18th Century Poetry in England and Religious Imagery Essay

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Religion was an important preoccupation for 18th century poets, and Christian symbolism, imagery, diction, and themes make their way into the poetry of this era. In many situations, the references to religion are as overt as a painting of Christ. Many poems dealing with religious imagery, themes, and iconography also deal with existential issues and in particular, death and mortality. For example, in "The Dying Christian to his Soul," Alexander Pope writes from the perspective of a dying man who begs God for release: "Vital spark of heav'nly flame! / Quit, O quite this mortal frame," (lines 1-2). This poem speaks to the Christian view on death being the gateway to the afterlife. In Isaac Watts' "Day of Judgment," the poet specifically mentions the "Lofty Judge," and his "flood of vengeance," referring to the Old Testament God (Stanza 6). The speaker in Watts' poem later urges the sinful to "arise to Jesus," in the Christian spirit of salvation through grace (Stanza 8). Christian doctrine is permeated with the theme of eternal life through faith in Christ, which is why some 18th century poets focused frequently on death as a vehicle for spiritual awakening. Dylan Thomas writes, "And death shall have no dominion," which perfectly parallels the Christian view on the ability to triumph over death through belief in Christ.

Some treatments of religion and death in 18th century poetry reflect the natural tendency toward doubt, disillusionment, and loss of faith.

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In a sonnet devoted to the massacre of Christians in Bulgaria, Oscar Wilde writes, "Christ, dost thou live indeed? or are thy bones / Still straightened in their rock-hewn sepulchre?" This poem testifies to the brutal power that religion has in politics and the geo-political order, as Wilde refers directly to the clashes between the Ottoman Empire as it encroached into Eastern Europe and the Christian European powers vying to maintain a balance of power in the region. "Over thy Cross the Crescent moon I see!" The Cross of course represents Christianity and the crescent moon, Islam. The speaker in Wilde's poem deplores the violence and asks the age-old question of why God would let bad things happen to innocent people.

Just as Wilde forms many of his concerns in the phrase of rhetorical questions, so too does William Blake in "The New Jerusalem." Here, the poet decries the state of political, economic, and social affairs in England and asks God to deliver justice to England's "green and pleasant land." The speaker is politically inspired, and asks whether the "Countenance Divine" is present in England and whether Jerusalem was "builded here / Among these dark Satanic mills." The way religion has become entrenched in English life is also evident in Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," in which the speaker refers to the same types of social, political, and economic injustices in England including "Luxury and.....

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