Percy Bysshe Shelley's "England in 1819"
Great poetry is great not because of what it says but because of how it is phrased. Few poems say anything that is very profound; instead, the best of them use language in novel, memorable, and effective ways. Certainly this is true of Percy Bysshe Shelley's famous sonnet "England in 1819." In this poem Shelley describes the depressing, dark, and dirty state of affairs caused in Britain by political, social, and spiritual corruption. However, this poem would not be nearly as effective if it were not for Shelley's powerful use of such classic rhetorical devices as adjectives, alliteration, assonance, imagery, irony, lists, pairings, themes, and verbs. One device@ that Shelley employs# very potently* is the use of adjectives. The sonnet is full of vivid descriptive words. Such words include "old," "mad," "blind," "despised," "dying" (l. 1), "dull" (l. 2), "muddy" (l. 3), "leech-like" (l. 5), "Golden," "sanguine" (l. 10), "Christless," "Godless" (l. 11), "glorious" (l. 13) and "tempestuous" (l. 14). All these adjectives are obviously strong, memorable, and effective. A second technique@ that Shelley utilizes# quite skillfully* is alliteration. The poem is filled with the repetition of consonant sounds. For
Yet another tactic that Shelley uses quite masterfully is assonance. "England in 1819" holds several examples of repeated vowel sounds. A few instances of this assonance can be found throughout the poem in phrases such as "blind, despis'd, and dying" (l. 1), "public" "mud" and "muddy" (l. 3), "starv'd and stabb'd" (l. 7), and "graves" and "may" (l. 13). The use of this grammatical tool helps the poem to flow more freely. Even more common to the writers of this time is the theme of "light vs. darkness", of which Shelley also cleverly makes use in "England in 1819". The constant struggle between good and evil can be seen in an overall approach to this poem. Darkness and conflict are evident in the lines "An old, mad, blind, despis'd, and dying king" (l. 1), "Through public scorn--mud from a muddy spring"(l. 3), "Rulers who neither see, nor feel, nor know"(l. 4), and "Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow"(l. 6). Then right at the end of the work, all of these things give way to the symbol of light, "a glorious Phantom"(l.13), who "may / Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day"(ll. 13-14). Shelley does an excellent job by carrying this struggle out over the course of the entire poem. Irony is another method that Shelley tastefully makes use of in "England in 1819." He manipulates words throughout the poem so that there is a deliberate contrast between their apparent and intended meaning. "Rulers who neither see, nor feel, nor know" (l. 4), "Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay" (l. 10), "Religion Christless
Some common words found in the essay are:
Christless Godless, Bysshe Shelley's, Finally Shelley, , england 1819, nor feel nor, mud muddy, king 1, feel nor, muddy 3, nor feel, blind despis'd dying, dying king, rulers neither nor, throughout poem, neither nor feel, blind despis'd, despis'd dying, mud muddy 3,
Approximate Word count = 1047
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
