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Post by Ms. Knarr on Mar 29, 2012 7:27:50 GMT -5
To a Gentleman and Lady on the Death of the Lady's Brother and Sister, and a Child of the Name Avis, Aged One Year By Phillis Wheatley 1753–1784
On Death's domain intent I fix my eyes,
Where human nature in vast ruin lies,
With pensive mind I search the drear abode,
Where the great conqu'ror has his spoils bestow'd;
There there the offspring of six thousand years
In endless numbers to my view appears:
Whole kingdoms in his gloomy den are thrust,
And nations mix with their primeval dust:
Insatiate still he gluts the ample tomb;
His is the present, his the age to come
See here a brother, here a sister spread,
And a sweet daughter mingled with the dead.
But, Madam, let your grief be laid aside,
And let the fountain of your tears be dry'd,
In vain they flow to wet the dusty plain,
Your sighs are wafted to the skies in vain,
Your pains they witness, but they can no more,
While Death reigns tyrant o'er this mortal shore.
The glowing stars and silver queen of light
At last must perish in the gloom of night:
Resign thy friends to that Almighty hand,
Which gave them life, and bow to his command;
Thine Avis give without a murm'ring heart,
Though half thy soul be fated to depart.
To shining guards consign thine infant care
To waft triumphant through the seas of air:
Her soul enlarg'd to heav'nly pleasure springs,
She feeds on truth and uncreated things.
Methinks I hear her in the realms above,
And leaning forward with a filial love,
Invite you there to share immortal bliss
Unknown, untasted in a state like this.
With tow'ring hopes, and growing grace arise,
And seek beatitude beyond the skies.
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Post by dougrybczynski on Apr 7, 2012 16:33:46 GMT -5
First post-
1. This poem is clearly about the loss of a group of loved ones. It follows what most would see as the steps of consolation that most would take in trying to rationalize such a sad event. It goes from analyzing the situation as a whole in the first stanza to giving a compromise or advice to the friend in stanza two and finally telling of the truly better place they are believed to be in stanza three. The poem itself feels like it is about a friend talking to someone who has lost the relatives and is trying to help them feel better.
2. I felt neutrally about this poem. It did not make sense at first due to the fact that I did not read the introduction and even after that I did have to read it a couple more times to really make it click in my mind. Once I was past this, the message being conveyed was a nice one while in saddening circumstances.
3. 1) Why would the title only be "To a Gentleman" when it was to a couple and the lady's relatives were the ones who died? 2) Can some of Phillis Wheatly's religious standpoint be seen in the work? 3) Comparing the first and third stanza, would this poem be a snapshot of emotion or over a period of time? 4) Does the speaker change from the first to the second stanza?
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Post by hugozazzarini on Apr 8, 2012 19:59:36 GMT -5
1. I agree with Doug, that the overall meaning of this poem is talking about the loss of several family members. The poem then continues with the consolation of the person who lost their family members, stating while this is a sad occurrence, that one's cries are in vain.
2. To comprehend this poem, I also had to read it a few times over again. The way I feel is that while death is something sad that happens to everyone, it is a part of life and the pain and emotions that follow will not do anything in the end.
3. (answering question 4) The speaker does change from the first to the second stanza, as at first the speaker is focused on the bad and on the dead relatives she has just lost and the pain that she feels while the second stanza focuses on the speaker slowly coming to terms with their loss.
Do you think Phillis Wheatley meant for this poem to be a sad one or one of reassurance?
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Post by dougrybczynski on Apr 9, 2012 16:04:53 GMT -5
1. I'm glad to see I'm not completely off on the meaning of this poem!
2. I agree with Hugo completely. Death will happen to everyone and you need to get through the emotions that go with that for a loved one and there is sadly nothing we can do to change that.
3. (Hugo's Question) I think going back to the change of speaker, Phillis Wheatley was the speaker in stanzas 2 and 3, but the speaker in stanza 1 was the gentleman. With that in mind I think the poem is meant to be one of reassurance.
My question- What was meant by the first line "On Death's domain intent I fix my eyes"?
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Post by gabbymcgovern on Apr 11, 2012 13:30:42 GMT -5
1. I fully agree with Doug and Hugo on the concept of this poem. Death plays a huge part in the poem. The meaning behind it is that you have to be able to deal with sorrow in the right way. In my opinion, the first stanza serves to explain the sad situation. By reading the first stanza, I think the poem is about a woman whose lover died. This woman is talking in the first stanza, and as Doug said, Phillis Wheatley becaomse the speaker in the second and third stanzas. Phillis Wheatley tells the woman that she must dry her tears, and put her grief aside. This poem tells us how in life we must be strong when the ones we love are no longer with us.
2. My reaction to this piece is that it was a nice, detailed poem to read. There is a good description of what is happening, but I admit that I do not undersand some of the lines. I was only able to get the theme of the poem from certain lines. One of my favorite lines though was when Phillis said that even the stars perish. Death is hard to comprehend, which is why this poem's true meaning was hard to grasp.
3. Doug's 4th questions- Yes, I do believe that the speaker changed fom the first to the second stanza. The first line tells me that it was written in first person. Then, in the second stanza, the first line uses Madame, which makes me think that Phillis is talking. I think that we get to see the emotions of the woman who lost her lover. For the rest of the poem,
Phillis consoles her.
My question- Do we represent the stars that perish at night? Does death make our light sometimes burn out?
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Post by alexacevedo on Apr 13, 2012 19:14:55 GMT -5
1. The poem here, like Gabby stated superbly, is one that speaks of how grief should be dealt with. In particular, it addresses the mourning of three deaths, that of a couple's siblings and of their child, Avis. Here, Phillis Wheatley explains how death is omnipresent, having existed since the beginning of time and having taken multitudes of souls. She also explains that death is an inevitable occurrence, "his age to come".
Phillis explains, however, that such deaths should not be mourned, as that alone can not bring the dead back from the grave. Instead, she explains that the couple should trust in God, "that Almighty hand", to take care of their departed loved ones.
2. I personally found this piece enjoyable, though initially confusing. As the poem is from an earlier time period, certain grammar practices, words, and wordings are dated. Example words such as 'methinks' and 'thine', which are rarely used in the modern English language. Still, the poem is a very moving one and relevant to our time period, with a comforting message that is appreciable in times of despair and universal.
3. Answering Doug's fourth question from his first post, I believe the speaker remains the same in both stanzas, explaining the negative aspects of death, then explaining how these are overcome by the positive aspects. Noting this contradiction however, my question is as follows:
Is death an entirely good or bad occurrence, a 'mixed bag' of positive and negative effects, or without a place on the good/bad spectrum entirely.
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Post by timhoffman on Apr 15, 2012 9:47:45 GMT -5
1. I agree with Gabby on this one. Only a profound loss could've provoked the writing of a piece as powerful as this one. There are notes of loss and regret shown throughout this poem, both hidden and outright.
(Gabby's Question): Death is the one thing that can truly make someone's light burn out, but never entirely. The light that is projected by a person can never be truly extinguished.
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Post by nickchiarello on Apr 15, 2012 13:57:44 GMT -5
1. I agree with Gabby, death is the main theme in this piece. Phillis Wheatley tells us that death is a natural cause in life and that we must accept it. It may seem that death is devastating, but when people die they journey to a better place. Thus the line "Her soul enlarg'd to heav'nly pleasure springs", as she realized that the soul will reach heaven and the spirit will live on within us. As Christians, just as Wheatley, we believe that death reunites us with God, our Creator.
2.I liked this piece a lot. I felt that it was about a king who died and his wife and all his kingdom were mournful of his death. Yet, no one should be because his spirit still lives on within the kingdom. I liked how she explained that their spirit lives on and that death is natural and we have to accept it. This piece was very descriptive and detailed but it was a little hard to understand.
3. (Dougs Question on #2)
Phillis wheatley's religious beliefs is definitely brought about in this poem. She believes that death is natural and accepts the fact that it is a reoccurring event in life. She believes that their soul will go to heaven and their spirit will live on within us. While the other half of them will depart into the sky.
Question- Phillis Wheatley only mentions that our spirits depart to the skies above, do you think she has a belief in heaven and hell? or just heaven?
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Post by bradoconnor on Apr 15, 2012 17:51:27 GMT -5
As presented by many posts above, I believe that this poem is about the loss of several loved ones but also about the road to recovery that a person must take after such devastating events had occurred in one's lifetime in such a short amount of time. Wheatley explains that death is a part of the circle of life and that the sooner that we accept that the easier it will be to get over the death of one or more people whom we had loved.
2) I did not like this piece because it was so much about death. Although it was written by one of the best authors the world has ever known and was written to perfection, I just did not like the theme and the way it was presented.
3) Answering Nick's Question
I believe that she does believe in both heaven and hell but just uses the skies above to represent the spiritual world in order to get her point across.
My Question : What does the Dusty Plain in line 15 represent?
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Post by nickchiarello on Apr 15, 2012 20:08:30 GMT -5
1. Brad I agree with you there, but wouldn't she just say hell then?I feel like she should've elaborated more on the spiritual world point of view. She should've given the options of where the spirits would go.
2. I think by Dusty Plain, Phillis Wheatley is talking about the desert. Also, how all the Madam's tears can water the dusty plains of the desert.
Question- What does Phillis Wheatley mean by seeking beatitude beyond the skies?
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