Throughout In Memoriam
#56 Tenneyson seems to be questioning the true motive of Nature: does she truly
care about the species and humans that surround her, instead of being
sympathetic of the individual as we thought before. At the same time, why are
we as humans concerned with being close to Nature in life when we will
eventually become one with her in the afterlife, and why is this so good?
First, we see the shift of theories from Blake and Wordsworth who thought it
was every man for himself and he needed to spend every hour with Nature because
she is the one thing that we have forgotten but will also bring us a wonderful
life. Tenneyson is now showing us the same concept but from the perspective of
Nature: she focuses on the population as a whole and if one or two fall off
that is ok. The first line, “So careful of the type?’ but no.” is telling us
that she isn’t much concerned with who they are as long as they are one unit
and all together. I think it is interesting that Tennyson uses the work ‘type’
because he isn’t distinguishing between species, therefore making us all:
plants, animals, humans, etc the same.
Reading this, I didn’t feel as strongly as I did about the Blake's poems mainly
because it is very dark, which I do not agree with. I feel that Nature is
something of great beauty and should be thought of as such. I understand that
there are natural things that are bad but overall I generally tend to side with
the softer side of Nature.
This poem is dark, indeed; there are many references to death--and it seems Nature doesn't care for anything (probably because of line four, "I care for nothing"). The really creepy part is line seven: "The spirit does but mean the breath" (7). It seems as though, as you said, the speaker is trying to create a sense of sameness and make it appear as though all living beings are alike--a scary thought to have in a diverse world where all living organisms are connected and depend on each other. Kinda reminds me of creepy thoughts people have before the commit mass genocide...
ReplyDeleteMore on the darkness within this poem, I think that the last line really ties it all together while ending on a somber note. "Behind the veil, behind the veil." (28). For me, this line was where the poem suddenly clicked. It gave me a better understanding of all the previous lines and images. After death, or once we are behind the veil, we will have a complete understanding of the complexities of the world. All of the questions will be answered.
ReplyDeleteI agree Mackenzie I couldn’t help but feel sad after reading this poem. However, I know Tennyson’s main message was that good shall prevail over evil. The poem starts out optimistic when the speaker says, “Oh yet we trust that somehow good, Will be the final goal of ill”. I just can’t help but think that Tennyson wants to prove this point how it’s in our human nature to think that if we are “good” in life than we trust that will be rewarded once we become ill and die. I don’t know if I am reading it too deep, but that’s what I can’t help but think of. I also like how Mackenzie points out the stanza’s message of fate and how everything happens for a reason and how that comforts her. It might sound corny, but some lines in this poem also brought me comfort. It was nice reading a poem that I think is about the goodness of humans instead of prostitutes or death. Although I do secretly enjoy those poems as well. All in all, I enjoyed this poem.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would say I enjoyed this poem mainly because I enjoy darker writing. Since all humans are not essentially morally good, I feel as if writing that explores the darker side of humans and the world. However, I would say this poem explores the darker side of nature and the good in people. I believe he is basically saying that if we are good in life, we will hopefully be rewarded in the afterlife, just as Erica said above me. And like Mackenzie said, once we are "behind the veil" or have died, we will truly understand nature and why it has to be evil or dark, and this understanding is our reward for being "good" in our lives.
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