Analysis Of Milton's Lycidas

Decent Essays
Milton’s Lycidas has a two-part Structure: one part in which a first person, pastoral voice speaks under "an illusion of independence and control"; and a second part in which this illusion is "repeatedly exposed and finally dispelled altogether" by a second voice.
I. The first personal voice complains of being unready to perform his task.
a. The personal voice complains of having "rude" fingers, and of being "forc'd" into action. Both complaints are dualistic.
i. Line 4 reads "And with forc'd fingers rude." This may mean that the fingers were forced by the speaker himself, implying that it's him who used his fingers forcefully to pluck the berries. More extensively, it may mean that some external force forced the speaker to use his fingers
…show more content…
Since laurel, myrtle and ivy do not mellow, "mellowing season" must refer to something besides the above plants.
1. It refers to the mellowing years of the speaker himself. His writing for Lycsidas abstracts him from his true interests; his inability to progress his true interests causes him to complain about the abstractiveness of the task of speaking on Lycidas' behalf. ii. The tone progresses from ironic to bitterly ironic when we reach line 7, "disturb your season due."
1. The speaker treats Lycidas' death as if its a distraction from his true interests. Out of reluctance, he's compelled to give voice to his "melodious tear."
c. The voice in The Reason of Church Government is opposed to the threat of work threatening distractions, initially.
i. In The Reason of Church Government, he writes, he tells us, "out of mine own season, when I have neither completed to my mind the full circle of my private studies." Later he tells us he would rather be "soaring high in the high region of his fancies with his garland and singing robes about him.
1. He writes reluctantly, for he'd rather be reading other things or furthering a more personal project, but, from the vantage point of truth, realizes his forced project to be "no disruption at all, simply a continuity of duty and
…show more content…
He fails to recognize his membership with Lycidas as a whole; he desires to be distinct and individual.
II. The first voice attempts to resist "assimilation" into an anonymous second voice. The speaker’s grappling with his ego or principium individuationis is his desire to remain distinct or individual.
a.The first voice attempts to distance itself from the conventions of pastoral poetry by assuming an ironic voice; this ironic voice tries to establish superiority over the pastoral (or the limitations of its poetic form) by assuming a "perspective of privilege."
i. The ironic voice's "perspective of privilege" subverts the pastoral voice by exposing its fictions and false surmises.
1. For example, in lines 11-12, he subverts "He must not float on his wat'ry bier" with the enjambed condition, "Unwept." The condition undermines the definiteness of "…must not float..." because it applies a condition which changes the meaning of the statement from "He must not float..." to "He must not flow...unwept." The former statement implies that he must not float under any condition while the latter implies that he must not float under the condition of being

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    In James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” the narrator gets to redeem himself for the neglect of his younger brother. His younger brother, Sonny, found himself battling an addiction to heroin. The short story occurs in the 1950’s in Harlem. Due to the realness of the setting, the reader can apply historical context to the short story. Although “Sonny’s Blues” is not a religious story, the author, James Baldwin, uses Christian symbolism to represent the fall and redemption which the narrator withstands.…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Billy Collins’ poem, “The Art of Drowning,” describes to the reader how one’s death is insignificant to the rest of society. Through the sarcastic tone and rhetorical questions, the speaker informs the reader that life will go on after one’s death, and that the act of death flashing before one’s eyes is not a real experience; death is much simpler than that. In stanza one, the speaker presents his or her thoughts on death by saying “I wonder how it all got started, this business about seeing your life flash before your eyes while you drown…” The reader easily recognizes this common phrase about death, and is aware of the speaker’s skepticism of the concept of life flashing before one’s eyes during death.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    During the reign of Julius Caesar, a Roman lyrical poet rose to fame, known as Catullus. Catullus, unlike many other writers of his time, did not write of political issues, but of love and heartbreak. Although some viewed, love as a frivolous notion, Catullus was able to channel his emotions into writing, creating not only moving lyrics, but also using literary techniques, and creating new formations for poems. Wretched Catullus, Leave off Playing the Fool The first poem we will be analyzing is, “Wretched Catullus, Leave of Playing the Fool”, which tells of Catullus doomed fate with Clodia as he tries to convince himself that Clodia has only damaging effects to him in the three stanza poem.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Calvin's Reformation Dbq

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Next, “justification by faith alone" is surely the most important contribution of the Reformation. The second most important, arguably, is the "doctrine of vocation. " In the same way, Calvin’s reformation of the Roman Catholic Church was not limited to soteriology, but extended to an entire world and life view, including vocation. The dogma of dualism that was once held by Gnostic heretics was not fully extinguished in the early days of the church; its influences can still be seen in the medieval Catholic doctrine of vocation. For the Roman Catholic Church, the word vocation was to be exclusively used to indicate the work of a church officer such as a priest or nun; so central was this idea of Holy Orders that it was elevated to the status…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lewes exposes her perspective that the development of a writer isn’t always a straightforward path through the use of Aristotle’s rhetorical strategies (Pathos, Ethos) and paradoxy to project her message towards Ms. Pierce. In the letter that accomplished author, Mrs. Lewes sends to amateur writer, Ms. Pierce she offers Pathos as a means to capture Ms. Pierce’s attention. Lewes writes about her discoveries through the path of writing through the use of clear, concise imagery; she explains to Pierce that after achievement the “vehicle” of a person is transformed into a “poor husk” (lines 12-13). Through this use of clear imagery Pierce is able to comprehend that writing takes people on journeys that they don’t involve a direct path to success.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Richard Wilbur’s, “The Death of a toad” emulates on the exhibition on how even a toad goes through the passage of life or death. Through distinct diction and vivid imagery, wilbur gradually unfolds the feelings of the speaker from the speaker’s point of view. The toad’s death begins as a simple butchering but leads towards enlightenment. The sequence of events proceed from the transition of the speaker’s attitude as the poem progresses/…

    • 331 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reflections From Sharon Kraus and Jeannine Johnson on "Facing It" In the poem "Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa, Komunyakaa uses his own experiences as a veteran in Vietnam to paint a picture to the readers of what it is like seeing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from the viewpoint of a soldier who lived through the conflict. The critics Sharon Kraus and Jeannine Johnson argue that the wall serves as a reminder of all that is bad in Komunyakaa's life, beginning with his past military experiences which shape the social issues he still suffers with today. Along with Komunyakaa, we see the same effect with another soldier where the wall stands as a reminder to him as well. Throughout the poem, both critics seem to separate the issues into two groups.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the second decade of the sixteenth century, a religious movement began in Europe. This movement, later referred to as the Reformation, was to fix and reform the church, which had turned to corruption. Many leaders came along during the time of the Reformation, but not one so powerful as Martin Luther whose teachings and views played such a large impact in the Reformation. He inspired others with his action and beliefs in a way many others couldn 't do as effectively at the time. Martin Luther had such strong religious views and witnessed corruptions, such as those of John Tetzel led to such a strong opposition to indulgences, that he wrote the Ninety-Five Theses, which would spark the Reformation.…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Title: The Poetic World of Vievee Francis – Analysis of Forest Primeval The poet, Vievee Francis, opens her book, Forest Primeval, with two short poems, “Another Antipastoral” and “White Mountain”. These two poems show broader thoughts of Francis such as how she sees and feels the world surrounding her as she introduces her new book of poems. A book of poems may have a number of different thoughts in each poem, but the different thoughts actually comes from one writer so the main notion behind the poet can be recognized. In the first introductory poem, “Another Antipastoral”, Francis confesses the difficulty of using words as a poet to wholly express her thoughts and feelings, “…Words fail me here.…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Tear For The Terror Of Time Death: an experience more frightful to the mind second hand, leaving the mind bemused and adrift in the realm of thought. The human mind goes through certain proceedings to help grapple with the suddenness of the unexpected tragedy. In Steve Minor’s “I Cried Of Course,” Minor uses visual effects, music, and writing to express feelings of vulnerability during the event of a death. Using melancholy visual depictions and music, Minor conveys the helplessness of humans in the face of death and the eventual, compulsory acceptance of the loss thereon. Using somber images and slow, doleful music, Minor creates the feeling of sadness that humans inevitably encounter when confronting such a tragedy.…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One can see that in “The Lottery”, “A Rose for Emily”, and “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” irony is used to defy the reader's expectations. Each story exemplifies a plot twist shaped by irony. Consequently, The use of irony is present throughout the stories and influences the ending of the story, not only for the characters, but also for the reader. “The Lottery” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson. An annual lottery takes place which ultimately results with the winner being stoned.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I close off my conscience, brain remaining indefinitely in the vestibule, unable to escape to warn reason. Goosfraba… I shut the door, my ears, my mind, stoically putting up a façade of indifference towards the “melodious” – so they are described – double stops my sister painfully wriggles from her bow. Oh, how protean she is, making even Handel’s Sonata sound like a prostrated pugilist proofreading a portentous polonaise from the ink of which a pungent odor escapes, infiltrating nostrils and seeping in through the cracks of an already resigned soul. D sharp! Can’t she hear it!…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Peer Response Questions Overview Questions: 1) He uses "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang to analyze the idea of "Free Will". 2) The author analyzes the genre, context, and message.…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is widely believed that human beings cannot escape death. Virginia Woolf’s narration in the story “The Death of the Moth” displays the battle between life and death, which is never won. The writer employs rhetorical devices such as fragmentation and tone, as well as metaphors to deliver his message and advance the feeling of pity in the reader. In addition, Woolf attentively uses metaphors and other literary devices in a manner that agrees with the shifting of the tone all through the narration, which assert the ideology that victory in the battle of death is impossible. The author intends to show that the moth’s actions are reflective of human life and that nature is powerful.…

    • 1497 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Caroline Fairbank AP Lit pd 3a November 16, 2016 Poetry Explication Robert Frost’s lyric poem “Reluctance” explores the inner conflict related to aging and death. Now home, it seems as though his journey through life is at its end. However, he refuses to simply accept his fate and expresses reluctance to go. Frost uses an extended metaphor, specific diction and parallelism to convey the speaker’s unwillingness to accept the continuity of life.…

    • 890 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays