Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet the heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.
In London 1802 by william wordsworth, the speaker is missing Milton who seems to be the symbol of glorious day of England. According to this poem, the reality of English society is like stagnant water.
We can find some symbols, metaphor, especially about the relationship between humans, civilization and nature. It was published in 1807 and it was the age of industrial revolution. Civilization developed unbelievable speed. Productivity and technology drastically improved. However, human's mental, in other words, mental civilization didn't develop rapidly compare to development of material civilization. British people earned a lot of gold, but not all British people could get gold. England was like an adolescent boy whose body had grown but thought is not. In this sense, I think stagnant water symbolizes former mental civilization which was not appropriate for that age. Then, altar, sword, and pen each symbolizes religion, chivalry, intelligence and they were inappropriate for new age.
Then, the speaker thinks Milton could help humans. To review the writer's other poets, he often looks at the relationship between human and nature. In this poem, he compares Milton to nature like a star or the sea. It shows nature can heal humans like Milton. The image of pure nature, which is contrary to the age of industrial revolution. However, it is far from human like a star. Industries make nature like a star. Industrial revolution removes human's spiritual civilization and interrupts humans from healing. The writer emphasize English society by relationship between humans, civilization and nature.
Even though this essay was written in 19th century. I think the writer's idea is still available in today's materialism society. Technology and science is still developing much fast than human's thought like philosophy, morality.
In London 1802 by william wordsworth, the speaker is missing Milton because problematic England society needs him.
It was published in 1807 and it was the age of industrial revolution. I think stagnant water symbolizes wastewater of factories. Then, altar, sword, and pen each symbolizes religion, chivalry, intelligence and they are parts of civilization, especially spiritual civilization. Industries took human's civilization away because humans are selfish.
Then, the speaker thinks Milton could help humans. To review the writer's other poets, he often looks at the relationship between human and nature. In this poem, he compares Milton to nature like a star or the sea. It shows nature can heal humans like Milton. However, it is far from human like a star. Industries make nature like a star. Industrial revolution removes human's spiritual civilization and interrupts humans from healing. The writer emphasize English society by relationship between humans, civilization and nature.
I think the writer's idea is still available in today's materialism society.
자 상상
0 개의 댓글:
댓글 쓰기