Poetry Debate

Thank you bsh1 for your dedicated performance so far for this debate! It has been fun and enlightening. I’ll definitely consider doing “The Other Debate” with you. All judges, please note that bsh1 and I have both decided to do away with the character limit of this round, as analysis calls for a greater amount of characters. Additionally, I’d like to thank bsh for this part of the debate, since it’s my favourite aspect of Literature- analysis. =Framework= With that, like all experiences, like this debate, something new is learnt about you- whether it be by yourself or someone else. Likewise, in the poem Hap, by infamous and one of my favourite authors and poets, Thomas Hardy, the poet struggles with the essence of faith, and finding himself- his religious position. As a Literature student, Thomas Hardy’s poems are naturally, on our syllabus. However, unlike most of the other texts, his work grips you from the title of the poems to the last drop of ink of a period (pun intended.) Yet, when analysing his poems, and the eccentricity of it, I could not help but to favour Hap over the rest- my own religious conflictions may contribute to this. Moreover, this poem is so uniquely, simply-complexly written that it is hard to dislike, in my opinion. It’s one of the few poems that one can read, fall in love with, and want to read again- (unless you’re extremely religious- maybe not.) =Analysing the poem= Before I get into why this poem is so profound, I shall explain it to further emphasize the beauty hiding within this short work of art. Title: Firstly, the title, ‘Hap,’ means ‘by chance.’ It highlights Hardy’s pessimistic, fatalistic view and dark philosophy. Genre of poem: Hap is an untraditional sonnet. According to poets.org, “Traditionally, the sonnet is a fourteen-line poem written in iambic pentameter, which employ one of several rhyme schemes and adhere to a tightly structured thematic organization.” [1] Hap is a variant on Shakespearean sonnet. “The English sonnet… the Shakespearean sonnet … comprises three quatrains and a final couplet, rhyming ababcdcdefefgg … the three quatrains by rhyme, in the sequence ababbabccdcdee. In either form, the 'turn' comes with the final couplet, which may sometimes achieve the neatness of an epigram.” [2] Hap {Stanza one} If but some vengeful god would call to me Like sonnets, this stanza starts by asking a question. Immediately, Hardy jumps into his theme of faith and questioning the existence of a God, or the alignment of God with religious doctrines. “Vengeful god” not only accuses God of being vengeful, and malicious, but the juxta-positioning also reinforces situational irony, and a deist approach. Also, the capitalization, or more precisely- lack of, emphasizes the feeling he has towards religion and God. The word, God, is usually capitalized out of respect, and clearly, it is seen here, that it is not- and not as an error! Also, for poetic appeal, Hardy strings an assonance throughout the very first line of his poem, with an o sound, as underlined. From up the sky, and laugh: “Thou suffering thing, The laugh alludes to the mocking, condescending, vindictive nature that Hardy believes God is comprised of. “Thou suffering thing” shows God’s acknowledgement of his suffering (that may or may not be unremitted) and that He put him in this position of pain. Know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy, That thy love's loss is my hate's profiting!” Again, we see the rhythmic use of alliteration, and assonance with the “t,” “l” and “o.” Also, contrast is seen here, and irony, as one would believe God to care, yet the persona states that God maliciously profits from the loss of love, and pain. Though, many-a-critics have believed this poem to be atheistic, I see this stanza in particular, more deistic. “Deism is a natural religion. Deists believe in the existence of God, on purely rational grounds, without any reliance on revealed religion or religious authority or holy text.” [3] {Stanza two] Then would I bear it, clench myself, and die, The use of “would I” implies “if” which shows the denying of the existence of God. It also shows his emotional conflict- almost giving up, bordering on suicidal. This, I view, as a result of his lack of identity and faith at the moment in time. He’s confused, giving up and this is what happens when one doesn’t know what to do anymore. Steeled by the sense of ire unmerited; Again, alliteration. Furthermore, “steeled” reinforces the strength, the hardness, the unrelenting nature of the logicality of God’s existence. Ire, meaning anger, and unmerited meaning undeserving, or not worth something, shows that he would be angry with God, who deserves the anger and hate directed at him for his uncaring attitude. However, God just isn’t worth it- and again we see him giving up. Half-eased in that a Powerfuller than I It’s very important to note the capitalization of ‘Powerfuller,’ in contrast to with ‘God,’ which further reinforces the disdain he held for God. Power does not imply love or respect. He would rather call God this, than ‘God,’ as he believes that God, should he exist, has power, but does not use it as He should. Had willed and meted me the tears I shed. Again, alliteration. “Had willed” shows that God let him go through the pain and cry, doing nothing to help, as far as he knows. {Stanza three} But not so. How arrives it joy lies slain, “But” emphasizes the change in events in the poem. The use of the powerful word “slain” emphasizes that not only was there unhappiness, but that love was taken, ripped from him. It alludes to unjust actions, that God is unfair and malicious. And why unblooms the best hope ever sown? “Unblooms” alludes to death, and the unblooming of the “best hope” shows the ripping of hope. “Ever” is used as a hyperbole. —Crass Casualty obstructs the sun and rain, The “Crass Casualty” alliteration means death, and the obstruction shows the unnaturalness, like evolution. And dicing Time for gladness casts a moan. . . . This strong line means that time cannot help, it symbolises death. These purblind Doomsters had as readily strown “Doomsters” refer to those causing doom, and again, capitalization is very important and reemphasizes the little respect he has for God. “Readily strown” shows the lack of hesitance and readiness of these actions that were committed. Blisses about my pilgrimage as pain. I love poems with powerful last lines, and this poem is no exception. This line sums up the conclusion- that the pain he felt was causes willingly for God’s satisfaction, and is highlighted with the alliteration “pilgrimage as pain.” -Thomas Hardy =Analysis of poem structure= As said before, this poem is a sonnet. Therefore, the tones would vary throughout the poem. In the first stanza, the question is asked of God’s existence. The tone is passionate, strong and negative. In the second stanza, the answer that if God existed, the persona would give up, resigned to his fate. The tone is transformed into one of passivity, conforming, reluctant resignation, reluctant sorrow, unwilling pessimism. In the third stanza, the answer is further broken down into an agnostic perspective- that anything that happens are as a result of coincidence. The final tone is one of doomed acceptance. As Rachel Deeming said, “He personifies the forces that he believes exert their chaos over his life … are responsible for the negativity that pervades his life; that there are glimmers of optimism but they are thwarted, their pleasurable traits all too easily becoming pain reinforced in the last two lines of the poem ‘…as readily strown/ Blisses about my pilgrimage as pain.’” [4] =Connecting the poem to the poet= Ironically, while Hardy had conflicting thoughts about the existence of God, he was still a devout Christian. As George P. Landow, Professor of English and the History of Art, Brown University said, “Thomas Hardy might have wished he could have remained a Christian, but that he didn't, or that he always retained many ideas and attitudes associated with Christianity … but not the fundamental beliefs that grounded them… Hardy would seem [truer] to the Victorian frame of mind that would over-emphasizing Hardy's Christian-ness. … he retained habits of mind associated with Christianity after he abandoned it but that he abandoned it for a belief in some Unconscious Will.” [5] “Hardy's stance on religion swayed between agnosticism and atheism. Most of his works draw heavily upon the strength on all-powering fate and question the existence of God in the times of human suffering. … seemingly … fascinated with fatalistic ends and expressed pessimism that was impassive, indifferent. His own life was marked by a religious view that was a mixture of philosophy and spiritualism which did not discard the existence of God, yet questioned it. … However a Church devotee, Hardy drew heavily upon the role of God in the irony and tragedy of life and human suffering.” [6] =Thank you…= To bsh for this fantastic debate! I hope you had as much fun as I did! Sources: [1]- http://www.poets.org... [2]- http://www.english.illinois.edu... [3]- http://www.religioustolerance.org... [4]- http://www.humanities360.com... [5]- http://www.victorianweb.org... [6]- http://www.thefamouspeople.com...”