His view of nature represents the innocence and beauty of a worried-free and joyful childhood that can’t fathom the idea of morality. As he grew older, he realizes the frailty of human life and the grief that comes with it. He says, “What though the radiance which was once so bright / Be now for ever taken from my sight, / Though nothing can bring back the hour / of splendour in the grass… / Out of human suffering; / In the faith that looks through death, / In years that bring the philosophic mind.” Wordsworth grew to accept that death is inevitable just like the death of nature. This acceptance made him appreciate the beauty of life more in nature and to value every moment of his time.

William Blake in all three of his poems is criticizing the time he lived in during Eighteenth-Century England. In his poem, “the Gates of Paradise”, Blake criticizes the most important topic during the era, religion.  Calling the person who is accused of being God as his Satan. He wonders about how society can be so evil and how God allows this to happen. He is criticizing God himself and uses his surroundings as reasons for this criticism. In “London”, Blake points out these issues in society and reveals the life in the urban areas of England. Blake mentions crying of man and child which resembles terror no matter how old or how strong you are. In his last poem, ” The Chimney Sweeper”, Blake exposes the problems of child labor. Using imager of kids covered in black and wearing clothes of death. Then he relates these horrors done to these kids to how people use God to ignore the real sins and terror being done in society.