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French♥revolution 1789–1799 the 10 horrible years | |
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Done by: of 2P3 Layout: vehemency |
Sunday, March 22, 2009, 8:12 PM
French Revolution poem
French RevolutionWilliam Wordsworth Oh! pleasant exercise of hope and joy! For mighty were the auxiliars which then stood Upon our side, we who were strong in love! Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heaven!--Oh! times, In which the meagre, stale, forbidding ways Of custom, law, and statute, took at once The attraction of a country in romance! When Reason seemed the most to assert her rights, When most intent on making of herself A prime Enchantress--to assist the work, Which then was going forward in her name! Not favoured spots alone, but the whole earth, The beauty wore of promise, that which sets (As at some moment might not be unfelt Among the bowers of paradise itself) The budding rose above the rose full blown. What temper at the prospect did not wake To happiness unthought of? The inert Were roused, and lively natures rapt away! They who had fed their childhood upon dreams, The playfellows of fancy, who had made All powers of swiftness, subtilty, and strength Their ministers,--who in lordly wise had stirred Among the grandest objects of the sense, And dealt with whatsoever they found there As if they had within some lurking right To wield it;--they, too, who, of gentle mood, Had watched all gentle motions, and to these Had fitted their own thoughts, schemers more mild, And in the region of their peaceful selves;-- Now was it that both found, the meek and lofty Did both find, helpers to their heart's desire, And stuff at hand, plastic as they could wish; Were called upon to exercise their skill, Not in Utopia, subterranean fields, Or some secreted island, Heaven knows where! But in the very world, which is the world Of all of us, -- the place where in the end We find our happiness, or not at all! Subject Matter: It portrays the Revolution as a change for the better from the Past which was “bad” Purpose: He want the people to know that actually teh revolution give people happiness. Emotion: the persona is feeling confident and proud of the french revoulution. we can see this from "Oh! pleasant exercise of hope and joy!". Sounds From the poem, we know that the poet is very confident and proud about France, from line 2 “For mighty were the auxiliars which then stood”, this tells us that the poet is still very proud of the auxiliaries (Bombardment weapons) that they used during the French revolution. His concluding sentence, “We find our happiness, or not at all!” tells us that this poem might have been written when the French was being victorious in most of their battles, which is why he sounded so positive about war. Language As the French Revolution was in the late 18th century and the early 19th century, the language that the poet used is still quite old and that the most people today takes more time to understand. However, in this poem, most of the sentences are constructed with relatively modern grammar and vocabulary, for example, “In which the meagre, stale, forbidding ways”, it is easily understandable. The sentence structures, however, do not comply with the grammar rules as punctuations are not used properly. We can also see that there are a lot exclamation marks within the poem, signifying the poets excitement about the French Revolution. Imagery The imagery in this poem is exceptional. Phrases like “In which the meagre, stale, forbidding ways Of custom, law, and statute, took at once” can, as though, let us know why the French are rebelling against Monarchy of the King Louis XIV, and can tell us after the revolution, if they succeed, they will “find our happiness” but if they fail they will not find their happiness at all, which is why this revolution was one of the most important for the French, and possibly, mankind. |