Man's Impact

Literature is, in one sense, about counteracting man's masculine energy, particularly its destructive elements. When society's masculine energy is properly balanced out there is harmony, and it is this ideal that literature strives for. 

Literature reminds man of his impact on his environment, others around him and himself. When man's arrogance goes unchecked there is a negative effect on the world around him (polllution and racism, for example).

Literature reveals man's impact on human beings through the representation of slaves. As Nuve said, With the use of shock value and slave narratives to “defamiliarize” the status quo perceptions of slaves, and slavery, there came a certain Euro-American sentimentalism spreading via novels and poetry regarding the conditions of the slaves". The poem by William Cowper, "Sweet Meat Has Sour Sauce", functions as a wakeup call to the atrocity that is slavery. The poem uses the tune from "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". This makes the audience lower its guard; this tune is familiar, something that the audience is used to. Once the audience is open to the material the subtext can take effect. The poem gives very concrete images: “Here’s padlocks and bolts...That squeeze them so lovingly till the blood comes". These images are graphic and meant to arose pathos in the audience.

The repetition of "Which nobody can deny, deny" is very effective. In the context of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" the repetition builds on the good feeling for the person being congratulated. In "Sweet Meat Has Sour Sauce" "which nobody can deny" has a different meaning, here it is the atrocities committed against slaves. This has an eerie effect; the reality of the situation was there all along and yet society was blind to it. Man was acquiring monumental achievements, but at the expense of slaves.

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” explores the impact of man’s actions on more than just one level.  There is of course the literal story itself.  A cautionary tale, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” demonstrates the pitfalls of bad decision making and explores man’s vices: pride, ignorance, and rashness among others.  As Khetarpal states, “He lives a hellish life on this earth, speaking beyond his grave.  He is like a ghost warning everybody about the harsh punishment and consequences of sinning against the creation of God.”  The Ancient Mariner as a character is an effective warning sign for non-religious as well as religious readers, having  a virtue based moral and a religious one.

On the other hand, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” functions as an allegory for slavery.  The poem starts out with a marriage, an institution that is socially acceptable and in that sense, similar to slavery.  From there Coleridge makes an extended allegory for waking up to man’s crimes against his fellow man through the institution of slavery (before the poem ends the Wedding Guest becomes “a sadder and a wiser man”).  Man commits a grave sin by killing the Albatross, one that he spends the rest of the poem trying to fully understand.  The moral of the poem (if any one moral could be attached to this massive and complicated work) is “prayeth well, who loved well both men and bird and beast.”   

The sun becomes an image for God’s punisher.  It functions as a symbol of God’s awareness of the sins of man.  To a sailor this image would have been especially effective.  With a sailor’s reliance of the sun for navigation, he would be acutely aware of its presence the entire working day.  So to see the sun as something that is watching and administering punishment.

The poem is ultimately calling for man to recognize that his actions have consequences.  As Kimberly Zins states:

“the osmotic process illustrates that all creatures deserve deference and equality, as this natural course of action undertakes balance.  Realistically, equality is unachievable, but any attempt to effect equality will help cause equilibrium.” 

“Rime of the Ancient Mariner” tries to move humanity towards equilibrium.  Coleridge knew that slavery would probably not end in his lifetime, but the more energy that went towards the eradication of slavery the sooner humanity would evolve. 

Literature also reminds man of the impact his actions have on his physical environment. Lord Byron's "Darkness" is a perfect example of this.  Man is described as desperate, “And men forgot their passions in the dread/Of this their desolation; and all hearts/Were chill’d into a selfish prayer for light”.  The sun is extinguished, and the sky is moonless.  Eventually man must turn towards cannibalism.  This is man at his most forlorn, clutching on to survival in an apocalyptic vision.   

The poem also implies that man has brought about this vision through his own actions.  The sun being “extinguished” suggests that it did not simply burn out, something extinguished it.  Nature is presented as responding to man’s behavior.  There is also the historical context of the poem.  As was mentioned in Andrew’s presentation, “acid rain may have caused major environmental damage.”  Man’s actions were having a noticeable effect on the environment as industries began to grow and pollution became more of a problem.

Byron critiques the progress of man by challenging the worth of man’s so called achievements.  In this apocalyptic vision humanity’s values have changed.  Things which were important are now worthless, “The palaces of crowned kings—the huts,/The habitations of all things which dwell,/Were burnt for beacons; cities were consumed”.  Byron sees these as false symbols of stability.  Byron argues that hierarchies crumble, kingdoms fall apart, and man eventually resorts to bloodshed.  This is contrary to man’s arrogance which thinks that dynasties promote balance, that bloodshed prevents more bloodshed.

This poem could be connected to “The Great Day of His Wrath” by John Martin

 

 This painting, like Byron’s “Darkness” depicts an apocalyptic scene.  It was painted not too long after Byron wrote the poem, and it takes a similar approach to the subject matter.  

Man is not portrayed in a sentimental light.  With the exception of the image of the dog defending his owner, Byron’s “Darkness” is very unsentimental.  Death is depicted as unforgiving, devouring even the dog.  In the painting man is seen as small, desperate, and abandoned.  The corpses are hard to make out, and though they are at the forefront of the painting they are almost unnoticeable.  

The attention is on nature and its sublimity.  The title also connects biblical connotations of judgment day.  The implication is that God is responding to man’s behavior through nature.  Similarly, “Darkness” connects to the apocalyptic image of the sun burning out in the bible.  Both texts depict a scene of man being punished for his behavior; he is finally fully realizing the consequences of his actions. 

"Hannibal Crossing the Alps" by J.M.W. Turner

 

“Hannibal Crossing the Alps”, though not an apocalyptic painting, depicts the relationship between man and nature in a similar way.  The emphasis is on nature; the sun and clouds form an awe-inspiring monster like form.  Man is depicted as minute in comparison.  Yes, you have the monumental figure Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps was a huge historical achievement and yet here it is not man that is depicted as great.  Man is small and at the mercy of nature (there is even on figure that looks as though he is praying to nature with outstretched arms).  This is the sublime, portrayed in a similar way to “Darkness” and “The Great Day of His Wrath.”  This diminishing of man works to counteract man’s arrogance and bring about balance.

Finally, literature warns against the impact man has on his own psyche.  One text that explores this in an unorthodox way is "Frankenstein".  This text is so original in that its critique applies even to its own medium.  The image of the Romantic writer is challenged.  Frankenstein is a caricature of the “ideal Romantic writer” in that he is overly immersed in solitude.  This solitude, which was so highly regarded by many Romantic writers, does not create something of beauty.  More importantly, the monster is more than Frankenstein can handle.  This is a critique of the project of the Romantic writer.  Shelley is saying that even if something is produced out of solitude it may be more than the artist can handle.  It may destroy the artist psychologically.  This is movement against the current of Romantic thought, many Romantic writers had no problem trading in their mental wellbeing in order to make art.  What Shelley is critiquing is a denial of the effects of these artistic endeavors.  Artists of his time were not giving adequate consideration to their own health.  Yes, making art can be important, but where does it stand in one’s value system?  Is it more important than being healthy?  What about being happy?  These were questions that were not asked often enough according to Shelley. 

These questions can also be explored in new ways through modern interpretations of the work:

"Frankensteins Womb":

https://learn.unt.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-54731-dt-announcement-rid-5537566_1/courses/ENGL.3441.001-NT752.1131.1/Frankensteins_Womb.pdf

"Frankenstein":

http://books.google.com/books?id=VyW_Jpi9D9wC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=true

Both works focus on separate aspects of Shelley’s original project.  “Frankenstein’s Womb” focuses on the bleakness of the original, the darkness, the horror.  Everything from the art style of the dry, cynical dialogue is consistent.  This is important because it contrasts with the idealistic view of solitude held by some Romantic artists.  I think Shelley would have approved of this approach to his work.

“Frankenstein” effectively focuses on the aesthetical ideal of beauty.  Frankenstein’s interpretation of beauty in the graphic novel adaptation is consistent with the book:

“I had selected his features as beautiful…but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.”

Here there is a presentation of a movement between the expectation of beauty versus the reality of the creation.  This supports part of Shelley’s argument, that the artist in solitude may not be prepared for his own creation.  The graphic novel, like the book, emphasizes this disappointment. 

Man has an enormous capacity to create. Building structures, developing new ideas and industries—man has in one sense achieved a lot.  There are negative consequences of these actions, however; achievement comes at the expense of the enslavement of certain groups, and ensuring the safety of the environment is often low on the priority list for the leaders of industrialism.

The real danger of these negative effects is that they are often so far from the minds of man.  Negative impact is not understood for its accruing nature.  What results is a cultivated ignorance for those with power, which is dangerous.  Literature counteracts this tendency.  Literature is cathartic; it gives an avenue for the part of society that wants to improve, the part of society that wants to heal itself.  Literature is self-aware.  Literature is lucid.

Drawing back to a post by Owls are awesome regarding a quote by Wordsworth: “In consequence of the film of familiarity and selfish solicitude we have eyes, yet see not, and hearts that neither feel or understand.”  By using allegory literature can make us reevaluate the way we see the world, pulling us out of the grooves of habitual thought.  It is a creative medium that sparks creativity and argument and if man has any chance of saving himself from self-destruction literature will play a vital role in that salvation.

 

                                                                          Works Cited 

Cowper, William, and Humphrey Sumner Milford. The Complete Poetical Works of William Cowper. London, NY: Humphrey Milford, 1913. Print.

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. “The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.” Poetry X. Ed. Jough Dempsey. 7 Jul 2003. 08 May. 2013 http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/624/.

Khetarpal, Abha; Singh, Satendra.Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine 34.2 (Apr 2012):193-196. 

Zins, K. (2008). Equilibrium in coleridge's THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER. The Explicator, 66(4), 194-196. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/

"Last Man"

—Millennialism 

—Often apocalypses take place after a new millennium occurs

—Belief that the world runs on a 1000 year cycle

—Major transformations for society in 1000 year intervals

—Considered a factor in many religions

—Christian millennialism is seen in the belief of the Second Coming

—Prophecies predict the “Revelation of John” to last 1000 years prior to the Second Coming

Environmental Apocalypse

—Environmental

—adjective

—1.relating to the natural world and the impact of human activity on its condition: acid rain may have caused major environmental damage

— aiming or designed to promote the protection of the natural world: environmental tourism

—Apocalypse

—2.an event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale: a stock market apocalypsean era of ecological apocalypse

"Darkness"

—“I had a dream, that was not at all a dream”

—dream theory

—Many biblical references

—Adds to the apocalyptic setting

—Strengthens ethos

—Over reaction in panic due to loss of passion

—Momentary period of equality

—Byron’s fondness of animals and nature

—Humans have progressed too far

—“She was the universe”- Hindu god Kali (seen on blog)

—Mt. Tambora

—Iambic pentameter, but not rhymed

"The Last Man"

—Shows extinction of one man, versus the entire race

—More explicitly Christian viewed

—Shows hope in afterlife despite death

—More lyrical/ballad feelings, similar to “Rhyme of Ancient Mariner” when spoken out loud

—Interest contrast to “Darkness”-

—Focuses the sun’s death, still showing light

Connection

—Campbell discusses that the two poems are similar because he and Byron had a discussion about the topic of environmental ruin.

—This casual discussion was said to have influenced both writers dramatically

—Feels as though “Darkness” sets the scene while “Last Man” adds a human narrative

—Byron shows extinction of a race

—Campbell shows extinction of the last individual

Cycle:

—Step 1: Man has become far too advanced

—Step 2: Man creates some “new advancement”

—Step 3: The “new advancement” back fires

—Step 4: Apocalypse occurs

—Step 5: Human sacrifice of “Last Man” to recreate human world

Motif in Film

—9

—Tim Burton film showing an apocalyptic world where there is no human life. A scientist who saw the evil created 9 dolls to harbor the 9 aspects of his soul who ultimately bring life back.

—http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoJecu9e7c

—WALL-E

—The environment is destroyed, no inhabitants on Earth, little robot running around looking for  sign of life. 

Motif in Literature

—Adam and No Eve

—Short Story by Alfred Bester about a man who creates a shuttle like invention and realizes from space that his launch created a catalyst that destroyed life on earth. The story ends with him committing suicide so the bacteria in his body can recreate evolution and eventually human life. 

Lord Byron's "Darkness"

"Darkness" has an overarching sense of hopelessness.  It was impossible for me to read it for symbolic meaning on my first couple of readings; I was too involved in the images themselves.  The cannibalism left a knot in my stomach, and I think it's genius how Byron moves from grandiose language on the global scale to such small details as a specific dog guarding the corpse of a specific master.  It is vague and very specific at the same time.

Byron's "Darkness" seems too dreamlike to be real yet too real to be just a dream.  The reader can't help but feel that Byron has received a glimpse into the future.  The last few words "She was the Universe", also remind me of Kali, a Hindu goddess sometimes associated with darkness and destruction.  Reading those few lines I could have sworn I was reading an Eastern text.

Shelley's Critique of Romantic Poets

One thing that I noticed while reading Frankenstein is the overall portrayal of solitude.  Solitude is such an important concept to the Romantics.  It is somewhat of an idealized state of being for a Romantic poet, a way of avoiding the distractions of urban life so that one can compose in tranquility.  Solitude for the Romantics also brought them closer to nature, an effect that the transcendentalists would eventually seek.

While Frankenstein does approach certain aspects of the sublime, his solitude is not portrayed in this idealistic light.  Shelley stresses the unnatural aspects of being alone, how an existence detached from society can eat away at one's soul. 

Finally, there is the failed nature of the experiment.  Frankenstein's creature functions on one level as an allegory for the project Romantic poets undertake in solitude.  By having the creature overwhelm Frankenstein, Shelly is arguing that "success" for Romantic poets may result in a creation that is too much for the writer to handle (on top of costing the writer his physical and mental well-being).

Macbeth and La Motte

I chose the opening excerpt from Macbeth on page 85

"'Hence, horrible shadow!
Unreal mockery, hence!'
                   Macbeth"        

I think this excerpt serves as a comparison to the way La Motte feels like he's constantly being pursued.  First, he feels pursued by the officers of justice.  Then there is the state of horror that La Motte cannot escape,  "The same image has pursued me in my midnight dream..."  (pg.88-89).  The 'mockery' could be applied to Madame who is unable to get a direct answer out of La Motte or to how La Motte feels about Marquis who is unshakable and perhaps not exactly what he appears to be.

Overall the frantic, paranoid nature of the excerpt matches La Motte's inner voice perfectly and gives the rest of the chapter the same frantic feel. It also makes the reader compare La Motte to Macbeth.  The two are not the same, but there are some characteristics both characters share, (obsessive paranoia being one of them).

The Poetry of Nature

I thought it was interesting that Coleridge says in the “Origin of ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’” that he uses the combination of moonlight and sunlight to portray “the poetry of nature”. The supernatural is viewed in both darkness and light in this poem. He speaks of this woman referred to as “Life-In-Death” who kills all of his shipmates and takes him for herself. Right when he fears there is no hope for him, Heaven’s angels come and recuse him and help steer the ship back to his land. Coleridge uses the moonlight to show the Mariner praying for help and then watching the angels by moonlight come to rescue him. This is the most obvious use of light and dark. However, I think Coleridge was using light and dark to portray “nature” in many different ways. Besides the obvious use of darkness and moonlight, and light and dark supernatural events, I believe Coleridge was also describing human nature in “the poetry of nature”. The Mariner made a great mistake and suffered, but once he was given redemption, he decided to devote his life to love and reverence. It starts off dark and ends with a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I believe Coleridge used many forms of nature by using light and dark to show actual nature, supernatural nature, and human nature. The combination is the true poetry of nature to Coleridge.

"As Idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean."

Like many of the other readers, I was incredibly struck by the imagery in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.  In a more literal interpretation, I could not help but think of some of the major painters of the Romantic Era in art while reading about the themes of isolation and the sea. Two artists that are primarily known for these themes were Casper David Friedrichs and J.M.W Turner. Friedrich's paintings often deal with desolation and somberness, and the background of our blog is actually a piece of his, entitled The Sea of Ice, which is incredibly fitting to the story. The majority of Turner's paintings are depictions of a savage sea, with a few that emulate the imagery expressed in the poem.  The passage I found particular represented by a painting was, “Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean.” While several of Turners paintings are very fitting to this passage, one that I feel represents it wonderfully is Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth. While the sea depicted is very violent, the boat is ultimately and entirely stagnant, just like the ship and sailors are in the poem.

Imagery with Emotion and the Sun

In the ancient mariner, I believe the storyteller uses a lot of imagery description to best describe the sailor’s emotional ordeal they are going through.  An example would be the scene where he attempts to pray, but a bad whisper discourages his heart, which may be the other part of him that wishes to give up all hope. The poems imagery and the characters emotions go in harmony with each other in order for the reader to be able to obtain a better grasp of the tragic scenes played out and the agony the character endures. Also one thing to note is the sun is represented as a vengeful god that punishes the sailors while the moon seems to be a calming figure that gives peace to the sailors. Perhaps the author was referring God as the sun who gives and takes life in the poem.  

The curse the opens the eyes of the Mariner

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner contained the basic structure that both Wordsworth and Coleridge had discussed. The two Cardinal points of poetry (according to the Biographia Literaria, chapter 14 (1817) in the anthology of the conversations between Coleridge and Wordsworth) it had to contain: The power of exciting the sympathy of the reader by the faithful adherence to the truth of nature. The second was the power of giving the interest of novelty by modifying colors of imagination. Coleridge achieved both of these two points of poetry by adding both a spiritual force to the singing albatross and by emphasizing color (to the water, dead corpse, water thirst lips, etc.) despite the previous establishment of an eerie setting. The reader is able to sympathize with the mariner once he realized that killing the Albatross was a mistake because the bird helped the by bringing good luck to their voyage and instead of him appreciating what the bird brought to them he killed, bringing forth a curse to him, his crew and his ship. It isn’t till the end that he realizes that he had taken his blessings for granted. After he “prayeth well, who loved well both men and bird and beast.” “God who loveth us, He made and loveth all”. The bird can be taken as a metaphor for slaves, they were taken for granted too and once they were killed, and their life was missed because of their good deeds.

“In consequence of the film of familiarity and selfish solicitude we have eyes, yet see not, and hearts that neither feel or understand.” …Wordsworth         

Shock Value in "the Slave Trader in the Dumps"

Looking back on Cowper's "The Slave Trader in the Dumps", it is interesting to note just how often shock value was used in famous works of that time period. He disturbs us with this narrator who seems to delight in the misery of the slaves. Jonathan Swift  told the poor to feed their babies to the rich in A Modest Proposal, and Robert Browning creeped out his readers with the sinister implications in My Last Duchess. Shock value seems to have been a typical way that points were gotten across to audiences back then. It certainly got my attention.