Objectification in An Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard
In "An Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard," Gray symbolizes the objectification of the poor as well as the commodification of nature. In doing this, Gray arranges a hierarchy of objectification within the poem. The hierarchical arrangement begins with nature and continues through the poor with the upper class at the apex of the "pyramid." Gray uses the recurring images of nature to illustrate this organization of classes. To accomplish this arrangement, he shifts the focus from nature to the poor through these images. Finally, in "An Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard," death of the poor is the only hope for both nature and the peasants to obtain freedom. In other words, by dying, the poor are no longer objectified by the upper class and nature is no longer objectified by the poor. In his "Elegy," Gray symbolizes the objectification of the poor and nature through a hierarchical arrangement and states that death is the only means by which they can both be free.
First, Gray uses images of nature to show the pyramid of power and control in society. Through the imagery of the poem, Gray illustrates the ownership of the land and the poor. They are commodities of the wealthy, land owning members of the upper class. Gray writes "Oft did the Harvest to their Sickle Yield/ Their Furrow oft the stubborn Glebe has broke;/How bowed the Woods beneath their sturdy Stroke!"(lines 25-26, 28). These lines not only symbolize the commodification of nature but also of the lower classes. The image of the woods bowing to the poor shows the control the peasants have over nature. The breaking of the land by the sickle also demonstrates the physical might and domination the poor ...
... middle of paper ...
...image of water. Images of the woods "bowing" to the poor workers and of the oceans carrying the sins of the people illustrate the commodification of nature. Images of the poor "wading through Slaughter" and of them harvesting the fields demonstrate the objectification of the lower class in English society. In doing this, Gray establishes a class system with the upper classes controlling the members of the lower classes. After establishing this system of society, Gray then shifts the focus of the poem from the hierarchy to the emancipation of these commodities. Death is the only means for the poor and the land to be freed from society.
Works Cited:
Gray, Thomas. "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." in Damrosch, David. The Longman Anthology of British Literature: Volume 1C The Restoration and the 18th Century. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. 1999.
Grant Wood strategically places objects and characters to emphasize the central object, the pitchfork, expressing an atmosphere of unwelcomness, in his painting "American Gothic." The pitchfork attracts the viewer's attention as the most
John Tyler changed history in many ways, besides the fact that he along with forty-three other men got to take the sacred oath and helped run the United States. Although, John Tyler is said to be the only President to be an enemy of the United States he did play a big role in history. (Lisa DeMauro 18) He was responsible for claiming the biggest state in the United States, Texas. (Ed. Kelle S. Sisung and Gerda-Ann Raffaelle). However, he is mainly known for being the first president sworn into office due to the death of President William Henry Harrison. This made him the first unelected president. (Ed. Kelle S. Sisung and Gerda-Ann Raffaelle). Due to that reason John Tyler is unlike any other President and that’s how John Tyler got to be the tenth President of the United State of America
Lora Jo Foo. “The Yale Law Journal”, Vol. 103, No. 8, Symposium: The Informal Economy
Luvaas J., & Nelson H.W. (1987). The U.S. Army War College Guide to the Battle of Antietam The Maryland Campaign of 1862. (pg. 302). 3/21/2014
He disowns himself from the “maddening crowds ignoble strife” (Gray), preferring instead to pretend he understands the struggles of the lower class. As a classical scholar and professor at Cambridge University, Thomas Gray knew very little about the struggles of the common man. Still, the attempt at establishing a connection between himself and those in the classes below, was not unnoticed as the elegy became his most well-known publication. The year before Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard was published, the European countries suffered several tax revolts from the public, a slave revolt and numerous natural disasters. All factors of a larger distrust separating the commoners and the rich. Gray associating himself with the misfortunes of the Everyman through this work, is a way for him to connect with his own mortality. Gray reflects upon death and how a person is remembered after they are gone. An argument could be made that these considerations are a comparison between Gray’s own achievements and those of the working class. Gray is remembered for his literary achievements, even now, but the plowman whom Gray’s narrator watches leave the churchyard is remembered for nothing but his momentary mention in the elegy. It is this realization that prompts his contemplation of the associations between Gray and the Everyman. Gray could have easily
An elegance in word choice that evokes a vivid image. It would take a quite a bit of this essay to completely analyze this essay, so to break it down very briefly. It portrays a positive image of blackness as opposed to darkness and the color black normally being connected with evil, sorrow, and negativity. The poem as a whole connects blackness with positivity through its use of intricate, beautiful words and images.
"They had fallen from an Ash, and were gray,"(4) Ash trees are very beautiful hardwood trees, and this line indicates the passing of beauty, and ties in with the dying leaves mentioned in line three. This first stanza indicates that something once beautiful is dying.
Along with the imagery we get from the title, there is a lot of imagery within this poem. Let us start with the first three lines:
Tuss, Alex (Winter 2004). "Masculine Identity and Success: A Critical Analysis of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley and Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club". The Journal of Men's Studies 12 (2): 93–102.
Henley establishes the sense of suffering that the speaker is experiencing through the use of multiple literary devices. By beginning the poem with images of darkness and despair, Henley sets the tone for
Pro Marijuana Laws Mean Change for the Nation." UWIRE Text 5 Feb. 2014: 1. General OneFile. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
While Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" overtly deals with the distinction between social class and the opportunity for greatness, the poem also contains a subtle yet strong message against the dominant role of men over women in society. Gray's tone throughout the poem is permeated with regret and a sense of something lost, voicing his opinions clearly against social class prejudice. This emotional tone, when applied to the stereotypical roles of differing sexes discussed throughout the poem, portrays the injustice of inequality between males and females.
During the poem the speaker does not address his readers. The readers are simply overhearing a man assessing the society in which he lives as he daydreams about what is could be and yet what it is not. It is evident that his goal is to get the readers to look down upon this society which is so caught up in daily routine; prohibiting anyone from having freedom of imagination. This detachment that is created between the speaker and his readers incorporated with the boring monotone at the very beginning of the poem gives the readers a negative impression of the society before they begin to analyze the actual words of the poem.
No company that falls behind the competition is guilty of standing completely still. But sometimes our efforts fail because of the level of commitment to change.
The theme is portrayed through very unique imagery with the extremely exhilarating word choice this poet carefully chose to make this whole poem flow like a brook in mid-summer with an unbelievable number of trout in the glistening blue water. When he introduces us to this Clod of Clay that is living a horrible, but in it all he finds a silver lining through it all. This little Clod of Clay lives under cattle’s feet and gets stomped on all the time and although he is getting trampled on ninety percent of his life he finds what the silver lining through it all is. He says, “