Comment 1 of 1, added on September 14th, 2005 at 7:18 AM.
I am no critic, or authority on Browning. I am simply a college student. I feel that This poem as a whole is much more philosophical than most poeple today are used to. This poem opens with Blougram talking with a critic, someone who was an "unbeliever" to his faith. He is criticized, we come to find, for his lack of passion. To the critic, whose religion is his passion, whose religion appears to be that he has the ability , and acts upon it, to live a life that is controlled by his passions, by true art, and not fettered by the constraints of religion, which is narrow minded and cold, in comparison to the passion that the victorian, and previously, the romantic period, were defined by.
The bishop begins by pointing some of these things out to the critic, Gigadibs (G- from here on out.)
"A simile!"
Here begins the bishop to defend himself; he gives a simile: he shows life as a voyage. this is where the philosophical aspect rerally kicks in. He uses imagery and supposition to make his points. Nothing here is real, just a way of looking at things. Life is a voyage, and we must take things to get us through this journey. The cynical journalist, G-, being the man of passion who only appreciates things of true bueatu, would take things like literature, art, creature comforts such as marble baths and such. These are extremely impractical on a journey, and the captain would not permit any of these things aboard his ship. So, in a sense, these things would be of no use to him, were he allowed to keep it. someone like the bishop would take practical things for life, things that are seaworthy and would be allowed on the ship. He then shows two friends readying for the voyage, checking each others list for unnecessary items. What he is attempting t do is start off on eevn footing with G-. He tosses faith aside because G- thinks it useless for the voyage. He tosses theology aside for G- as well. The problem he notes with this is when G- thinks he is secure in his "unbelief", something like death comes along and shakes his "faith" in his "unbelief".
Next is the analogy of life to sleep. The bishop says his is a waking life. He says he lives, and when night comes, because night, and darkness, and dreams do exist, that he sleeps, and dreams, yes; but to what point? So that he may rest and be about his life, which is in the day. G-, however, lives the entire day that he may sleep, and dream at night. a great line fromthis is "and so you live to sleep as I to wake,
To unbelieve as I to still believe?" He goes on to say that whatever path one may choose, faith, or unfaith, the world watches to see how much that person believes in his/her conviction. So long as were consistent, is the key thing, according to blougram. well, must go to class now. I'll finish up later
stephen from
Brazil
Copyright © 2003-2008 Gunnar Bengtsson, Poetry Connection. All Rights Reserved.
I am no critic, or authority on Browning. I am simply a college student. I feel that This poem as a whole is much more philosophical than most poeple today are used to. This poem opens with Blougram talking with a critic, someone who was an "unbeliever" to his faith. He is criticized, we come to find, for his lack of passion. To the critic, whose religion is his passion, whose religion appears to be that he has the ability , and acts upon it, to live a life that is controlled by his passions, by true art, and not fettered by the constraints of religion, which is narrow minded and cold, in comparison to the passion that the victorian, and previously, the romantic period, were defined by.
The bishop begins by pointing some of these things out to the critic, Gigadibs (G- from here on out.)
"A simile!"
Here begins the bishop to defend himself; he gives a simile: he shows life as a voyage. this is where the philosophical aspect rerally kicks in. He uses imagery and supposition to make his points. Nothing here is real, just a way of looking at things. Life is a voyage, and we must take things to get us through this journey. The cynical journalist, G-, being the man of passion who only appreciates things of true bueatu, would take things like literature, art, creature comforts such as marble baths and such. These are extremely impractical on a journey, and the captain would not permit any of these things aboard his ship. So, in a sense, these things would be of no use to him, were he allowed to keep it. someone like the bishop would take practical things for life, things that are seaworthy and would be allowed on the ship. He then shows two friends readying for the voyage, checking each others list for unnecessary items. What he is attempting t do is start off on eevn footing with G-. He tosses faith aside because G- thinks it useless for the voyage. He tosses theology aside for G- as well. The problem he notes with this is when G- thinks he is secure in his "unbelief", something like death comes along and shakes his "faith" in his "unbelief".
Next is the analogy of life to sleep. The bishop says his is a waking life. He says he lives, and when night comes, because night, and darkness, and dreams do exist, that he sleeps, and dreams, yes; but to what point? So that he may rest and be about his life, which is in the day. G-, however, lives the entire day that he may sleep, and dream at night. a great line fromthis is "and so you live to sleep as I to wake,
To unbelieve as I to still believe?" He goes on to say that whatever path one may choose, faith, or unfaith, the world watches to see how much that person believes in his/her conviction. So long as were consistent, is the key thing, according to blougram. well, must go to class now. I'll finish up later
stephen from Brazil