Critical Appreciation of ‘an Elegy written in a country churchyard’ – Thomas Gray

Introduction

Thomas Gray’s elegy is among the best written elegy poems. It was published in 1751. Elegy is a poem which laments death of a person. But here poet is not lamenting on any specific person instead chose common folks like villagers and laments their death. It was due to this poem that Gray is listed among graveyard poets. Gray was precursor of romanticism. Hence this poem reflects elements of both classicism and romanticism.

Central Idea

Poet has focused on the death of villagers who couldn’t able to achieve much in life due to lack of opportunities to them. They died in isolation living in villages throughout their Life. Poverty was major reason for lack of opportunities. Hence while perceiving their graves poet wants that these people should also be respected despite their simple rustic graves. They should not be mocked for their simplicity by rich and ambitious people.

Themes

1. Death is inevitable – Writer took common folks of the society as subject matter and explained that death comes to everyone. He writes that these people who used to work at fields and in jocund manner ‘drive their team afield’, harvest their crops through sickle and who were waited at home by their wives and children are slept permanently and not going to do those works anymore. For them now ‘no more blazing hearth shall burn’ at home as their wives know they won’t come. Neither their children will run for kiss of their father. Gray further writes that those people who had lived with grandeur and had power should not mock these simple people as death is inevitable-

“The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow’r,

 And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave,

 Awaits alike th’ inevitable hour.

The paths of glory lead but to the grave.”

2. Class division in society – Poem shows division on the basis of class in the society. Poet first explains simple life of common folks of the society and then attitude of higher strata towards such people is indicated. Poem talks about inequality on the basis of class in the society which is exhibited by graves. Common village poor people have simple graves with no extravagant trophies over them. Poet writes –

“Nor you, ye proud, impute to these the fault,

If Mem’ry o’er their tomb no trophies raise”

Gray bring forth attitude of superior class people who mocks at the lives of such simple folks. These common people’s lives go unnoticed and they didn’t get enough chances and resources to show their talent. But then the inequality and every other distinction in the world is brought on the same pedestal by death.

3. Poverty robs opportunities – Poem also highlights how poverty of the people robs them of various opportunities in the life. Poet says –

“But Knowledge to their eyes her ample page

Rich with the spoils of time did ne’er unroll;

Chill Penury repress’d their noble rage,

And froze the genial current of the soul.”

These people could have been anything in the world. Their might have been talent of ‘Milton’, ‘Hampden’ or ‘Cromwell’ hidden their but it went unrevealed due to poverty and lack of resources.

Figure of Speech

1. Transferred Epithet – ‘weary way’ and ‘drowsy tinkling’ has transferred Epithet.
2. Personification- ‘moping owl does to the moon complain’ has personified both owl and the Moon. Later on Death is personified in the poem at several points.
3. Metaphor- ‘Narrow cell’ for graves.
4. Synecdoche- ‘let not Ambition mock’ and ‘Nor Grandeur hear’ have used synecdoche as Ambition is an abstract for concrete ambitious persons and grandeur for rich people.
5. Oxymoron- The line ‘This pleasing anxious being ever resigned’ has oxymoron as two opposite words ‘pleasing anxious’ are used together.
6. Alliteration- ‘Haply some hoary-headed’ has repetition of /h/ consonant sound and ‘longing lingering look behind’ has repetition of /L/ consonant sound. There are lot of other examples of alliteration in the poem too.
7. Consonance – ‘Longing Lingering’ has consonance too as after /L/ consonant sound at the starting of words there is change of vowel sound.

Elements of Nature

The first three stanzas have beautiful description of nature. The scene of evening and activities happening during that time of the day is described aptly. Wind blowing slowly, glimmering landscape, droning beetles, lowing cattle, moping owl etc. showed how widely poet has covered nature and activities happen during evening in countryside.

Common Man’s Poem

Poem ponders over death which is a very common subject to everybody. Along with it, it talks about the common rustic folks of villages whose lives went unnoticed.

Structure and Rhyme Scheme

Poem is divided into quatrains i.e. stanza of 4 lines. It has rhyme scheme of ABAB. So we can say that it has Heroic quatrain.

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