In the novel, Steinbeck seems to conclude that no one is simply blessed enough to inherit a solely good or solely evil life - that it is one’s own choice that defines oneself and allows for one to be established as either good or evil. Steinbeck calls this moral choice that each person has in his or her life timshel, a reference to the original Hebrew translation of the Book of Genesis. Steinbeck defines timshel as meaning “thou mayest”, neither a command nor a suggestion, but a choice given from God to man to either do good or evil. It is timshel that transcends all bounds placed upon a person and their thinking that leads them not to their choices, but to their ability to make them. While it would seem logical that knowing that ethically good choices bring about true happiness, that people would always choose the virtuous over the vice, however, because of the existence of timshel and the vast and complex pros and cons of each possible choice that even the most virtuous of humans often fall from morality, continuing a never-ending search for true
This style of writing that Blake utilizes in his poem creates a frank and straightforward tone, leaving none of his remarks regarding human nature open for discussion. In the first stanza two justifications for human moral weakness are made regarding pity and mercy. Blake presents his beliefs concerning moral and social issues and considers the prevailing system by saying, “Pity would be no more, / If we did not make somebody Poor” (lines 1-2). In other words, if poverty did not exist, there would be no reason for people to employ pity or empathy. Blake then ties mercy into the mix by saying that it also would not exist “if all were as happy as we” (line 4).
The speaker describes sex without love as a runner alone within the elements. The runner sees everything around them simply as factors, but the statement revolves around a positive note. The end of the poem reflects back on the ever contemplating manner of the speaker and the mentality of the people being described. They are alone together in the world, sharing no emotional connection to each other, yet it is exactly as they want it to be. I view this poem as symbolism for a cycle of thought.
The first and last stanzas of the poem almost perfectly mirror one another except for one word. The word “Could” (4) becomes “Dare” (24) in the final stanza which suggests that Blake is asking how dare God create such a terrible beast. He even questions if there is a sadistic motivation behind God’s creation of the Tyger; “Did he smile his work to see?” (19) However, there is a redeeming gem of hope embedded in the poem. In the next line Blake asks, “Did he who made the lamb make thee?” (20) suggesting that he understands God, first, as the creator of peace. Additionally, each stanza in the poem obeys an AABB rhyme scheme except for the repeated stanza.
Larkin’s “No Road” is quiet in tone but it is deceptive. The use of nature in the poem links the experience of the lovers with the universal passing of life. The metaphor of the road suggests the firmness and breadth of intimacy of the lovers but this is man-made. The destructive aspect of nature reminds us that man-made things are ephemeral. It links together the past, the present and future in an effective way that the result is not simply a presentation of minor experience but has a
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner" in Lyrical Ballads William Wordsworth defines his principle object of his collection of poems, Lyrical Ballads, as "primary laws of nature…from common life…whereby ordinary things should be presented to the mind in an unusual way" (434). Lyrical Ballads contains a central moral in every poem, which is to better understand nature and how it can better men as individuals. While originally a part of the collection, Wordsworth eventually excluded the work of his partner, Samuel Coleridge, on the grounds of being too disturbing and unusual. Despite being described in an "unusual way", Coleridge 's poem emphasizes the consequences of recklessly disturbing nature, thus making it a natural fit in the collection of poems. Wordsworth begins the collection 's preface by giving alternate definitions of what poetry is.
Throughout the history of mankind, a paradox has existed between two competing interests: the need for independence and the need for connection. Independence, however, is a product of stability and safety from connection. John Donne, an English metaphysical poet, explains how everyone is connected to each other by saying “no man is an island” (35) in his “Meditation 17”. Also, Shakespeare, a contemporary of Donne, wrote “Sonnet XXX” as an expression of how he failed to master the sad memories of his friend. Both Donne and Shakespeare demonstrate that humanity cannot live alone, albeit in different ways, and this idea can be applied to today’s world, which values neoliberalism and self-reliance as important principles.
Landow gives a valuable counter-perspective on pathetic fallacy when he says, “Although such a poetry proves eminently valuable in its ability to educate the reader about the experiences of life, it can never present a balanced, complete view of nature and man's existence” (“Ruskin’s Discussion of the Pathetic Fallacy”). However, in a poem like ‘Mariana’ it would seem that the lack of ‘balance’ is what makes the poem even more meaningful. Harold Bloom finds a mixture of Victorian scientific and Romantic thought in Tennyson’s depiction of nature because the latter attempts to “spiritualize nature in the sense of making it subservient to the needs of the human soul and of forcing it to become symbolical of human moods and passions” (147). He finds that “No lyric by Tennyson is more central to his sensibility than “Mariana,”” (xiv) and that “no poet has ever shown such depths of tenderness or such skill in interweaving the most delicate painting of nature with the utterance of profound emotion” (137). For Rhoda L. Flaxman, the use of “word-painting” in the poem creates a “faithfulness to a precise and consistent perspective focused through the viewpoint of a particular spectator.
The soul in every individual living being is considered to be a representation of God Himself. This sense of belongingness to India has greatly influenced poets like Jayanta Mahapatra. Jayanta Mahapatra’s poetry revolves around India and its culture. The landscapes and myths of Orissa form a major part of his poetry as he is naturally affected by them due to his birth and childhood spent in Orissa. What is noteworthy in his poetry is that he doesn’t try to create Indianness in the mention of traditional Indian images of tigers, snakes, snakes-charmers, jugglers, crocodiles etc., but he is sensibly
Starting as a defense of Turner’s works the book turn to a master piece in art criticism. In Ruskin’s vision, the goal of the artist was truth to nature, to see moral as well as material truth. To be a good artist is not enough to represent ‘something’ on canvas, to be a good artist means to offer impressions about that ‘something’. “Go to nature in all singleness of heart, and walk with her laboriously and trustingly…rejecting nothing, selecting nothing and scorning nothing”( qtd. in Prettejohn 49).