“A tension between the worlds of political engagement and private retreat”
How distinct are the political and the pastoral in Marvell’s poetry
The political and the pastoral certainly figures highly in Marvell’s poetry and often
the two worlds become intertwined. Indeed, Marvell frequently utilises metaphors of
nature to help convey and rationalise his political thoughts and feelings. With
particular reference to the ‘mower’ and ‘Cromwell’ poems, I shall explore the
relationship between the political and the pastoral in his work.
To begin, in the overtly political poem An Horation Ode upon Cromwell’s return from
Ireland, Marvell begins by describing Cromwell emerging from a muses “shadow”,
and “private gardens, Where he lived reserved and austere”. This, as the critic
Friedman asserts, is a typical retreat of “poetic creativity”, and one often employed by
Marvell. Indeed, in A poem upon the death of his late Highnesse the Lord Protector,
Marvell presents a young Cromwell spending “pleasing hours” with his mother. The
addition of a private presentation of Cromwell lends him a more human edge and
helps us to understand his human weaknesses. In his Horation Ode, Marvell portrays
Cromwell as a “flame of angry heavens” who “tis madness to resist or blame”. This
lends Cromwell a godlike eminence or as Thomas. M. Greene asserts, puts him
“beyond ethical categories”. However, Marvell continues that the “same arts that did
gain a power, must it maintain”, i.e. the “inglorious arts” of war. The irony of
comparing war, something primarily destructive, as an art, highlights the unease and
possibly transient nature of Cromwell’s rule. Certainly, the fact that Marvell likens
Cromwell to a Falcon, who once “having kill’d” seeks a “green bough” to perch on
and then “the falconer has her sure”, shows that although he is strong, he cannot
continue forever and will eventually be in some way controlled. Therefore, by
utilising the idea of
natural retreat, Marvell subtly asserts beneath the grandiloquent verse, the frailty and
humanity of Cromwell existence.
Indeed the idea of the “green bough”, is a recurring notion in marvels poetry,
and is often Connected with thought and retreat. In the epic poem Upon Appleton
House Marvell seeks “sanctuary” in the woodland to “among the trees and birds
confer”. This is something that the critic Friedman asserts as the “primeval unity of
mind and nature”. This is amply supported by the line in Damon The mower, “My
mind was once a true survey… of all these meadows fresh and gay”, and further more
The claim that Thomas Cromwell carried out a revolution in Tudor government was generated by the historian Elton, the success of Cromwell as minister in his aims of sovereignty, Parliament and bureaucracy under King Henry VIII. Elton’s claims are met with many sceptic opponents such as Starkey and Guy, criticising that Cromwell’s work up to 1540 was anything but revolution, it was a mere pragmatic approach to fulfilling the king’s wishes which led to his escalation of power and a lucky set of consequential changes in government. The criticisms seem plausible when taking into consideration that Cromwell’s reformations within the Tudor government were not permanent, his work was quickly undone after his death. The work of Cromwell in government was hardly a revolutionary movement as it failed to deeply imprint itself upon England but it is undeniable that he made significant changes to England at the peak of his professional career.
...am War is not just history but the fundamental part of our history. Therefore, it needs to be taken seriously. Only if we take it seriously, can we prevent ourselves from doing the same mistakes again. It also teaches how the war policies and authorities can blind us from the real reason behind the war. It is important to also know the enemy and plan accordingly. One can clearly see that higher technologies can go wrong when accompanied with failed strategies. Most important of the all it makes the readers reconsider their definition of just-war. Most important of all, “Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam” by Christian G. Appy teaches us how education and economic advantages can help us from facing the worst.
The Art of War. Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1963. Von Clausewitz, Carl. A. Translated and edited by Sir Michael Howard and Peter Paret.
According to Christopher and James Collier,”War turns men into beasts.” It is true because many people are willing to
War is the means to many ends. The ends of ruthless dictators, of land disputes, and lives – each play its part in the reasoning for war. War is controllable. It can be avoided; however, once it begins, the bat...
Tim O’Brien states in his novel The Things They Carried, “The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty. For all its horror, you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat” (77). This profound statement captures not only his perspective of war from his experience in Vietnam but a collective truth about war across the ages. It is not called the art of combat without reason: this truth transcends time and can be found in the art produced and poetry written during the years of World War I. George Trakl creates beautiful images of the war in his poem “Grodek” but juxtaposes them with the harsh realities of war. Paul Nash, a World War I artist, invokes similar images in his paintings We are Making a New World and The Ypres Salient at Night. Guilaume Apollinaire’s writes about the beautiful atrocity that is war in his poem “Gala.”
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2006. 162-213.
The Poem “Dulce et Decorum Est” attempts to make war seem as repulsive as possible. The author’s goal is to discourage people from joining the war or any future conflicts by shattering the romantic image people have of the fighting. The setting of this poem helps
It is interesting and even surprising that the two major strategies regarding war were developed by European contemporaries of the late eighteenth and nineteenth century. Antoine Henri de Jomini (1779-1869) approached his philosophy of war in a structured, scientific manner. Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) took a more fluid, open-ended approach to his philosophy of war. The fact that they lived during the same time period in Europe is also fascinating in that they likely knew of each others’ writings as well as potentially influenced and were influenced by the philosophy of the other. Jomini’s scientific approach is more applicable to the tactical and operational levels of war while Clausewitz approaches war as more of an art or interaction between people that is more appropriate to the strategic and political levels of war. Although their two war strategies are presented as opposing strategies, by comparing concepts from each of the theorists to the other theorist’s work shows that they are actually more complementary than competing in that they are addressing different levels of war. The concepts to be evaluated are Clausewitz’s “Trinity of War”, “war as a continuation of politics”, and the “unpredictability of war” as well as Jomini’s definition of strategy and his “Fundamental Principle of War”.
In contrast, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ gives us the complete opposite. It takes away the lie that describes the war as a place of pleasure and vividness. When in reality it is a...
Oliver Cromwell was a prominent leader during the civil war. Cromwell played a leading role in capturing Charles I to trial and execution. During the civil war, Cromwell’s military abilities commit highly to the parliamentary victory which made him appointed as the new model army leader. Also, the parliaments determined that he would end the civil war as the powerful man in England. In the selection, Edmund Ludlow criticize about the new models of government. Cromwell dislikes the idea of new models of government because he feel the new models of government would destroy the power. Also, Ludlow criticizes about Cromwell’s power is being abused too much, so he feels that the nation should governed by its own. Cromwell’s responded that the government
Between 1649 and 1653 Cromwell attempted to get more control over Ireland. Many historians say that Cromwell had ruined the peaceful Ireland because he cause almost 20,000 deaths, and lead to turmoil and dread for hundreds of years, and more battles for decades. “The curse of Cromwell is upon you” is even a common Irish curse. As Oliver Cromwell was a puritan, he had made illegal what he saw as ‘sinful’. Some of the things that he had banned included: Christmas, dancing, pubs and theatres. This shows that he was power mad because he disallowed fun that the public was used to
Carl von Clausewitz, “What is War?” On War. Edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret, 89-112. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976.
In closing, W.D Howells is successful in his use of these methods of argument. “Editha” paints a clear picture of the men who must fight and the people who casually call for war. He proves Editha’s motives are unworthy of devotion. After all, it is easy to sit back and call for war when it will be the common enlisted man who will die to provide this luxury. In the end, Howells made his point clear. War never comes without sacrifice or consequence.
War is a howling, roaring creature, using its power to ignite destructive and fatal consequences among the masses. Conflicts have risen between nations yet no one seems to understand what breeds the conflict. While destruction may be the end, deception is its mean. War ...