Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day. ... Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes. The evening church bell tells the passing of the day. Since Thomas Gray lived in a time of social injustice, he chose to use death to illustrate the problems inherent in a socially stratified society. Gray wrote this elegy in the year 1742. Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless breast. The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea. He looks at the dimly lit gravestones, but none of the grave markers are all that impressive—most of the people buried here are poor folks from the village, so their tombstones are just simple, roughly carved stones. William Cullen Bryant, on the other hand, lived in a rapidly expanding young nation that cherished the vast amounts of untouched nature and he used death to illustrate how man fits into the universal truth of the earth. Also, this poem will be a tribute to them. The poem is an elegy of the common man. If someone asks about the poet who rests in the graveyard, one of the villagers may talk about him. To read the poem without analysis, click here: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. Within the short story, The Death of the Funeral Business, there are multiple instances where Sandy Hingston, the author, examines different types of ‘memorial services’. There is no way that any human being should be allowed to decide when another human beings time to die is. It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds; Of such, as wand’ring near her secret bow’r. He says about them: So you better believe that death is an important theme! The poem ends in the poet’s own epitaph. The villager will reply that he knew the man. They are sleeping in beds that are low to the ground. Gray's focus, in contrast, is on the "rude forefathers" of a small country village buried in the local churchyard. All that he did lies with him, close to god in the lap of earth. Regardless of all this gloom, the speaker stands in the middle of tombstones in the graveyard. "Ply" is a shorthand form of "apply." They were honest people and wished to lead simple lives. He gave his life to misery and all he longed was for a friend to support. When viewing his own death Brooke only looks at the thoughts and ways England has provided him with in the course of his life. They did not get opportunities to prove themselves. Therefore, the poet concentrates on not only the physical consequences Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! One should remember that no one knew that one of the dead villagers may have achieved greatness in life. The atmosphere is subdued and melancholic. Their plowing, their harvesting, and their farming, all were efficient. The church bell is ringing. Gray's restraint, his habit of speaking in universals rather The tombstones were simple. Scholars look at this poem as a representative piece of literature for the genre of elegy. It belongs to the village. Four lines with iambic pentameter constitute each stanza. Their wives and their children, nobody care for them anymore. [1] The poem’s origins are unknown, but it was partly inspired by Gray’s thoughts following the death of the poet Richard West in 1742. If Mem’ry o’er their tomb no trophies raise, Where thro’ the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault. 123Helpme.com. Out of curiosity, he will ask about the person buried there to a villager. Copyright © 2000-2020. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray, Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Gold Fishes by Thomas Gray. However, he published it only in the year 1751. But the villagers had their joy and sorrow much like others. Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke; How jocund did they drive their team afield! In death, all are equal. Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard Short Essay. A pentameter consists of ten syllables. The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. Join the conversation by. War, the death of a mere soldier is often neglected and cast aside. There is a pastoral setting; however, there are no pastoral characters. With its pensive mood and love of twilight it is in the Penseroso vein; in its meditation on death and the grave, it belongs more properly to the school of Blair and Young. Well, Shmoopers, you probably saw this one coming: "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is a poem that takes place in a cemetery, and it's about how people are remembered after they're dead. Now fades the glimm'ring landscape on the sight, The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. 1. Death makes everybody equal b. Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,/ Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;/ Along the cool sequester'd vale of life/ They kept the noiseless tenour of their way." So, there is no use of them. All rights reserved. Besides, nothing including any amount of rich or glory can bring the dead to life. So, they kept themselves away from the mad crowd of the cities and kingdoms. But, he saw the funeral procession and how the man was buried in the graveyard. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard mourns the loss of the common village folk, and the idea of loss discussed in the poem is that of the dreams and opportunities that have been lost and unfulfilled by the common villager because of death. They were true to themselves. June 10, 2016 Poetry and Death Thomas Gray’s “ Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard ” is one of “the best-known and best-loved poems in the English.” For each of its stanzas, I provide [in brackets] a brief explanation of its meaning which may not be clear to a modern ear. his death is to bless the land he dies on. On some fond breast the parting soul relies. Like gems hidden deep under the ocean and like desert flowers, they have perished without notice. Darkness begins to cover the world. Grayintroduces this theme in the title of his poem. The speaker does not create a separation between rich and poor but regards everyone as equal. These people never consider or talk about what they would like to happen if they did die for any reason. Death is an unavoidable and natural thing in everyone’s life. Death is a subject many fear. Both of these types of Lee, 2 people are equally wrong. The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn. Mutt’ring his wayward fancies he would rove. Their growing virtues, but their crimes confin’d; Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne. One day, a kind soul may come and enquire after the dead one out of curiosity. In this part of the poem, he says that his epitaph would read thus: Here lies the young man who was not popular. The beauty of the poem lies in its simplicity. In conclusion, the poet, through the speaker, ends the elegy by saying that death is an inevitable event in this world. Kevin enjoys a special sense of accomplishment whenever he completes a literary analysis. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. However, he published it only in the year 1751. Also, he says that man’s efforts and his struggles to succeed in life comes to an end in death. moving part of England. When one dies today, tomorrow, a stranger will see the person’s tombstone. Death is a piece that is included within everyone, no matter the age, gender, religion, or time period death will happen to everyone. Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. Full many a flow’r is born to blush unseen. Why is this? Please log in again. The paths of glory lead but to the grave. Terminally ill patients are not exactly thinking 100% correctly during their illness. But, there is truth in their memory. 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