Lycidas: Poetry and Death Essay

Many critics arose over the years to contest the main character of Milton’s epic. Shelley,

Regardless of personal beliefs or opinions, it is nearly impossible to imagine the existence of modern English literature without the influence of religion. Since the dawn of recorded history, religion has played a vital, recurring role in works of fact and fiction, alike. In his book How to Read Literature Like a Professor, author Thomas Foster asserts several points about this relationship between religion and literature, especially in relation to the image of Christ, and states, “Culture is so influenced by its dominant religious systems that whether a writer adheres to the beliefs or not, the values and principles of those religions will inevitably inform the literary work” (125).

Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor are two poets who are puritans. They are able to use writing and language to portray their ideas on G-d and religion. Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666 by Bradstreet and Huswifery by Taylor are similar in the sense that G-d is always a part of their poems, whether it’s direct or through the use of complex writing. Through the use of language and metaphors, Bradstreet conveys that a connection with G-d could be strengthened through destruction while Taylor reveals that a connection can be reinforced through creation.

Death is a topic that unites all of humanity. While it can be uncomfortable to think about, confronting death in unavoidable. “Dying” addresses that discomfort and universal unwillingness to consider the inevitability of death. Pinsky’s use of imagery, symbolism, and tone create a poetic experience that is like death, something every reader can relate to. In “Dying,” Pinsky describes how people are oblivious and almost uncaring when it comes to the thought of death. Pinsky is trying to convince the reader that they shouldn’t ignore the concept of death because life is shorter than it seems.

Throughout history, literature has served as a prominent tool in the examination of social values, ideas, and dreams. In addition, literature has provided a vital connection between historical, social, and political events. Through the incorporation of religious principles and philosophies, writers have discovered a way to portray different time periods, characters, feelings, and most importantly God.

In the sixth chapter of Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster examines the Bible and its importance throughout stories, poetry and film. The Bible is one of the most commonly known pieces of literature and is even “nonsectarian” in Foster’s eyes (44). Because stories from the Bible are so well known, the Bible is a tremendously easy for authors to reference when constructing a new composition. Especially “prior to sometime in the middle of the twentieth century” writers were “solidly instructed in religion” and could count on the public being very well acquainted with Biblical stories (47). This widespread knowledge of the Bible lead to greater understandings throughout literature, and the recognized allusions helped

Though there is no consensus on the beliefs of the author, there are strong references to Christianity. However, those references conflict with the clear pagan elements. In his article “The Anglo-Saxon Evangel,” Douglas Wilson argues for the Christian faith of the poet. He states that “our poet is no conflicted monk” (Wilson). He does not believe that the tug of war between the two belief systems is a flaw in the poem. The poet lived in a post-conversion time, but characters in the epic had yet to be converted. The article discusses what Wilson believes is the most likely reason for the contrasting religions, a way to reach both Christian and pagan people. Even so, the poet wove biblical references throughout the epic.

BibliographyMilton, John. The Complete Poetry of John Milton. New York; Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. , 1971.

Although devices, such as point of view, structure, and theme are similar in both poems, they are fundamentally distinct in the message they deliver and extent of free will they demonstrate. Wordsworth’s “The World…” represents a speaker with a grasp over a better, but not necessarily true and achievable. In contrast, Milton’s “Sonnet 19…” describes a speaker in control of his thoughts and feelings, with patience assisting him. In either case, a person is identified, by not simply they aspire, but by what they can

Compare the ways in which Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Blake’s Song of Innocence poems have explored the theme of religion.

The ideas that are received from the poems of John Donne and George Herbert present us with a very distinct view on God, and more generally, religion. Both were writing in the late 1500s and early 1600s; however the methodologies used by each are very distinct.

Arthur Machen and H.G. Wells were one of the most influential writers in the history of the English language. Through their works, both Machen and Wells illustrated the themes of sexuality and horror by exploring the idea of the supernatural. However, Machen’s gothic novella The Great God Pan (1894) and H.G. Wells’ sci-fi novel The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) further exemplified the theme of humankind’s relationship to God. In the late Victorian period, the influence of religious mythology fell upon writers in England, and stories of the “unseen” became popular and abundant. This era was a time when the public started to seriously question their religious lives. Nevertheless, The Great God Pan was denounced by the public upon its publication for its focus on God as a powerful symbol for horror and sexuality. On the other hand, Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau was written as a satire, mocking Christianity and other forms of religion. In this short essay, I will expand on religious symbolism and point out the influence of Christianity using Arthur Machen’s The Great God Pan and H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau.

The theme of the 'heroic' in John Milton's Paradise Lost is one that has often been the focus of critical debate, namely in the debate surrounding which character is the 'true' hero of the poem. Most critics of the subject have, however, noted that the difficultly in defining the 'hero' of Milton's work is mainly due to our “vague understanding of what constitutes heroism”1 and the fact that “the term itself is equivocal”2. The 'vague' terming of what heroism can be defined as it what draws critics to disagree with one another over the nature of heroism, as Charles Martindale points out that there are 'different models of heroic', many of which Milton employs in his epic poem. To incorporate these different 'models' of the heroic into his

Milton’s poetry/sonnets are different from any other. He involves Politics and Religion. In his sonnets he will start them off one way, and then with the last two lines throw a twist on it. This is one reason Milton is famous.

In the poem a man longs to find a permanent home ,and treads the idea of appealing to no true destination after the loss of his lord. The poem is written as an elegie, which displays a solemn tone followed by a serious reflection. Unlike “The Seafarer”, the speaker has developed a deepening voice of Christian Values. The speaker's introduction expressed the voice of a christian moralist as he says, “..oft to the wanderer, weary of exile, cometh God’s pity, compassionate love. Though woefully toiling on wintry seas”. The speaker’s exile causes him to feel unrighteous and unaccepted by God. In the poem the man further details his emotions of loss due to the the death of the lord, and he explains what he believes a wise man is to him. He says, “a wise man in patient, not swift to anger, nor hasty of speech, neither too weak, nor too reckless, in war, neither fearful nor fain, nor too wishful of wealth... a brave man must bide when he speaketh his boast until he know surely the goal of his spirit.” The man expresses how a wise man must be righteous and dwell in the custom his religious faith has set. He creates a precedent for Christians to follow in the Anglo-Saxon society through his strong opinions. Religion may have arised from early literature and is still relevant today.