Poetry and Identity

Alexander Pope's "The Quiet Life" is an exploration of the ways in which a secluded, idyllic life can make one happiest. This life is happy because everything a man needs is provided, and he wants for nothing more. "Content to breath his native air / In his own ground" shows that although one wouldn't venture forth or acquire new lands, it would be best simply because one is content. The animals and fields can supply "milk", "bread", and "attire", so one would never need to leave. Pope clearly sees this uncomplicated lifestyle as ideal because there is no need for conflict, no will which cannot be satisfied. It may be "quiet", but Pope feels that the loud surrounding world is the source of any discomfort. He begs "Thus let me live, unseen, unknown" so that he can never know the pain of conflict. If he can "Steal from the world, and not a stone / Tell where [he] lie", then no one must suffer the pain of having lost him.

Emily Dickinson's "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" explore similar sentiments of solitude. She desires a life much like Pope's "quiet" one. "Don't tell! they'd advertise--you know!" Like Pope, she wants to remain unknown to the world so that no conflict and pain can come to her. She happily exclaims, "I'm Nobody!" as if it were a name, as if her very anonymity defines her. Identity for Dickinson (or the speaker) is something hard to come by. "How dreary--to be--Somebody!" That name can describe everyone, therefore they are indistinguishable from each other, but Nobody is wholly original. Only in this sanctuary of "Nobody" can the speaker truly be herself.

She and Pope both seem to view public life as completely vulgar, almost beneath them. They try to escape the world not just in search of a wholesome life, but because they feel there is something horrifying about the sorts of relationships one encounters in public life.

Poem Blog

For this blog, I chose to analyze themes of identity and culture present in William Wordsworth's poem "TheWorld Is Too Much with Us." Wordsworth and his worlds are often associated with Romanticism, the artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and continued to remain a prominent alternative to Enlightenment ideals and beliefs well into the 19th century until about 1850. Romanticism grew out of many European intellectuals' disapproval of trends in urban development and industrialization brought on by the Industrial Revolution as well as their contempt of Enlightenment principles in rationalizing nature through scientific means. Emphasizing artistic originality through the expression of one's own feelings, Romanticists also often placed great importance in the preservation of nature, as Wordsworth clearly demonstrates in his poem "The World Is Too Much with Us." In the poem, Wordsworth criticizes contemporary society for its superficial focus on materialism and technological/scientific development at the expense of its connection to nature, with which it has shared a close bond for millennia. There are many instances within the poem in which Wordsworth's central message becomes clear; however, I believe the following three lines are most effective in communicating this theme: 1) "The world is too much with us; late and soon," 2) "Little we see in Nature that is ours," and 3) "We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!" In these quotations, the speaker , who may be Wordsworth himself, laments the fact that humanity is losing its bond to nature as a result of its increasing dependency on machines and technology produced during the Industrial Age. As I mentioned before, the views of nature expressed within this poem are characteristic of Romanticism, an identity/culture that spawned the later origination of the Transcendentalist Movement. The cultural legacy of Romanticism lives on even today in the modern Environmentalist Movement.

I also chose to analyze "The Powwow at the End of the Word" by Sherman Alexie as my second poem for this blog. I selected this poem for its striking resemblance to "The World Is Too Much with Us," that, in terms of its underlying themes concerning nature. Like "the World Is Too Much with Us," Alexie's "The Powwow at the End of the World" admonishes humankind for its current sordid relationship to nature. However, the way in which the two poems criticize humanity's current relationship to nature is inherently different. While Wordsworth focuses on people's abandonment of nature for technology, Alexie concentrates on criticizing people's mistreatment of nature such as (in the context of the poem) through the construction of dams that may benefit people in the short run, but may ultimately prove detrimental to people in the long run by harming the surrounding environment. The two poems may be different in focus, yet their implications remain the same" Society is gradually destroying the environment that is has depended on since the advent of civilization.

"The Quiet Life" and "I'm Nobody! Who are you?"

“The Quiet Life” by Alexander Pope describes a man truly content with his place in the world. It describes how this man is “content to breathe his native air,” suggesting that he has succeeded in fulfilling all of his aspirations. The poem goes on to state to suggest that he is supplied his needs through “herds with milk… flocks with attire… trees in summer yield[ing] shade.” This quote establishes that the man’s needs are met through his career (presumed to be farming).  The last stanza of the poem includes a request that is subsequently explained through his own intentions: “Thus let me live, unseen, unknown…” “Steal from the world, and not a stone.” These quotes indicate that he wishes to leave as little of an impact on the world at large as he possibly can. He is concerned only with living out his aspirations, and in return for this isolation, he has no intention to negatively affect the world around him. 

The next poem I chose was “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” by Emily Dickinson. It’s a short, simple poem, and the entire reason I chose it was to juxtapose it with the previously selected poem. Initially, it appears that the narrator is actually satisfied being a “nobody,” even stating that it is dreary “to be – Somebody!” but the lines before contradict this statement. “Are you – Nobody – too?”  the author asks inquisitively, “Then there’s a pair of us!” The exclamation mark appears to convey a sense of excitement, which the narrator wants to share this status. However, by sharing this status, it invalidates the concept of being “nobody,” as now you are a part of a group involving another, turning both into something of note. The narrator clearly realizes it, stating, “Don’t tell! They’d advertise – you know!” This shows that the narrator is very much aware of his or her new status as no longer truly being a “nobody” in the world now that there is someone that shares that status.

Of course, the interesting contrast between these poems is that while “The Quite Life” has a man seeking solitude, content with how he has etched out his life, “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” has a narrator seeking a group to belong in, seemingly nervous about his or her role in the world. It is not hard to imagine that the narrator of the latter may very well eventually take up the same position as the narrator of the former as he or she etches out her own role in life. I suppose the overall idea one can draw between these two poems is that knowing one’s own place in the world, how they belong, leads to a confident contentedness with his or her own life.

Pooooetry

In Wordsworth's poem, The World Is Too Much with Us, he explains his identity as being with 'Nature' and that this identity no longer exists. When he says that "We have given our hearts away, a sordid boom!", he's showing that his relationship is gone and is gone with meaning. His line that speaks about "this Sea that bares her bosom to the moon" shows the vulnerability in the poem about his lacking identity, and "Little we see in Nature that is ours" is written to speak about how his culture is no longer associated with it.

In the poem, Identity Card, Mahmoud Darwish is much more upfront about his identity of being an Arab. It goes through the details and exact problems of being an Arab and the feelings that the poet has had, as opposed to the figurative language of Wordsworth's poem. Darwish's is much more angry and resentful, and though Wordsworth's is as well, it's not as straightforward. The message also differs between the personal details of being an Arab and the details of being connected to 'Nature'. 

I chose these two poems because I think they had significant differences and I really enjoyed the Arab poem because it brought a unique perspective in a refreshing light. 

Ch. 6 Poetry: Identity and Culture

“The Quiet Life”

Alexander Pope

This poem describes finding one’s identity in a life of solitude, with only nature, and no society and influence from others. He says that man is best defined and content, “In his own ground. Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread, whose flocks supply him with attire.” A place where man is self-sufficient and independent. He also refers to identity being best defined when, “not a stone tell where I lie.” He wants to live and die in solitude. The poet uses short phrases at the end of each stanza such as, “quiet by day,” or “with meditation,” to show the simplicity of life when lived independently, in the quiet. 

“the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls”

E.E. Cummings

I chose this as my second poem because it is extremely similar to “The Quiet Life” in an incredibly opposite way. “The Quiet Life” talks of identity being best defined in an environment of solitude, self-sufficiency, and nature. “the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls” talks about people whose identities are defined solely by Cambridge, or a society. They are not interested in a lavender sky and the beauties of nature; they are only interested in things inside the box of Cambridge. Even if their box was cornerless, and included nature and other people they wouldn’t be interested because their identity is defined by Cambridge. 

Identity and Culture Poetry

"When I consider how my light is spent" by John Milton describes the struggle of losing his sight. He meditates on the loss of his eyesight, enveloped "in this dark world and wide"(line2). While he appears to be "useless" (line 4), he understands that "God doth not need either man's work or his own gifts," (line 9-10). He reflects on the fact that while losing his eyesight is troubling, it is not the end of the world, and he has learned to cope with what cards he has been dealt.

Mahmoud Darwish's "Identity Card" reveals his identity and describes what an impact it has had on his life. The repetition of "Put it on record. I am an Arab," signifies the eagerness he has for putting aside his identity. While he is direct about his culture, he is angry, warning "Beware, beware of my hunger and of my anger!" (line 62-63). He does not hate that he is an Arab, but he wishes it would not be such a big factor when trying to live life, as it impacted his traveling as he was asked for his papers. He is "patient in a country where everything lives in a whirlpool of anger,"(line 20) which is where his anger stems from. 

These two poems describe the inner conflict they must deal with, Milton with being blind, and Darwish with being an Arab. While they both accept their state, they do reflect on the hardships of it. However, while Milton is meditating on the loss of his sight, Darwish is describing his identity and culture. 

Chapter 6 Poetry- Identity and Culture

"The World Is Too Much with Us"

In this poem, William Wordsworth talks about how the modern world has lost its connection with nature. He argues that we, as a culture, "lay waste our powers", which is the capability to interact with nature in a productive and harmless way. He goes on to use the metaphor of "we are out of tune" to compare our culture to an instrument that doesn't sound quite right. The instrument has the ability to be in tune, but needs work to get to that point, just like we have the ability to have a better relationship with nature if we made more of an effort. Near the beginning of the poem, Wordsworth says, "Little we see in Nature that is ours;" He capitalizes the word nature to show his respect for it and to emphasize his argument that nature is of great importance to the Earth and that our culture needs to make a change in the way that we interact with and value it.

"Fern Hill"

I chose this second poem to go along with "The World Is Too Much with Us" because it seemed to share the subject of nature with the first. Although "Fern Hill" isn't just talking about nature, a good portion of the poem is dedicated to describing the setting and living things around the speaker. After reading the first poem that argues that we aren't connected to nature, it made this second poem seem more special and of greater value. However, "Fern Hill" is very appreciative of nature and the speaker seems to be strongly connected to it, which is contrary to what "The World Is Too Much with Us" argues.