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Elegy written in a country churchyard — Thomas Gray
Elegy written in a country churchyard — Thomas Gray
The theme of death in Victorian poetry
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Thomas Gray had a tough childhood. As a young man, he suffered through terrible heartaches. Because of this, Gray turned to writing to ease the pain. Death and its problems were the main topic in most of his poems. As a writer, Thomas Gray inspired other people to think about their emotions and death with his poem, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.”
Thomas Gray’s poetry was called Pre-Romantic poetry which put a focus on nature and the life of common people.1 The subjects of death, suicide, and physical decay have always been on people’s mind. During Gray’s time, sadness was a popular theme.2 People were facing difficulties such as war and disease. Thomas Gray captured the emotions of people perfectly with his poems.
When he was younger, Thomas Gray lived his mother and aunt in the village of Stoke Poges. Stoke Poges was the place where he decided to write poetry.3 He would take long walks through fields and other places. He would remember everything he saw.4 The church and the graveyard were two places that stood out to him.5 This inspired him to write the poem, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.”
Thomas Gray was also inspired by nature. He knew that nature could help someone deal with pain. Nature can soothe and fix any sadness we have. The scenery and beauty of nature helped him write the poem.6 There was something calming and comforting about nature that helped Gray. However, He also felt angst and a burden in his life.7 He felt tragedy as he walked through the churchyard.8
Even though Gray was inspired by his surroundings and nature, death had a major influence on “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” There were two major deaths in his life that affected his poetry. One of the deaths was his aunt. His aun...
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...etic Strain: The Greater Lyric in the Eighteenth Century. Chicago: Chicago, 1984. 108
23. Ketton-Cremer, R.W. 139
24. Gray, Thomas. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” 576
25. Gray, Thomas. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” 579
26. Gray, Thomas. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” 579
27. Gray, Thomas. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. xiv
28. Starr, Hebert W. 33
29. Starr, Hebert W. 33
30. Gray, Thomas. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” 576
31. Gray, Thomas. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” 576
32. Gray, Thomas. “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.” 579
33. Ketton-Cremer, R.W. 139
34. Golden, Morris. 70-72
35. Starr, Hebert W. 85
36. Golden, Morris. 70
37. Golden, Morris. 73
38. Ellis, Frank H. Gray's Elegy: The Biographical Problem in Literary Criticism. Vol. 66. PMLA, 1951. 971
39. Ketton-Cremer, R.W. 139
My initial response to the poem was a deep sense of empathy. This indicated to me the way the man’s body was treated after he had passed. I felt sorry for him as the poet created the strong feeling that he had a lonely life. It told us how his body became a part of the land and how he added something to the land around him after he died.
Part I is particularly anecdotal, with many of the poems relating to the death of Trethewey’s mother. The first part begins with an epitaph from the traditional Wayfaring Stranger, which introduces the movement of the soul after death, and the journey towards the ‘home’ beyond. In “Graveyard Blues”, Trethewey examines the definition of “home” as a place of lament, in contrast to the comforting meaning in the epitaph beginning Part I, and the significance of the soul’s movement after death. The ‘home’ described in the epitaph is a place of comfort and familiarity, where the speaker returns to their mother. In contrast, Trethewey describes the ‘home’ she returns to after her mother’s death as a hollow place, the journey back to which is incredibly
In literature, themes shape and characterize an author’s writing making each work unique as different points of view are expressed within a writing’s words and sentences. This is the case, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death.” Both poems focus on the same theme of death, but while Poe’s poem reflects that death is an atrocious event because of the suffering and struggle that it provokes, Dickinson’s poem reflects that death is humane and that it should not be feared as it is inevitable. The two poems have both similarities and differences, and the themes and characteristics of each poem can be explained by the author’s influences and lives.
Sherwood, Terry G. "Kesesy, Ken." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Carolyn Riley. Vol. 1. Detrot: Gale, 1973. 167. Print.
The two poems, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas and, “Because I Could Not Wait for Death”, by Emily Dickinson, we find two distinct treatments on the same theme, death. Although they both represent death, they also represent it as something other than death. Death brings about a variety of different feelings, because no two people feel the same way or believe the same thing. The fact that our faith is unknown makes the notion of death a common topic, as writers can make sense of their own feelings and emotions and in the process hope to make readers make sense of theirs too. Both Dickinson and Thomas are two well known and revered poets for their eloquent capture of these emotions. The poems both explore death and the
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...y were and the lives they lived. He wants to recognize those who would otherwise be insignificant compared to someone of stature. Gray closes out the elegy by speaking of his own death and how his life compares to that of the commoners. He was neither famous nor wealthy and had lived a life of sorrow and misery.
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