Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The Eolian Harp

composed at clevedon, somersetshire

My pensive Sara! thy soft cheek reclined
Thus on mine arm, most soothing sweet it is
To sit beside our Cot, our Cot o’ergrown
With white-flowered Jasmin, and the broad-leaved Myrtle,
(Meet emblems they of Innocence and Love!)
And watch the clouds, that late were rich with light,
Slow saddening round, and mark the star of eve
Serenely brilliant (such would Wisdom be)
Shine opposite! How exquisite the scents
Snatched from yon bean-field! and the world so hushed!
The stilly murmur of the distant Sea
Tells us of silence.

                            And that simplest Lute,
Placed length-ways in the clasping casement, hark!
How by the desultory breeze caressed,
Like some coy maid half yielding to her lover,
It pours such sweet upbraiding, as must needs
Tempt to repeat the wrong! And now, its strings
Boldlier swept, the long sequacious notes
Over delicious surges sink and rise,
Such a soft floating witchery of sound
As twilight Elfins make, when they at eve
Voyage on gentle gales from Fairy-Land,
Where Melodies round honey-dropping flowers,
Footless and wild, like birds of Paradise,
Nor pause, nor perch, hovering on untamed wing!
O! the one Life within us and abroad,
Which meets all motion and becomes its soul,
A light in sound, a sound-like power in light,
Rhythm in all thought, and joyance everywhere—
Methinks, it should have been impossible
Not to love all things in a world so filled;
Where the breeze warbles, and the mute still air
Is Music slumbering on her instrument.

    And thus, my Love! as on the midway slope
Of yonder hill I stretch my limbs at noon,
Whilst through my half-closed eyelids I behold
The sunbeams dance, like diamonds, on the main,
And tranquil muse upon tranquility:
Full many a thought uncalled and undetained,
And many idle flitting phantasies,
Traverse my indolent and passive brain,
As wild and various as the random gales
That swell and flutter on this subject Lute!

    And what if all of animated nature
Be but organic Harps diversely framed,
That tremble into thought, as o’er them sweeps
Plastic and vast, one intellectual breeze,
At once the Soul of each, and God of all?

    But thy more serious eye a mild reproof
Darts, O beloved Woman! nor such thoughts
Dim and unhallowed dost thou not reject,
And biddest me walk humbly with my God.
Meek Daughter in the family of Christ!
Well hast thou said and holily dispraised
These shapings of the unregenerate mind;
Bubbles that glitter as they rise and break
On vain Philosophy’s aye-babbling spring.
For never guiltless may I speak of him,
The Incomprehensible! save when with awe
I praise him, and with Faith that inly feels;
Who with his saving mercies healèd me,
A sinful and most miserable man,
Wildered and dark, and gave me to possess
Peace, and this Cot, and thee, heart-honored Maid!

Kubla Kahn

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail:
And 'mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!

The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight 'twould win me
That with music loud and long
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed
And drunk the milk of Paradise.

I have always enjoyed Coleridge’s poetry. I like the imagery that Coleridge used in these two poems. Coleridge paints a beautiful picture. There is a dark undertone to his poetry as well. From what I have read, all Romantics have that particular element.

Coleridge sees himself as a priest-like visionary with a connection to God. Coleridge feels it is his responsibility to share the vision of God to the people. Like Wordsworth, Coleridge’s vision of God comes from nature.

“And that simplest lute,….Is Music slumbering on her instrument.” (lines 13-33)

Coleridge sees the poet as the lute, and the breeze is his muse. She gives him songs of beauty and God. These songs were meant to uplift the soul of man. The poet must translate these songs for the rest of us to hear, so that we all see the light. If the poet does not translate the “Music” or the message, then the message will never be heard.

“And what if all of animated nature….At once the Soul of each, and God of All?” (lines 44-48)

If we all were poets, our words would mean little. The rational or “intellectual breeze,” would change the meaning of nature, the meaning of God.

“On vain Philosophy’s aye-babbling spring….Peace, and this cot, and the, heart-honored Maid!” (lines 57-64)

Coleridge tells us that while he is in nature, down by the spring, he is with God. Coleridge goes on to say that he was “a sinful and most miserable man,” but because he found peace in his God, he has peace and beauty in his life.

“A damsel with a dulcimer…That sunny dome! those caves of ice!” (lines 37-47)

The narrator saw a woman in a vision. She sang a song that filled him with peace and happiness. Her song told the narrator that he must help to rebuild a paradise. The paradise should be well balanced.

Unlike Blake, Coleridge sees himself as more of a translator or priest-like visionary than a god-like prophet. Blake says, “Hear the voice of the bard! Who Present, Past, & Future sees;…” In other words, Blake is saying, I am all knowing and all seeing. Coleridge is more subtle with his message. In “The Eolin Harp” he says, “And the simplest lute…” This can be translated as I am just a simple instrument which nature uses to spread her message.

William Blake

Garden of Love

I went to the Garden of Love,
And saw what I never had seen:
A Chapel was built in the midst,
Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut,
And "Thou shalt not" writ over the door;
So I turned to the Garden of Love,
That so many sweet flowers bore;

And I saw it was filled with graves,
And tombstones where flowers should be;
And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds,
And binding with briers my joys and desires.

London

I wander thro' each charter'd street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every Man,
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.

How the Chimney-sweeper's cry
Every blackning Church appalls,
And the hapless Soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.

But most thro' midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlot's curse
Blasts the new-born Infant's tear,
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.

Songs of Experience

Infant Joy

I have no name
I am but two days old.—
What shall I call thee?
I happy am
Joy is my name,—
Sweet joy befall thee!

Pretty joy!
Sweet joy but two days old,
Sweet joy I call thee;
Thou dost smile.
I sing the while
Sweet joy befall thee.

Infant Sorrow

My mother groand! my father wept.
Into the dangerous world I leapt:
Helpless, naked, piping loud;
Like a fiend hid in a cloud.

Struggling in my fathers hands:
Striving against my swaddling bands:
Bound and weary I thought best
To sulk upon my mothers breast.

And did those feet

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land.

Blake shows contempt for society and the church. Blake must have felt that living within society’s boundaries restricted spirituality and individuality.

Struggling in my father’s hands, / Striving against my swaddling bands,” (“Infant Sorrow;” p. 95; lines 5-6) 

Although Blake’s father raised him to conform to society, he found it too constricting. Blake will strive if he breaks free from his rearing.

“I will not cease from Mental Fight, / Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand, / Till we have built Jerusalem / In England’s green and pleasant Land.” (“And did those feet;” p. 124; lines 13-16) 

Blake warns that no one can stop his mind. Blake’s “Sword” is his pen. He will continue to fight with words. Blake will not end his battle  until the views of England’s society changes.

“I went to the Garden of Love, / And saw what I never had seen: / A Chapel was built in the midst, / Where I used to play on the green. / And the gates of this Chapel were shut, / And “Thou shalt not” writ over the door; / So I turn’d to the Garden of Love, / That so many sweet flowers bore, / And I saw it was filled with graves, And tomb-stones where flowers should be; / And Priests in black gowns were walking their rounds, And binding with briars my joys & desires.” 

The Garden of Love was once a beautiful, peaceful place where one could find God. The church has, now, turned its back on its people and  restricted them to the point of spiritual death.

“O Earth, O Earth, Return! / Arise from out the dewy grass; / Night is worn / And the morn / Rises from the slumberous mass.” (“From Songs of Experience;” p. 88; lines 11-15) 

Blake’s use of symbolism is rich in this verse. Blake calls for spiritual awakening throughout the land. He tells the reader to turn on their inner light. The time for dark times is over. Your inner light will aid in awakening others.

In our media-driven society, it is difficult for a person to show individuality. If a person acts different, doctors are quick to medicate them so they are like everyone else. People far too often use plastic surgery and bariatric surgery to change what makes them different. The media pushes conformity in similar ways Blake’s society pushed conformity.

Whitman and Dickinson

To understand the difference between Whitman’s and Dickinson’s views of nature, the reader must first understand how Whitman and Dickinson view themselves and their individual connection to God. According to Susan Belasco Smith, Whitman “fuses the self to the world” (113). He sees interconnectedness between God, humankind, and nature. Whitman believed we are all a part of God, everything exists in God, and God exists in everything.

In “Song of Myself” Whitman wrote, “I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked” (line 19). Not only was Whitman trying to shock the prudish people of his time, but also he was trying to have them understand the body is beautiful and sacred. When Whitman uses I, myself, or me; it must be understood that he does not mean the individual. Instead, he is saying I, myself, or me, who is one with God, all of humankind, and nature.

Unlike Whitman, when Dickinson uses the words I, myself, or me; she is speaking of the lonely, isolated individual. She felt hopeless and powerless in the world. When describing Dickinson’s view of self, Smith states, “the self is ultimately lonely, separate from nature and God, and constantly involved in conflict” (113). Due to her sense of powerlessness, Dickinson’s poetry is often filled with death, pain, and despair. In poem number two-hundred-fifty-eight, Dickinson writes, “Heavenly Hurt, it gives us – / We can find no scar, / But internal difference, / Where the Meanings, are –“ (lines 5-8).

Dickinson speaks of a spiritual pain in which one cannot ever escape. Although Whitman and Dickinson had such radically different views on the connection between God, humankind, and nature, it is important for the reader to remember both poets believed in a transcendent God, and they both saw the beauty in nature. It seems, however, their differences lie in the role of humans in the world. 

Smith, Susan Belasco. “Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: Poetry of the Central Consciousness by Agnieszka Salska.” South Central Review. Vol. 4.4: Winter 1987: 112-115.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

“God’s Grandeur”

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
  It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
  It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;        5
  And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
  And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
  There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;        10
And though the last lights off the black West went
  Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
  World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

“The Windhover” 

To Christ our Lord

I CAUGHT this morning morning’s minion, king-
  dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
  Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,        5
  As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
  Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!

Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
  Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion        10
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

  No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
  Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.

“Carrion Comfort”

NOT, I’ll not, carrion comfort, Despair, not feast on thee;
Not untwist—slack they may be—these last strands of man
In me ór, most weary, cry I can no more. I can;
Can something, hope, wish day come, not choose not to be.
But ah, but O thou terrible, why wouldst thou rude on me        5
Thy wring-world right foot rock? lay a lionlimb against me? scan
With darksome devouring eyes my bruisèd bones? and fan,
O in turns of tempest, me heaped there; me frantic to avoid thee and flee?

Why? That my chaff might fly; my grain lie, sheer and clear.
Nay in all that toil, that coil, since (seems) I kissed the rod,        10
Hand rather, my heart lo! lapped strength, stole joy, would laugh, chéer.
Cheer whom though? the hero whose heaven-handling flung me, fóot tród
Me? or me that fought him? O which one? is it each one? That night, that year
Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God.

Analysis

To Hopkins, God is the creator and the savior of man. He is the power, truth, beauty, and answer. Also to Hopkins, God is all around man, even if they do not notice Him.

“The world is charged with the grandeur of God. / It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; / It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil / Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?” (“God’s Grandeur;” lines 1-4) 

Hopkins uses an electrical current and oil as metaphors for the power, beauty, and majesty of God. The power, beauty, and majesty have been infused through the entire world. Most men do not see or feel the “grandeur” of God, though it is there. Because they do not see him, these men ignore God.

And for all this, nature is never spent; / There lives the dearest freshness deep down things; / And though the last lights off the black West went / Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent / World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings. (“God’s Grandeur”) 

Despite the destruction of the world due to the Industrial Revolution, nature still exists because of God. The beauty and power of God can be found in nature because it is an indication of God’s existence, more like a manifestation. God creates life even in the darkest recesses of the world.

“daylight’s dauphin” (“The Windhover;” line 2) 

Hopkins use of daylight is a metaphor for God. Daylight is known in many cultures as a giver of life, because without sunlight, life cannot be sustained. For Christians, God is the giver of life. Without God, life cannot be sustained.

Why? That my chaff might fly; my grain lie, sheer and clear. / Nay in all that toil, that coil, since (seems) I kissed the rod, / Hand rather, my heart lo! lapped strength, stole joy, would laugh, chéer. / Cheer whom though? the hero whose heaven-handling flung me, fóot tród / Me? or me that fought him? O which one? is it each one? That night, that year / Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God. (“Carrion Comfort;” lines 9-14) 

Regardless of all of Hopkins’ suffering, he accepted God. His acceptance has made him happy and strong. Though he still suffers and questions his faith, God still rescued him, and beauty is still around him. God is his answer, his truth.

Hopkins’ poetry all seems to have the same underlying theme. The three poems assigned reflect man’s struggle with God. In “God’s Grandeur,” Hopkins admits that not all men are believers, and some who do believe, ignore God. These same assumptions can be made about man in today’s society. Paganism and Wicca are on the rise, as is the claims of Atheistic beliefs. These shifts in religious beliefs are evidence of man’s struggle with God.

A Testimony to Church and Community

The life led by Eberhard Arnold was truly an inspiration to many. In the first section of A Testimony to Church Community we are taught who Eberhard Arnold was and of the life that he led. Eberhard was dedicated to benefiting the poor and oppressed from a young age. At the age of sixteen, Eberhard fully made his commitment to doing the Lord’s work. He married in 1909. Shortly after, he had to move his family due to an illness of the lungs and larynx. This is when Eberhard began writing. His sister-in-law moved in with the family and became Eberhard’s secretary as well as the first member of their community. Though Eberhard was drafted and served a few weeks of service, he had a strong anti-war view fueled by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Sermon on the Mount particularly inspired Eberhard. He strongly believed that it is not possible to be both a Christian and a soldier. A short time later, Eberhard Arnold’s community began to grow. They were dedicated to educating underprivileged children. The community also educated others in the surrounding area from their many publications. The group’s efforts to live a peaceful, communal life were suddenly halted by invading Nazis. The community uprooted (children and youth first) and moved to Switzerland. While on a quest for a more permanent home for the community, Eberhard passed away as he underwent surgery on his broken leg. Before his passing, Eberhard left his community with inspirational words on his hopes for the future and continuation of the church.

I found the dedication of Eberhard Arnold to God very inspirational. He strove to find solutions to many problems facing his community. I believe that Eberhard took the teachings of Jesus very seriously. This is quite evident when he stated, “We must obey God rather than men.” Eberhard, like Jesus, strove to reach out to those who were marginalized. I like that Eberhard reached out to the youth in particular. His community’s dedication to educating underprivileged children is above all inspiring to me. After reading how willing Eberhard was to keep his community going no matter the obstacles that came their way, I was truly moved. I have learned from this short passage how dedication and determination in life through Jesus can touch and change many other lives.

In the second section of A Testimony to Church and Community, we get more insight to Eberhard Arnold’s views of God’s purpose. To Arnold, God’s main purpose is togetherness or unity. Arnold told us that we cannot achieve God’s purpose without knowing love. Only love prevails and God’s love is eternal. Love is kindness and fulfills the needs of others. Love is unconditional and warrants no return. This love sees through the sins of man, and still loves and protects. Arnold felt that God’s purpose is for us to realize that the creator, God, is not in nature. Nature is not a way to God, because he is greater than all of nature. In class, we have learned that God is creating again. He is creating togetherness. Arnold tells us that whoever walks the path of God shall be granted an eternal reward. Arnold warns us of the evils of material goods. To him, material goods must benefit God’s purpose. Arnold feels that man must rise above temptations in order to win God’s kingdom back; then, and only then, God will return to rule. Arnold also reminded us that God exists beyond man-made boundaries. He reaches the farthest expanses of the universe. We must become worthy of God. Arnold proposes unity as God’s purpose. Just as we have been learning inn class, Arnold sees the oneness of God and the oneness of man as this purpose. He tells us when we are in isolation, living the way we do today, we are unable to truly live. We will truly be alive once broken free from the shackles of our own existence, our own isolationism. When we accept God, we become free from struggle. The Kingdom of God is within us, no matter where we reside. This reminds me of Acts 2:5 where Luke tells us of the diversity of the followers of Christ. Next, Arnold understood that we all have sin, “the beast in us,” and it fights us every step of the way. He felt that we must turn our thoughts into actions and we must keep our thoughts beyond the flesh. We need to be less self-centered to find true freedom. This freedom will lead us to Christ. I feel Arnold was speaking of us finding our oneness with God. To Arnold, Christianity has lost a lot of the true meaning by making it for one person. He felt Christianity is not for the benefit of just one man, but for the benefit of all men. Arnold felt there would be no justice until those who do God’s will inherit the earth. Getting rid of weapons will not bring about peace. Only ending animosity toward one another will bring peace. Peace is found in unity with both Christ and man. We must remember that it is not right to kill a murderer, because this will make us as “impure” as the murderer. This entire section is like a guidebook to finding unity with God through unity with man. If Arnold is correct, then our wait has just begun. This is where our faith has to step in, because chaos consumes our world. We have segregated ourselves from one another for the purpose of self-preservation.

This section of Arnold’s A Testimony to Church and Community covers a variety of topics that all relate to the success of Church Community. These topics include: private property, true understanding, diversity, and social problems. The first thing that Arnold wants man to remember is that private property isolates man. It is the root of most of man’s evils. Capitalism is evil. A capitalist world does not fall because too many people are driven by greed. War is driven by love of the flesh, love of property, and love of self-preservation. Therefore, private property is inherently evil. The sun, the air, the water, and the earth are what keep us living. God gave it all to us. The sun belongs to all man, because it is beyond man’s grasp. However, the air, the water, and the earth are being privatized. The earth should belong to all men, but it is parceled among the many few. Prophets such as Jesus are pro-man therefore they must be anti-private property. Man should follow Jesus’ example and give up all their worldly possessions. Anything possessed by man is his curse. To receive full freedom from all rights and all privileges, man must not collect possessions. Unity is the key to life. It is a part of life. True unity comes from a communal way of life. This section of Arnold’s book reminds me of Acts 4:32-5:11. I think that the point that Arnold is trying to get across is that we all must put our trust into God. We must trust that God will take care of all of our needs. We must remember that if we are in unity with God, then we will be provided for. For a true community to work effectively, man must sacrifice everything including himself. This is what it means to love. This reminds me of Acts 15:1-35 where we learned that every man in God’s community must sacrifice many things that makes him an individual. They must sacrifice their culture and their ideals in order for the community to work.

Next Arnold shares with us that true understanding comes from “the spirit of Church Community” (Arnold, 30). Community begins with agreement on emotion, will, and thought. If the bond between a group raises the group to higher ground, then they will be able to see more. They will find fulfillment, and they will find something beyond humanity. What they will find is the Holy Spirit, which creates a new perception of reality. Each person in a community is just as important as the next. The Church is more than brick and stone. It is the people who dwell within its walls. Take the walls down; the Church should still thrive. While reading this, I am reminded of Peter’s vision where he learns that anything that God has made is not impure or unclean. He applied this lesson to people as well. He learned that every man was an equal to himself. Arnold then adds that the Church should be diverse. This section reminds me of the picture painted in Acts 2:5: “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” It should reach beyond all nations under heaven and beyond worldly bounds. The Church should reach beyond time and space. It should be the power of God to reconcile all things. God has given the world diversity and his goal is to bring the diversity together as a working unit.

Also, Christ’s Community should alleviate all social problems. The New Kingdom must be free from common sin in order to find success. The laws of Christ must stand before the laws of man. All men must follow Christ’s law to bring forth community or The New Kingdom. All men must remember there is only one leader of any Church; that leader is God. No man can govern another. The purpose of the Church is not only to spread the word, but also to live by the word. I think if everyone were able to follow the advice of Arnold, our world would be a much brighter, safer world. However, since man is unable to let go of everything that makes him an individual, we are not able to find peace and alleviate all social problems. There are many of us within the community in the “waiting” process trying to live by the laws of God. Hopefully, one day, we can all come together and not have to wait any longer.

Throughout the poems of Eberhard Arnold, we find continuing ideas. These ideas include: community, unity, and oneness; love; peace; work; giving; waiting; and trusting. All but one poem fully paints a bright picture, until the end anyway. I will discuss that poem as you read on. I will tackle the more prominent idea in Arnold’s poetry, community. As I go on, you will see how community ties everything else together. I have learned from earlier readings that Arnold feels strongly about the idea of unity and community. Throughout his poems this idea, his message, comes up a total of eighteen times.

Arnold’s message is clear. We must remember that God is one, and through his word we envision the community. God is with us, and His Kingdom is near. His mission is to help us find fulfillment through community. If we become one, God will work through us. Because he works through us, we will be able to work together through community. Our work is to teach others to love each other. We must teach them that Christ is the love that fills hearts, and God is uplifting. As we work, we wait; and when we wait, we learn to trust God and to work as one. God is the trinity working together, so we too must work together. Through working together, new members will join together and complete our circle; then we will be a complete community because we will not only have a physical community, but also have a spiritual community. Only through a spiritual community will we be able to find peace. Peace will help us to be free from temptation; then and only then, God will reclaim the earth.

This message ties more closely to Acts than Revelation thus far. Again, I can see the story of Ananias and Sapphira in this message. We must learn to trust in God to help others find peace and community. However, in Revelation, we are told that God is one. So through this, again, you get the sense of unity. In the letters of John to the seven churches he has told them that they have lost their way. From losing their way, they have lost their sense of unity and community. I feel of all the poems the second poem is more closely tied to Revelation than the others. This poem actually reminds me of the letters. He tells the reader, you have lost hope. There is war and destruction because you are bound more to your country than you are to God. This has helped Satan to get a foothold among us. Temptation has overtaken the world which has given men great burdens. Men are not united to God and each other; they are united to their country and their possessions. However, there is a light among us; this light is God. He works through us to bring us together, and through this we will be united. Then God will be able to reclaim his Kingdom, Earth. Like John, Arnold is telling people, to wake up, to endure. He reminds them that they are forsaking Jesus, and they should not take the middle road. Arnold is trying to get people to know they are being seduced; and though they feel they are good Christians, they are more loyal to other ideas than to God and Christ. Arnold’s message has been very clear; the answer to God’s purpose is community. It is not only a physical community; it is also a community through spirit. If we wake up and accept this way of life, if we trust in God; we will find unity, love, and peace. Then, everything else will work itself out, and God will take his reign among us.

Will He?

Will God remember me
When my time comes
Will he see my life
As a fulfilled one

©Pamela N. Brown

Eliot and Hemingway's “Waste Land”

To Eliot, the wasteland is an uninhabited world, meaning: though people live amongst one another, humankind is void of connection and we are all isolated from one another, God, and the world around us. To Eliot, those who live in the wasteland live there without love, which leads to depression and a loss of hope. Religion has broken down and people do not know where to turn.

In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” Prufrock has the loss of hope, which Eliot is trying to convey. Prufrock says, “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” (1310). Therefore, he feels a sense of hopelessness, in which he is wondering how he will be able to make a significant difference in the world because of how he has chosen to live his life. Prufrock wants to marry, but not because he is in love. He wants to marry because that is what is expected of him. Presently Prufrock is isolated and alone; and although he will not be physically alone if he marries, he will still be spiritually alone because he will be living without love. In lines 73 and 74 Prufrock realizes that he is just a scavenger, “I should have been a pair of ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas” (1310). Therefore, he is insignificant to the world.

Similarly, Hemingway gives a slight insignificance to Nick in his story “Big Two-Hearted River.” Hemingway wrote, “He felt a reaction against deep wading with the water deepening up under his armpits, to hook big trout in places impossible to land them…. In the swamp fishing was a tragic adventure” (1528). Had Nick chosen to go off into the swamp, he would have been powerless to survive. Throughout the story, Nick is isolated and alone. In the one place there should be a human connection for Nick, the town of Seney, the nearest civilized area, nothing remains but the blackened remnants of a fire. It is charred with only the foundations to the buildings left alone. Though Nick seems at peace with nature, he is not one with nature; he does not blend in with nature. He pollutes the air with is cigarette smoke and the river with his cigarette butt. Nick rips away and into the vegetation, which surrounds him so he can be more comfortable. Furthermore, the imagery of the barbaric way in which Nick kills the fish shows that he cannot live with nature without destroying nature.

Although Nick and Prufrock are physically present in the world, they are disconnected from a connection with others, God, and nature. The men are void of true emotion and lack the love to save them from the wasteland they are not only part of, but also they help to create.