Byron uses allusion in this poem to create a sense of place and to generate an understanding of whose side God is on in the battle. He references "the blue waves" in "deep Galilee," which the reader would understand as a reference to the Galilee where Jesus was born. The Biblical allusions continue in the third stanza when the poet describes how "the Angel of Death . . . breathed in the face of the foe," a striking image which suggests that the "foes" are subjected to the power of God acting upon them.
The final stanza demonstrates the most consistent use of allusion, with the poet referencing several notable "heathen" cultures from the Old Testament who suffer at the hands of God (whom they disavowed): the worshippers of Baal and the Gentiles (non-Jews, people who were not the promised children of God) were "melted like snow" in the eyes of God, who did not smile upon them. The widows of Ashur, also, are set wailing in pain. Ashur was an East Semitic god, another opponent of the Lord whose power is clearly nothing compared to his.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
How does the poet use allusion in this poem?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Why is the fact that the Americans are helping the Russians important?
In the late author Tom Clancy’s first novel, The Hunt for Red October, the assistance rendered to the Russians by the United States is impor...
-
There are a plethora of rules that Jonas and the other citizens must follow. Again, page numbers will vary given the edition of the book tha...
-
The only example of simile in "The Lottery"—and a particularly weak one at that—is when Mrs. Hutchinson taps Mrs. Delacroix on the...
-
A good thesis statement presents a claim (an interpretive stance on a story that can be defended using textual evidence) and is a position w...
-
The given two points of the exponential function are (2,24) and (3,144). To determine the exponential function y=ab^x plug-in the given x an...
-
What does the hot air balloon symbolize? To the Assad son who buys the hot air balloon, it symbolizes a kind of whimsy that he can afford. B...
-
The play Duchess of Malfi is named after the character and real life historical tragic figure of Duchess of Malfi who was the regent of the ...
-
Allie’s baseball mitt is extremely important to Holden in The Catcher in the Rye. It is a symbol of Allie since it was important to his brot...
No comments:
Post a Comment