G-RACE KIM JACOB LEWIS BRANDON JESTIS DAKOTA HUCKEBA

Track List

“An Essay on Man” (1734) by Alexander Pope

“The World is Too Much with Us” (1802) by William Wordsworth

“Anthem for Doomed Youth” (1917) by Wilfed Owen

“American Idiot” (2004) by Green Day

17TH CENTURY

An Essay on Man

Alexander Pope (1688–1744)

He is the third most fre-quently quoted writer after Shakespeare and Tennyson.

Fact:- Published An Essay on Man anonymously did not take credit until later in his career.

Poetic Features:- Two end-stopped iam-bic pentameter lines rhymed aa, bb, cc.

- Imagery

- Allusions

- Personifications

An Essay on Man is a poem in which the author, Alexander Pope, describes the relationship between man and god and what man’s place in the world is. The author’s purpose in writing this poem was to explain how people do not accept Gods word, the author goes into detail of this focusing on a specific theme in each epistle. In epistle one he focuses on the general connection of man and God. In epistle two he focuses on mans reason, arts, sciences, and common sense. In epistle three he discusses politics and in epistle four the focus in ethics and morality. The poem originally was written in heroic couplets but now due to the length it is broken into four separate epistles. The author uses this poem to teach readers pa-tience and understanding in how as man progresses the distance between God and man grows. “But vindicate the ways of God to man. Say first, of God above, or man below, what can we reason, but from what we know?”

An Essay on Man is critical of mankind by criticizing mankind’s lack of connection with God. “And quitting sense call imitating God; As Eastern priests in giddy circles run, And turn their heads to imitate the sun. Go, teach Eternal Wisdom how to rule—Then drop into thyself, and be a fool!” In this line the author is explaining how as people discover more through scientific means they gain pride and soon they will begin to consider themselves as Gods themselves. The author believes that if mankind con-tinues down this path then they are doomed to fail. The author addresses different aspects of human culture and explains how everything mankind does while not necessarily against God in the beginning, has increased mankind’s ignorance and pride, from arts, sciences, and what he calls mankind’s “reason”.

AN ESSAY ON MANBrandon Jestis

18TH CENTURY/ROMANTIC POETRY

The World is Too Much with Us

William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

He was the major English Romantic poet who published Lyrical Ballads with Samuel Taylor Coleridge which brought the beginning of the Romantic Move-ment in English litera-ture. He argued that both the use of elabo-rate diction and the use of the natural language of common speech should be considered poetry.

Facts:- Written during the First Industrial Revolu-tion

- Written approx. in 1802

- First published in Poems, In Two Volumes in 1807.

The basic premise of the poem is to express concern and criticism regard-ing people’s ignorant behavior toward nature.

The poem uses the form of a Petrarchan sonnet, which has an octave rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA, followed by a sestet alternating rhyme scheme of CDCDCD. The author, William Wordsworth, organizes the struc-ture by laying out the premise that people are not appreciating the beau-ty of Nature in the first eight and one half lines. He takes his stand in the following lines as he strongly states that he would not be taking a part in this ignorant human society. It consists of fourteen lines written in iam-bic pentameter, which reads in a heartbeat rhythm as da-DUM giving the poem a steady and strong quality.

In further analysis, Wordsworth utilizes literary features to articulate the words giving the readers a visual comprehension of the poem as they read. By stating the problem of “little we see in Nature that is ours; we have given our hearts away,” he personifies nature, as he mentions the “sea that bares her bosom to the moon; the winds that will be howling at all hours”. In addition, he uses simile to communicate how nature is slowly dying as “sleeping flowers.” These descriptions are successfully done to show that even as nature is diminishing, people don’t care but would be “out of tune” and “getting and spending” their “powers” of technology. Wordsworth mostly uses the poetic feature of end stop to give a grammatical pause at the end of a line which adds smoothness to the poem where the readers can read with a comfortable breath. Once he uses the poetic feature of enjambment in this poem to follow the rhyme scheme in order for readers to understand the poem better. The crescen-do of the poem starts when he exclaims “Great God!” He marks his point

1 Awake, my St. John! leave all meaner things2 To low ambition, and the pride of kings.3 Let us (since life can little more supply4 Than just to look about us and to die)5 Expatiate free o’er all this scene of man;6 A mighty maze! but not without a plan;7 A wild, where weeds and flow’rs promiscuous shoot;8 Or garden, tempting with forbidden fruit.9 Together let us beat this ample field,10 Try what the open, what the covert yield;11 The latent tracts, the giddy heights explore12 Of all who blindly creep, or sightless soar;13 Eye Nature’s walks, shoot folly as it flies,14 And catch the manners living as they rise;15 Laugh where we must, be candid where we can;16 But vindicate the ways of God to man.

AN ESSAY ON MAN THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US

I. 17 Say first, of God above, or man below,

18 What can we reason, but from what we know? 19 Of man what see we, but his station here, 20 From which to reason, or to which refer?

21 Through worlds unnumber’d though the God be known, 22 ’Tis ours to trace him only in our own.

23 He, who through vast immensity can pierce, 24 See worlds on worlds compose one universe,

25 Observe how system into system runs, 26 What other planets circle other suns, 27 What varied being peoples ev’ry star,

28 May tell why Heav’n has made us as we are. 29 But of this frame the bearings, and the ties,

30 The strong connections, nice dependencies, 31 Gradations just, has thy pervading soul

32 Look’d through? or can a part contain the whole?

33 Is the great chain, that draws all to agree, 34 And drawn supports, upheld by God, or thee?

G Race Kim

THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US

with this certain dilemma in the following lines when he states he would “rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn” than a person who takes a role in the society. This is a strong remark by Wordsworth because, as a matter of fact, in extreme Christian-based England, people abhorred pa-ganism. The poem concludes with the literary feature of allusion. He uses “Proteus” and “Triton” in order to tell the reader that he would rather be looking at these purely mythological characters than be one of the people in society.

This is a poem that makes readers stop for a moment and actually think about what is going on around them in the real world. It has been more than three centuries since the poem was written but it still applies to today’s society where the whole world is destroying nature with pollution that is created by advanced technology.

Although a different type of medium, the song American Idiot has a simi-lar theme to Wordsworth’s poem. Both of these pieces have a theme criticizing mankind. The writers of both strongly show their passion for the subject as they express that they won’t be a part of society, as when Wordsworth uses paradox to describe it as “a sordid boon.” The band Green Day repetitively demonstrates their feelings against the media as they don’t want to be “an American Idiot” [see following liner notes for a more detailed analysis of this song]. Both pieces, however, differentiate their criticism from each other as Wordsworth condemns human beings for the “little [they] see in Nature” whereas Green Day disparages people for being ruled “under the new media”.

Poetic Features:- Imagery

- Metaphor

- Petrarchan sonnet

- Alternating rhyme

- Simile

- Iambic pentameter

- Couplet

- Alliteration

- Enjambment

-End Stop

1 The world is too much with us; late and soon, 2 Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers: 3 Little we see in Nature that is ours; 4 We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! 5 This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon; 6 The winds that will be howling at all hours, 7 And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; 8 For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

9 It moves us not.--Great God! I’d rather be10 A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;

11 So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,12 Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

13 Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;14 Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.

20TH CENTURY/MODERN POETRY

Anthem for Doomed YouthThough I am not an avid reader of poetry, this caught my attention through its reality and genuine truth on the concept of war. I stand enlightened now not of the valor or patriotism war brings but rather the bloody horror war forces on individuals and entire countries. Wilfred Owen begins the poem describing the soldiers as “dying cattle” (line 1) which sets the mood of gloom. This metaphor steals the heroism from the soldiers as they are only shipped to be slaughtered indirectly by the hand of their commanders. Owens then criticizes the improper ceremony for a fallen soldier stating that only “stuttering rifles” (line 3) fill the air rather and the honoring “passing-bells” (line 1). Soldiers forfeit their lives noticed but without mourn as others try to save their own. Owens concludes the poem by stating that the families of the deceased are even deprived of honoring their dead brother, father, or daughter and are left only grieve.

The poem is defined as a hybrid sonnet which combines the structure of the Petrarchen sonnet with the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet. The entire sonnet is an iambic pentameter excluding the lines 2 and 3. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFFE GG.

Owen purposefully uses alliteration, onomatopoeias, and metaphorical language to drive his point to the hearts of his readers. “Rifles rapid rat-tle” (line 3) engages the reader in imagining the rattle of gunfire piercing the air. “Demented choirs of wailing shells” (line 7) forces the reader to feel the terror a soldier feels as death rains from above. Owen brings the mood to a mourn as soldiers see “glimmers of goodbyes” (line 11) as their friends are ripped from their flesh by razor shrapnel. The poetic features envelop the reader in a mass of horror, sadness, and utter despair as they learn the truth of war.

ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH

Wilfred Owen(1893-1918)

He only lived for 25 years. He was famous for poetry of war, espe-cially trench warfare.

Poetic Features:- Onomatopoeia

- Alliteration

- Metaphorical language

- Asks and answers a question

Jacob Lewis

Owen attempted to enlighten society about the truth of war. Pain, suffering, and death are the truths of war as described by Owen. We must read this poem to understand that war is not all about valor and courage and bravery but more so of death and suffering and mourning.

Criticizing mankind is the theme we selected as a group and found this theme in Anthem of a Doomed Youth. Owen describes the senseless destruction of an entire generation in times of war, more specifi-cally WWI. He chastises mankind for sending these young men and women to sacrifice their lives with little in individual return. The soldiers “die as cattle” (line 1) which symbolizes that the soldiers are sent to these wars only to be butchered and slaughtered as cattle are sent to their same fate at a meat packing plant. “No prayers nor bells” (line 5) are given to these soldiers who have fallen on the battle field as Owen describes because there is only death and turmoil for the soldiers. Owen has a deep un-derstanding of wars true colors because of his service in WWI where he saw firsthand the blood-messed trenches where so many had been cheated of life. These soldiers are forced to an early death because of mankind’s differences. Owen despises the thought of war because so many die indirectly by the hands of a few, commanders or generals. Families are left in sorrow and all is lost for some. Owen nails his point home with his structure and use of literary elements. His onomatopoeias interest the reader when reading the text because of its unique sounds. Alliteration also brings the reader to focus on the text. “Rifles rapid rattle” (line3) is catchy tune a reader can speak and only further interests the reader to Owen’s point of mankind’s flaws.

ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH

1 What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? 2 Only the monstrous anger of the guns. 3 Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle 4 Can patter out their hasty orisons. 5 No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells, 6 Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-- 7 The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells; 8 And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

9 What candles may be held to speed them all?10 Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes

11 Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.12 The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;

13 Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,14 And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

American Idiot

Dakota HuckebaAMERICAN IDIOT21ST CENTURY/CONTEMPORARY SONG