Vaughan - The Retreat analysis
I had said that Vaughan is being introspective in this poem. I see ‘THE RETREAT’ as an expression of a longing for a temporal retreat to a time of childhood innocence. I especially like lines 15 – 20. He’s saying that as a child he did not have the knowledge or influence to sin but really felt god’s spirit. The second stanza i find to be very interesting, because in the first he is talking about this temporal retreat, but in the second stanza he is talking about physical movement. “travel” “tread… ancient trak” “train” “forward motion” “backward steps”. While he is using physical elements, I still think that he is talking about a retreat back in time so he can reunite with a more spiritual path in life.
Mr Lazarow mentioned that Vaughan was in the tradition of mystic correspondence which searches for loops in history, and the last two lines of the poem show this cyclic nature of Dust to Dust. .
At the end of the class we were talking about the ‘second race’ in line 4. I think he could be referring to heaven, but more likely I think he is referring to his life on earth. I think it is Christian doctrine to believe that the soul existed before its encasement into flesh and will continue to exist after.
Q: any reason why Vaghan makes the first words of his poems all CAPS?!
- Carolyn
Mr Lazarow mentioned that Vaughan was in the tradition of mystic correspondence which searches for loops in history, and the last two lines of the poem show this cyclic nature of Dust to Dust. .
At the end of the class we were talking about the ‘second race’ in line 4. I think he could be referring to heaven, but more likely I think he is referring to his life on earth. I think it is Christian doctrine to believe that the soul existed before its encasement into flesh and will continue to exist after.
Q: any reason why Vaghan makes the first words of his poems all CAPS?!
- Carolyn
Labels: The Retreat, Vaughan
posted by L Lazarow | 4:00 PM
4 Comments:
To support what Carolyn said, about the childhood idea, he also says in the 2nd line in my angel-infancy. This use of "angel" is reflective of the idea that infants are completely innocent, having no sense of right or wrong, they are pure. I also believe the dust to dust idea has biblical reference to the creation of man?
As for the second race, he may be referring to life inside the womb versus life outside, as he changes from simply fetus to human being through birth. His first race was ending at birth while his second ends at death, perhaps.
This also could have the idea of rebirth or reincarnation, pending on Vaughan's religious beliefs.
In keeping with Vaughan, I have an analysis and a few questions on "Man."
I understand Vaughan's saying that nature is simple and man complicates life in a way. And his conclusion is that because of all the "un-natural" things in the life of Man, nature ("stones" in 4, l. 2) is closer to God; and man is separate from the rest of nature in that respect.
I think the theme is the transience of humanity and the permanence of nature.
Questions:
He refers to birds as "watchful clocks." Does this mean that nature is what judges Man?
(ie. as an extension of God but not the actual God)
In the second stanza, he says "I would . . . my God would give / The staidness of these things to man" as if he wishes he could be either part of nature or as constant (and close to God) as it (or both). But his seems contrary to the concluding lines, in which he seems to glorify Man's unique responsibility of "motion."
I think the idea isn't so much that infants understand or have a connection with God...
It is the idea that they haven't been able to sin yet and so they are more pure.. so it isn't by their actions, choices, etc. that they are the ones closest to God.
I kind of got the idea that not only would the narrator want to return to childhood to be closer to God but to also return to a simpler life.
To Ruby's comment, I thought that we're all fallen from birth, because it's the sin of all mankind and there's nothing we can do about it. So living out your life doesn't make you more susceptible to the fall specifically, but just sins in general. So going along with the infants understanding God, do they understand that they have to repent for something they didn't do and if they're already fallen how come they're so much closer to God than the rest of us?
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