England In 1819 Essay, Research Paper
Great poetry is great not because of what it says but because of how it
is phrased. Few poems say anything that is very profound; instead, the best
of them use language in novel, memorable, and effective ways. Certainly this
is true of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous sonnet “England in 1819.” In this
poem Shelley describes the depressing, dark, and dirty state of affairs
caused in Britain by political, social, and spiritual corruption. However,
this poem would not be nearly as effective if it were not for Shelley’s
powerful use of such classic rhetorical devices as adjectives, alliteration,
assonance, imagery, irony, lists, themes, and verbs.
One device that Shelley employs very potently is the use of
adjectives. The sonnet is full of vivid descriptive words. Such words
include “old,” “mad,” “blind,” “despised,” “dying” (l. 1), “dull” (l. 2),
“muddy” (l. 3), “leech-like” (l. 5), “Golden,” “sanguine” (l. 10),
“Christless,” “Godless” (l. 11), “glorious” (l. 13) and “tempestuous” (l.14).
All these adjectives are obviously strong, memorable, and effective.
A second technique that Shelley utilizes quite skillfully is
alliteration. The poem is filled with the repetition of consonant sounds.
For example, alliteration is apparent in such words as “despised and dying”
(l. 1), “dregs” and “dull” (l. 2), “mud” and “muddy” (l. 3), “blind,”
“blood,” and “blow” (l. 6), and “starved and stabbed” (l. 7). Shelley’s use
of this kind of emphasis on consonants makes his phrasing linger in one’s
ears.
A third tactic that Shelley uses very strongly is the use of assonance.
The poem includes several repetitions of vowel sound in stressed syllables.
Examples of such assonance include “blind, despised, and dying” (l. 1);
“see,” “feel,” and
“leechlike” (ll. 4-5); “mud” and “muddy” (l. 3); “graves” and “may” (l. 13).
Such use of assonance gives the poem rhythm and makes it more beautiful.
[VERY NICE]
A fourth device that Shelley makes use of is imagery. The poem is full of
such description and figureS of speech. Shelley uses many violent images,
such as the “leechlike” (l. 5) image of a king who sucks the blood out of his
countrymen. The king is “blind in blood” (l. 6), the blood of his own people.
If it was not enough that the king sucks the blood out of his countrymen, BUT
he also HAS “starved and stabbed” (l. 7) them. All these images function
together to describe a horrible king who ignores the needs of his people and
sends them out to fight his war. [VERY GOOD]
A fifth method that Shelley brings to bear is irony. The poem is very
negative, and the whole atmosphere implies that the king would lead his
country to total ruin. The irony in the poem is that the destruction of
England leads to a new beginning with hope. Shelley ends his poem by saying
that “Time’s worst statute, unrepealed/ Are graves from which a glorious
Phantom may/ Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day” (ll. 12-14). The
positive idea of a new beginning is ironic because it is in such sharp
contrast to the death and destruction presented earlier in the poem. [VERY
GOOD]
A sixth strategy that Shelley brings his attention to is listing. Already
in the first line, five adjectives are listed to describe the king. To
describe the king as “old, mad, blind, despised, and dying” (l. 1) is much
stronger and more effective than describing him with only one adjective.
Another example of listing is the description of the rulers as unable to
“neither see nor feel” (l. 4). This use of listing effectively shows the
rulers’ lack of ability to understand their own people. [VERY GOOD]
A seventh tool that Shelley exploits is repetition. For example, the
theme of blindness is repeated three times. In the first line the king is
described as “blind” (l. 1). Then, in the fourth line the “rulers” are unable
to “see” (l. 4). Finally, in the sixth line the people have become “blind in
blood” (l. 6). This repetition puts an emphasis on the lack of ability to
sense what is going on, and it makes the poem more memorable and effective.
[VERY FINE]
An eighth instrument that Shelley brings his sensitivity to is theme. The
basic idea Shelley tries to communicate is the terrible state of England in
1819. According to this poem, the blindness of the king and the rulers is the
reason why England is headed toward death and darkness. This is {done} POINT
IS MADE through the theme of blindness represented by words and phrases like
“blind” (l. 1), and “neither see” (l. 4). Another theme that clarifies the
terrible situation is death[,] represented by words and phrases like “dying”
(l. 1), “drop” (l. 6), “starved and stabbed” (l. 7). The darkness of theme
represented by blindness and death through almost the whole poem is
contrasted in the end by light and optimism. This optimism is stated in the
last two lines where it is pointed out that from the “graves [] [?] a
glorious Phantom may burst, to illumine our tempestuous day” (ll. 13-14).
[STILL STRONG]
A ninth {trick} TECHNIQUE that Shelley uses is verbs. Because verbs are
words that describe actions or states of being, they are effective to
describe how bad the situation was in England in 1819. In this poem verbs
like “drop” (l. 6), “starved” (l. 7), “stabbed” (l. 7), “tempt” (l. 10),
“slay” (l. 10), “burst” (l. 14), and “illumine” (l. 14) are used to describe
the terrible situation the country was in. Because verbs are stronger and
clearer than adjectives, they make the poem more effective. The choice of
depressing verbs gives the intended dark atmosphere of the setting.
In this poem Shelley uses rhetorical devices such as adjectives,
alliteration, assonance, imagery, irony, listing, repetition, theme, and verb
to make his poem memorable and effective. These rhetorical devices make the
poem memorable and effective. It is through such techniques that a good poet
like Shelley makes his poem powerful. “England in 1918″ is a superb example
of how it is possible to express one’s views effectively through a poem. The
reason the poem is effective is not because of what it says but because of
how it is phrased.