Augustan Poetry

Characteristics: forward propulstion, based on classic Greek and Roman forms

Lit. devices: satire, iambic pentameter, wit, irony, paradox

Styles: heroic couplets, mundane plots, use of current political events (allegorically and directly), mock epics

Major themes: human frailty, mocking of human behavior

Authors: Alexander Pope, John Dryden

LINES BY A PERSON OF QUALITY

by: Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

luttering spread thy purple pinions,

Gentle Cupid, o'er my heart,

I a slave in thy dominions,

Nature must give way to art.

Mild Arcadians, ever blooming,

Nightly nodding o'er your flocks,

See my weary days consuming,

All beneath yon flowery rocks.

Thus the Cyprian goddess weeping,

Mourned Adonis, darling youth:

Him the boar, in silence creeping,

Gored with unrelenting tooth.

Cynthia, tune harmonious numbers;

Fair Discretion, tune the lyre;

Soothe my ever-waking slumbers;

Bright Apollo, lend thy choir.

Gloomy Pluto, king of terrors,

Armed in adamantine chains,

Lead me to the crystal mirrors,

Watering soft Elysian plains.

Mournful Cypress, verdant willow,

Gilding my Aurelia's brows,

Morpheus, hovering o'er my pillow,

Hear me pay my dying vows.

Melancholy, smooth Mæander,

Swiftly purling in a round,

On thy margin lovers wander

With thy flowery chaplets crowned.

Thus when Philomela, drooping,

Softly seeks her silent mate,

So the bird of Juno stooping;

Melody resigns to fate.

Metaphysical Poetry

characteristics: brief and concentrated in its meaning, centered around dramatic situations, usually has conceits

major themes: love, man's relationship with God, & human frailty

styles: more realistic than renaissance poetry, focuses on deep philosophical issues

lit. devices: wit, irony, paradox, conceits

authors: John Donne, George Herbert, Andrew Marvell, Henry Vaughan, George Chapman, Thomas Traherne, & Robert Southwell



WOMAN'S CONSTANCY.
by John Donne


NOW thou hast loved me one whole day,
To-morrow when thou leavest, what wilt thou say ?
Wilt thou then antedate some new-made vow ?
Or say that now
We are not just those persons which we were ?
Or that oaths made in reverential fear
Of Love, and his wrath, any may forswear ?
Or, as true deaths true marriages untie,
So lovers' contracts, images of those,
Bind but till sleep, death's image, them unloose ?
Or, your own end to justify,
For having purposed change and falsehood, you
Can have no way but falsehood to be true ?
Vain lunatic, against these 'scapes I could
Dispute, and conquer, if I would ;
Which I abstain to do,
For by to-morrow I may think so too.

The Kingdom of the Dead (book6)

Dido:

In this book, Aeneas visits the Underworld and, while he is there, he sees Dido and tries to talk to her. Dido doesn't respond to Aeneas, and I think that this is because she no longer needs to love him. She has served her purpose for the gods. I think Dido has found a kind of redemption in death. She no longer has the gods controlling her feelings and making them change every other minute. In death, Dido can have the closure that comes with being with her one true love, Sychaeus, her husband. Dido no longer has to deal with the illusion of love that had been created by Venus and her son Cupid. The reason why it is so cutting to Aeneas when Dido doesn't answer him is because he has to realize and accept that she doesn't need him anymore. He watches her spirit return to her husband, and that probably deflates the little ego boost that he got from knowing that she killed herself because of his love. He also has to see and accept, like Dido, that their love was just an illusion that was created by the gods to manipulate them. It is also possible that Dido did love Aeneas a little bit when she was alive and that's why her non-response to him so cutting because she did love him, but she can let go of him in death because her love for Sychaeus is even more than her love for Aeneas.

Funeral Games For Anchises (book5)

There are a lot of things going on in this chapter. First, Ascanius' role in the acting out of the battle at the games is a symbol of the major part that he will have in the founding of Rome. It is because of his son that Aeneas even considers to keep going on his long and difficult voyage. He wants Ascanius to have a kingdom of his own to rule and become the father of kings. There is also a small irony in the fact that, while trying to make things better for herself and causing problems with the Trojans, Juno actually makes things better for Venus when the Trojans build a temple in honor of Venus. This book also connects the Aeneid with the Oddyssey when, at the end, the boat is guided towards the Siren's rocks, like Odesseus' boat was in the Oddyssey.

The Tragic Queen of Carthage (book4)

In this book, we see that Dido is reluctant to become involved with Aeneas, and she has a good reason to be worried. What she doesn't know is that the gods are messing with her fate. Juno's and Venus' "deal" to create a marriage between Aeneas and Dido starts out when the two are out hunting with their friends and a storm hits. They find themselves trapped in the same cave together. This reinforces 2 things: the idea that Aeneas is hunting Dido, and the war between the gods. When we first see Aeneas, he is shooting deer, then in this book, Dido is compared to a doe, and there is a line about "the shaft that takes her life." This refers to Cupid's arrow that makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas, and that love eventually makes her kill herself. Cupid and his arrow falls into the category of the war between the gods, especailly the one between Juno and Venus. Venus knows that Aeneas will have to leave Carthage, and she probably agrees to the "marriage" between Dido and Aeneas because she knows that it will kill Dido if he has to leave. If Dido kills herself, then Juno will be losing one of her most faithful worshipers, and Venus will have won one of the many battles between these two.

Landfalls, Ports of Call (book 3)

This book sets up two of the major themes of the novel: journey to found a new empire and death to rebirth. It is hard to tell from the way that Aeneas tells his story that a lot of time has passed from the time when Troy fell until now, when they are in Carthage. We see, through the places that Aeneas and the Trojans travel, how Virgil is trying to connect the Aeneid with the Odyssey. We also find out all of the suffering that the Trojans have to go through just to get to this point where they are in a friendly city. Even though Virgil describes all of the suffering that the Trojans go through, his tone tells us that it is necessary for the Trojans to not be happy anywhere else than Italy. If they had good luck in other places, Aeneas wouldn't have wanted to keep going so he could found Rome for his family to rule for centuries.

Safe Haven After Storm

The first book is setting up what is to come in the rest of the Aeneid. It shows us the fighting between the gods, especially between Juno and Venus. Venus comes down and sends Aeneas to Carthage where he will meet Dido. What is ironic about this situation is that Dido and Aeneas can get along so well when Dido worships Juno, who hates all Trojans. This situation foreshadows the rage that Juno will have when she loses one of her biggest worshipers, Dido, because of her unrequited love for Aeneas. We are also shown, by a conversation between a couple of the gods, that Aeneas will infact make it to Italy to found Rome because it is what the Fates predicted. There is nothing that Juno can do that can stop him for forever. The end of the first book also serves as a transition to the beginning of Aeneas' voyage to the founding of Rome.

Moby-Dick ch. 107-109

ch. 107:
The way that the carpenter is described in this chapter makes me think that he is a man that all of the other whalers might want to be like, even if they might not realize it. He seems to be pretty decent at everything he does, and if he isn't at first, he works at it and eventually gets good at it. He doesn't get too attached to his fellow shipmates, which is a lesson they could all learn considering the danger the whalemen face every day. And, while he doesn't get too attached, he still has a pretty good time with the rest of the men.

ch. 108:
It is strange that Ahab is different than most people who lose a leg in the sense that he wants his to be made out of whale bone. Most people on land get a fake leg that they can put products on and care for like a normal leg. It would make sense for them to think like this, wanting everything to stay like normal. But, Ahab's choice of legs serves him 2 purposes. It is sturdy enough to keep him out and about on a whaling ship, and it is a constant reminder to him that he must catch the white whale.

ch. 109:
Ahab says, "the only real owner of anything is its commander." I don't think that he has realized that he is no longer his own commander, but that he is being commanded by his obsession to catch Moby Dick. Later in the chapter, Starbuck tells Ahab to beware of Ahab. I think that he is telling him to not let his obsession get the better of him to the point that it clouds his judgement on what is best for the ship and the people on it. Ahab needs to beware of the part of him that is becoming more and more crazy at the thought of catching the white whale.

Moby-Dick ch. 104-106

ch. 104:
"they have a Temple, the Rafters and Beams of which are made of whale bones." This part of the chapter reinforces the theme of whaling as a religion. The bones of the whale symbolize the strength and power of religion, and could even be what is holding this religion together by making the people feel protected by such a sturdy temple.

ch. 105:
"we will account the whale immortal in his species" This also could fit into the theme of whaling as a religion. The idea that the whale (and no other animals) has stayed the same throughout time could be connected with a kind of god-like figure. The whale is something that will never change, so for the whalemen whaling is one of the few things that they can count on. Their methods for catching whales might change and get more sophistocated, but the whales will be the same as they always have been.

ch. 106:
It really says something about Ahab's obsession with the white whale that, when he first got his leg bitten off, he immediately started thinking of ways to replace the leg and continue to hunt it. He wanted his leg made out of the sturdiest whale ivory in order to be able to keep sailing and chasing after Moby Dick. All Ahab wants is revenge and he will stop at nothing to get it, not even the loss of his own leg.

Moby-Dick ch. 101-103

ch. 101:
In this chapter, Ishmael tells us a little more about how he feels about the Nantucketers and their connection with whaling. To him, they are like the priests or the ones who first started spreading the religion of whaling. He credits them with being the first "civilized" sperm whale hunters. Throughout the book Ishmael is telling us about how the Nantucketers are superior in their whaling, and how he won't go on any other ship than one from Nantucket.

ch. 102:
When talking about the sperm whale skeleton and the vines that are growing over it, he compares it to Life and Death and how the two are intertwined. This could represent the hunting of the sperm whale and how the whalers don't know what will happen to them while they are hunting it. There is an equal chance for life and death for them. Even if there isn't an actual death, they could still live a life like Ahab's that is like a death. He is only living for one thing, to hunt and kill the white whale.

ch. 103:
In this chapter, Ishmael compares the whale and its skeleton to things that men would use to hold many people, like houses or Gothic buildings. These comparisons show us how huge the whale is and also could even be a reference to the whalers' connection with the whale. They all give up a normal house to live on a ship and pursue an animal that could be used to build their houses, but they never use it for that. These men can never be tied down to land, but they will always be tied to the whale.

Moby-Dick ch. 98-100

ch. 98:
"this is man killing! Yet this is life." This fits into the theme of whaling as a religion. These men are chasing after something that they maybe shouldn't be (the whales and the danger that comes with them). It could be argued that by giving up their lives to whaling, they have decided to give up christianity as their religion and take on whaling.

ch. 99:
In this chapter, Ahab compares himself with Lucifer, or Satan. He is heard to be talking about how he thinks himself to be firm, courageous, undaunted, and victorious. This is a small foreshadow of the things that are to come for Ahab. At this point he is just starting to become a little more crazed about the idea of catching the white whale. The foreshadow lies in his comaparison with Lucifer (an archangel who fell from heaven). It could represent Ahab's fall from power.

ch. 100:
In this chapter there is a contrast between the English captain and Ahab. Both men have lost a limb to Moby Dick, but the English captain doesn't have the same feelings of revenge towards the whale. He feels that if he tries to catch the white whale, that it will cost him his other arm, or his life. For him that is too high a price. Ahab is the complete opposite. He wants to find the whale and to destroy it because of what he did to his leg.

Moby-Dich ch. 94-97

ch. 94:
This chapter fits into the idea of queer theory when Ishmael is talking about squeezing the lumps out of the spermaceti. He talks about the aroma of the sperm and how it feels to be squeezing the hands of his fellow whalemen. He talks about how he is "looking into their eyes sentimentally" almost like he gets a little drunk from the sperm.

ch. 95:
At the end of this chapter, Ishmael refers to the mincer as being like an orator. It fits into the theme of whaling being a religion to these men when Melville tells us about how the whale fat has to be cut as thin as the pages in a bible in order to get the most oil out of them.

ch. 96:
Later in this chapter, the whaleship is alluded to being like a war ship. The whalers are the soldiers who are fighting a constant battle against the whales, but also against socitey, which rejects them at the same time that it accepts what comes from their hard work.

ch. 97:
Again, at the beginning of this chapter, there is the theme of whaling as a religion. Ishmael says, "the whaleman, as he seeks the food of light, so he lives in light." This could be compared to what is called the light of God, and how those who are serving him are always in his light and recieving gifts from him.

Moby-Dick ch. 90-93

ch. 90:
Ishmael tells us in this chapter about how the profit from the whaling works in England. The tone of this chapter shows us his disapproval when he reveals that only the whales that are actually worth anything are claimed by the king and queen.

ch. 91:
When Stubb is talking to the mate of the Rose Bud about the Rose Bud's captain, there is some similarities that can be seen between that captain and Ahab. The other mate says that their captain is an "ignoramus who had brought them all into so unsavory and unprofitable a pickle." While at this point the Pequod is making money from the sperm whales, it is possible that after a while that Ahab will get so caught up in the pursuit of Moby Dick that he will bring his crew into more danger than usual and they wouldn't make a profit because all he wants to do is chase the white whale.

ch. 92:
It is ironic that something that smells so good can be associated with something that is usually associated with rotting and bad smells. Usually any animals that are dead and are starting to decay smell really bad and that is not a scent that most men and women would brag about wearing. Most likely if these people knew where this scent actually came from, they wouldn't wear it, much less brag about wearing it.

ch.93:
"it will then be seen what like abandonment befell myself." This foreshadows that Ishmael will be left behind like Pip was. Either because his fellow whalers are chasing a whale, or because they are so scared of one that they are running away, and if he happens to fall out of the boat, it is his own fault and they aren't going to risk stopping to pick him up.

Moby-Dick ch. 86-89

ch. 86:

The tail of the whale is described as one of its best weapons against men and even against other whales. Ishmael says that, for the most part, the whale uses its tail to come up on the whalers from underneath the water and hitting the boat, which he calls "child's play." He also tells us about the whale coming down on the boat with his tail from the air ("No ribs of man or boat can withstand it"). This could be a foreshadow to Moby Dick using his tail in this way and killing some of the crew of the Pequod.



ch. 87:
"Yes the long calm was departing." This chapter seems to take place in the height of the whaling season when the whales are all grouped together. The sentence could be a foreshadow that Ahab will start getting more anxious to catch Moby Dick from all of the whales that are around him.


ch. 88:

In this chapter, it talks about when the "schoolmaster" whale gets older and decides to go off by himself. This stage in the whale's life could be compared with Ahab and his obsession with the white whale. Nothing else seems to have any meaning and they pursue the one thing they want without needing any others.

ch. 89:

The loose fish in this chapter is compared with Columbus "discovering" the new world. This could suggest that Ishmael doesn't feel that a "loose fish" is fair game like many others seem to think. He seems to be one of the whalers who would back off if he found out that someone else had been fighting for a certain whale.

Moby-Dick 82-85

ch. 82:
At the end of this chapter, it says, "the whale caught him, if he did not catch the whale." This sentence might be a symbol of Ahab's life and how all he wants to do is catch Moby Dick. He didn't do what he wanted to all those years ago and catch the great white whale, and he has been obsessed with catching him ever since. In a sense, Moby Dick did catch Ahab because, unless he catches the whale, Ahab will be forever trying to catch it.

ch. 83:
It is ironic that this chapter talks about a lamp in a Turkish Mosque that burns without any oil. The oil from the whale is the whole reason why they are hunted. This mosque was built because of the miracle of Jonah being delivered by the whale, so I guess in a sense that this lamp could be saving the life of that whale by not needing to burn it's oil.

ch. 84:
"Stubb whistlingly gathers up the coil of the warp in one hand..." This chapter shows us just how calm and collected a whaleman can be when he is preparing for his role in catching the whale. Stubb seems to be completely undisturbed by the fact that his boat is being dragged quickly through the water by the whale. He is standing calmly at the head of the boat being drenched by foam and his mind is completely on his task.

ch. 85:
We are shown, in this chapter, another tactic that can be used to catch a sperm whale. Ishmael tells us that the whale has to take his full "seventy breaths" before he can return all the way back to the bottom of the ocean. He tells us that if the whale is scared before it gets all of its breaths, it has to keep coming up until it gets all of them. This could be a foreshadow that the whale men on the Pequod might try to use this tactic to catch Moby Dick.

Moby-Dick 78-81

ch. 78:
In this chapter, when Tashtego is on top of the whale's head, he is compared to a Turkish Muezzin calling people to prayer. This comparison reinforces the theme of whaling as a religion. It could be interpreted that whaling is the true religion to these men because many of them give up their actual religions to go whaling. They still keep some of the customs that they have, but they still choose to devote their lives to whaling.

ch. 79:
This chapter also reinforces the theme of whaling as a religion when it compares the sperm whale to a god. Possibly whaling could be interpreted as a religion that follows the devil because the whales that the whalers try so hard to catch never want to be caught and the true "god" of this religion, Moby Dick, only causes destruction when the whalers get close enough to capture him.

ch. 80:
It is ironic in this chapter to find out how small a whale's brain is ("ten inches in length and as many in depth") when it has been compared to Plato, a philosopher, so many times. You would think that the whale would have a brain of a bigger size considering its seeming smartness and also the size of the whale. You would think that it would take a bigger brain to even be able to control all the large aspects of the whale's body.

ch. 81:
When it mentions in this chapter that "it is not customary for such venerable leviathans to be at all social" you could compare the older solitary whales with Ahab. The old whales choose to isolate themselves from the crowd and whatever socialization that they do do with the others of their kind is only for their own personal gain.

Moby-Dick 74-77

ch. 74:
This chapter talks a lot about how the sperm whale's eyes are on the side of its head so it can't see directly in front of itself or directly behind itself. This could be a foreshadow to someone figuring out that when they are in the water they can be in just the right position and harpoon the whale without it knowing what is coming, or it could be a foreshadow that the sperm whale will run into one of the boats because it can't see it.

ch. 75:
The end of this chapter compares the sperm whale to a Platonian (Plato the philosopher) which could suggest that the sperm whale has an unusual amount of intelligence for a whale. Since Moby Dick is a sperm whale this reference to Plato could reflect the smartness that the whale seems to show in always getting away.

ch. 76:
In this chapter, Ishmael talks about how the whale's head is made perfectly for ramming things. The features of its head are arranged and they have a hard enough head that they won't be hurt even if they ran into a ship. This could be a foreshadow to a whale hitting the Pequod and possibly causing some major damage.

ch. 77:
The Heidelberg tun in this chapter could represent the whaling industry. Like the tun, there is a lot of money in whaling, but it is a very dangerous (and possibly fatal) thing to do. The spermaceti that is leaked from the tun could be a symbol of the leaking away of men's lives while they are on a whaling ship.