Literature III. Song to the Men of England (29/06)

Hi, Everybody! Let´s keep on using this blog, to help you prepare you HW and guide you in the reading of poetry.



By the way, did you notice that the Shakespeare quotes change every day?



Going back to the poem of our concern today, let´s think of the title of the poem, first, as usual. It was written by a very passionate poet called Shelley. A Romantic poet, if you know what that means. Somebody who was crazy enough to elope with a very young girl ,though he was married! She became his wife and she is no other but Mary Shelley. Does her name ring a bell? Yes! She´s the writer of Frankenstein, one of the most famous spooky stories ever. Though I suggest reading that novel, you´ll be surprised to see that the themes she discusses have nothing to do with horror movies! Did you know that that novel was "born" in Switzerland out of a "writing competition" that Mary, her husband and two other writers engaged in, and that at the age of 19 Mary was able to think of overnight?



Let´s not digress and go back to Shelley. HE was a character, you should check him out. I´m sure you´ll find him modern enough in his thoughts.



Background info:

One of the great English Romantic poets, Shelley was born into an aristocratic family
in 1792 but later rebelled against the conservative values of his class. In 1819, when
this poem was written, much of his work had a radical political agenda. A note from
his wife Mary Shelley (the author of Frankenstein) sums up his viewpoint: ‘Shelley
loved the People; and respected them as often more virtuous, as always more
suffering, and therefore more deserving of sympathy, then the great. He believed
that a clash between the two classes of society was inevitable, and he eagerly
ranged himself on the people’s side. He had an idea of publishing a series of poems
adapted expressly to commemorate their circumstances and wrongs.’


Also check the info that I provided you with in the set of photocopies. Read that before reading the actual poem. And now, let´s give it a try. Poem number 79, page 121 of Songs of Ourselves.

Why "song"? why "to the men"? why to the men "of England"?

Teacher notes to assist a first reading
Line 1: wherefore..?: why..? (for what reason / for what purpose)
Line 2: ye: you (a usage that is archaic today; cf. ‘wherefore’)
Line 4: tyrants: suggests the people who are in authority are oppressive
Line 7: drones: idlers (literally non-working, male honey bees). This introduces the
metaphor developed in the next verse.
Line 10: scourge: a whip or lash
Line 24: this line should not be overlooked: it could be construed as a call to armed
action, although it does cite the cause as being ‘defence’.
Line 26: deck: decorate
Line 27: wrought: literally – worked (or forged)
Line 28: steel ye tempered: the steel you made hard by heating it (to the required
temperature).
glance: strike at an angle
Line 31: winding-sheet: shroud
Line 32: sepulchre: burial-place

Now read the first three stanzas out aloud. Why do you think the
poet repeats ‘Wherefore’? Is there any other way he manages to emphasise
this word? How else in these verses does he emphasise the drudgery and
toil of the Men of England? Look particularly at features of
the second stanza which help to do so.


• Consider the mounting anger in the poem – how is it
apparent? Consider the rhythm of the verse in answer to this
question.

•Consider what image of the “tyrants” the poet gives you in
the first verse. How does the metaphor of the drones reinforce this image?
Comment on the effect of the adjectives used to describe the
drones.

• Consider whether the questions of the first four stanzas are
direct questions or rhetorical questions. What effect does the repetition of
the questioning (and the rhythm) have on them here?


Try and imagine you are one of the Men of England. How would
you react to some of the things Shelley says in the first four stanzas? Would
you like the last word of the fourth stanzas (‘fear’) being applied to you?
Why do you think Shelley used it?

• Explore what makes stanza 5 so effective by thinking not only of what is said but how it is said. How does it mark a transition from the previous stanzas?

• Compare the patterns in stanzas 5 and 6, considering
changes in the tone of the verse. When exploring how it changes, consider the different arrangement of stresses within the line. How does this change and what is the effect of it for you? What is the effect of the use of the imperative in stanza 6?

• Do you find stanzas 7 and 8 surprising? Do you find anything different
about the tone? Does Shelley really want what he is saying (“run away to
your slums and hovel”); if he doesn’t, why is he saying it? To what extent do
you find it effective? Discuss whether Shelley is really contemptuous of the Men of England.


• To what extent do you think the last stanza is a fitting end to the poem?
In exploring this, also remember features of the poem you have already explored.


• Who exactly are the Men of England? Does ‘men’ mean ‘men’ in the sense
we might use it today? Are they all the men of England? Or a segment of
the population? Why does Shelley call them by this title? How does he
achieve directness in addressing them?