Reading Literature Is a Challenge Both for the Learner and the Reader - Case Study Example

Shakespeare Sonnets and Donald Hall Poems English literature is like a vast treasure in which countless pearls and jewels have been veiled. Many writers, poets, and critics from different countries, different culture and different religions have filled and yet filling this treasure with their extraordinary literary work. Reading and studying literature from different aspect is a challenge both for the learner and the reader. One has an immense scope to do several experiments while studying literature. Here in this essay I have tried to do one such experiment of studying the two genius literary doyens who belong to quite different era. One is William Shakespeare, the one and only who earned a lot of praise, appreciation from the whole world. He influenced the scholars and writers in different areas like culture, art, theatre, and film. He is the precious diamond of English literature who can hardly be compared to anybody. Another literary scholar we are going to study is Donald Hall. He is considered to be one of the greatest living poets of America. Donald commenced his career as a poet early in his life with the introduction of his poetry collection, ‘Exile and Marriages.’ He started gaining reputation in the literary world. Hall’s poetry became famous and popular for his simplicity, clarity, and integrity. The subjects of the poetry of Donald Hall are loss, solitude, nature, Donald Hall no doubt is a very talented poet and the prizes and awards he achieved for his poetic work are the witness of this genius. In 1986 he won the Lenore Marshall/Nation Prize for his collection The Happy Man. Also he bagged the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry for The One Day in 1988. The critics of Donald Hall have compared his work with Robert Bly, James Wright, and James Dickey. Like them he uses a very simple and direct language. While talking about what poem really is Donald says, “A poem is human inside talking to human inside. It may also be reasonable person talking to reasonable person but if it is not inside talking to inside, it is not a poem. This inside speaks through the second language of poetry, the unintended language. Sometimes, as in surrealism, the second language is the only language.” (pg. 142, Claims for Poetry by Donald Hall) One more important characteristic of his language is that he uses the surrealistic images. Sometimes Donald seems to be under the influence of William Shakespeare. Of course the era of both of these poets is totally different. One belongs to the Elizabethan Era while the other belongs to quite modern era that is the recent period. Both of these geniuses represent the different society with some close connections i.e. England and America. But some aspects are there between both of these poets which compel anybody to build strong relationship between these two poets. Here we are going to analyze these two poets with the help of one poem of each of them. One is the sonnet 30 of Shakespeare and Donald’s poem called ‘Affirmation.’ Keywords: Donald Hall and Shakespeare, era, relationship, sonnet 30 and Affirmation. Introduction: Shakespeare’s sonnets were composed between 1593 and 1601. There are total 154 sonnets written by Shakespeare. Among them novel 1 to 126 addressed to a beloved friend, a handsome and noble young man and sonnets 127 to 152 addressed to a dark lady. Donald Hall is a modern poet. One major similarity between Donald Hall and Shakespeare is that both are poets as well as dramatists also. Like Shakespeare Donald has written many poems as well as dramas. Both are highly acclaimed for their genius literary work and both have given a new resuscitation to the literary world. Of course Shakespeare’s acclaim is world wide and without him the English literature can never be completed. And in such situation also he achieved a great success. While considering these two great poets we will study their poetic style from different perspectives like love, time, intensity of expression and poetic structure. Lament on nostalgia: Both of these poems are a tribute to their dear friends who are their beloved. It is a male/male relationship. The sonnet is the address to the young male lover. In this context Joel Fineman says “Thus the young man is “‘fair’, ‘kind’, and ‘true.’” And the sonnets addressed to the young man regularly invoke visual imagery of identificatory likeness when they characterize their poet’s desire for the young man.” (Shakespeare’s Sonnets : Critical Essays by By James Schiffer) In Sonnet 30 when the chain of thoughts started in his mind and the flashback of the past life stands before the vision of the poet. He starts thinking about the past which makes the poet lament for many things in the past which he could not achieve. Though the poet is not used to crying he starts to cry. The poet is lamenting on the death of his dear friend who might be his beloved. He laments for all those memories which are associated with his beloved. This is the lament on nostalgia. The poet has lost many things that has been seen and loved. This friend is so much precious for him, precious than the sum of many things in his life. While reading the sonnet we realize how the poet is dependent upon his lover for spiritual, mental and emotional support. Shakespeare here uses a very fine alliteration on several lines to enhance the grain and the rhythm of the sonnet. Same concept of sad demise is there in Donald’s ‘Affirmation.’ Here he is lamenting for his dead wife, and is very nostalgic about the memories which are associated with his wife. Like Shakespeare, Donald is lamenting on the premature death of his wife who left him forever at her past middle age. Here the poet is preparing him mind for the bitter truth of the life that everything is temporary in this world and subject to end. He is very nostalgic about the sweet memory of his companionship with his wife. Old Age concept The concept of old age and death which is used by Shakespeare is propounded by Donald in this poem. He states the same thought of losing something in the course of time. Here Donald says, “To grow old is to lose something.” Like Shakespeare he here retorts that old age is the symbol of the loss e.g. loss of sweet memories, loss of love, and loss of worldly pleasure. But we are not much aware of the predicament of old age when we are young. We look the old age with lack of concern and we thus abstain from the harsh reality of the old age which we one day have to face. “Even when we are young, we glimpse it sometimes, and nod our heads when a grandfather dies.” We are totally ignorant about the old age when we are intoxicated by the young age. But this intoxication slowly disappears when we grow old day by day and face with many experiences of the growing age. Mortality and immortality of love As far as love is concerned many poets has put forward one common idea that though physical appearance is temporary love is immortal which stay forever in the memories of the lover and of course in the minds of the readers also. Shakespeare died centuries ago but his love theme has the same impact and popular everywhere. His love theme will remain through his poetry till the end of this universe. The lover is there in the memories of the narrators of both poems. Sonnet 30 comprises of a sad note. Even if this poem is sad note of losing something it becomes somewhat optimistic at the end that it is very good to have the experience of temporary things. We have to accept the truth that the companion is temporary but she is there in the poets mind forever and that will remain until his death. Here the poet has retorted indirectly that love is forever and does not die with the body. He has adopted the same idea of Shakespeare that the love always exists in the memory of the lover and has nothing to do with the physical existence of the companion. This Shakespearian concept is put forward by Donald in his poem when he says, “The pretty lover who announces that she is temporary is temporary.” (Quote from the poem ‘Affirmation) The Style Donald Hall also seems to have adopted the simplicity in style and naturalness in his imagery like Shakespeare. Like Shakespeare Donald Hall is such a great poet who compelled the people to love the poetry even if anybody has lost the interest in poetry he has brought back the interest of the readers. Affirmation is the poem of unfulfilled marriage. It was like a dream which disappeared when the poet has to face the reality and that is his wife has died. When the poet says, “But a marriage that began without harm, scatters into debris on the shore,” Here the poet compares the marriage with some fragile thing or it is like a beautiful sculpture which has shattered into innumerable pieces. The poet intensifies his sorrow of separation from his lover in such a way Shakespeare has done in sonnet 30 when he says, “For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night.” (Sonnet 30, line6) One such image is used to describe the particular life span when the poet says, “ then we row for years on the midsummer pond, ignorant and content. Here midsummer pond is an imagery which is associated with the middle age. Love is a continuing procedure according to Donald Hall. Just the person changes and we experience the same love with some another person but yet everything is temporary. The style of recalling a past memory through beautiful verses is the style of Shakespeare which we find in the poem of Donald Hall. The situation seems to be the same one Donald in his poem is trying to cherish the past memories. There is the grief which reflects in Affirmation. But when we read the sonnet 30, we realize that there is the grief in this sonnet which is accompanied by a vision of the feeling of committing many mistakes. It is a review of the mistakes which is committed in the past life. Shakespeare has been praised for his profound meditation on the nature of love, sexual passion, procreation, death and time. When we read Donald Hall’s poetry we feel the same nature with his poetry also. Like Shakespeare Donald has also referred the time in his poem by depicting the past memories. Donald Hall in “affirmation,” has described his multiple love affairs when he says, “our wife will die at her strongest and most beautiful. New women come and go. All go. The pretty lover who announces that she is temporary is temporary.” Death concept The concept of death finds in Affirmation which is used in Shakespeare’s sonnet -30. The narrators of both of the poem depict their sad memories of their dead lovers. Here though Shakespeare is lamenting for his close friend perhaps his lover (A young and noble Earl of Southampton) who was very close to him. How the poet has been depressed by the death of his most endearing person. Donald is lamenting on the loss of his wife who died because of leukemia. Donald here has been influenced by the intensity which has come in Sonnet – 30 and we feel the same intensity in Affirmation. While describing the death and mortality Donald seems to be under the influence of Shakespeare. Both “Affirmation” and Sonnet 30 are the tribute to the people who are closest the poets. i.e. in “Affirmation,” it is Donald’s wife while in Sonnet 30 it is the closest friend of the poet. In Affirmation Donald has expressed his deep anxiety, depression and his emotional and spiritual loneliness. After the death of his wife many women came in his life but still something is missing from his life and that is the emotional support and mental security which he was gaining from his wife. The same anxiety and depression we find in sonnet 30. The death of the dear friend of Shakespeare has made a hollowness and emptiness in the life of Shakespeare. The influence on Donald Hall by Shakespeare’s sonnets – Cause As we study how Donald poem “Affirmation” seems to be under the style of Shakespearean sonnets. As far as structure, meters are concerned it is different but the emotional and expression point of view there is close resemblance between these two poems. The reason for this is that both of these poets are going through the same predicament, same situation. Donald Hall has lost his wife and so grief of the death of his wife is depicted in “Affirmation.” The whole poem seems to be haunted by the memory of his dead wife. The same situation we can see in Shakespearean sonnet 30 where his close and dearest friend is dead and the sad note of his death is spread everywhere. Like Shakespeare Donald Hall also is going through the same phase. This predicament has compelled Donald to write his feelings in Shakespearean style. The person who is most dear to you has gone far away from you forever. The two writers are experiencing the same grief. And this is the reason why Donald might be impressed with the idea of Shakespeare to depict the whole biography of life within a very short frame of poetry. Conclusion It is the skill of Shakespeare to depict the whole life within the very short framework of the sonnets which comprises of just 14 lines. In just 14 lines Shakespeare has been successful in telling the philosophy of the entire life. The same attempt Donald has achieved while composing the poetry. Within the framework of just 25 poetic verses he has depicted the reality of life that is the temporary human relationship, the philosophy of life which we realize at the end of life that is in old age. Sources: 1. Sonnet 30 – William Shakespeare 2. Affirmation - A poem by Donald Hall 3. Claims for Poetry - By Donald Hall 4. Shakespeare’s Sonnets : Critical Essays by By James Schiffer 5. Read More