Essay/Term paper: Easter wings
Essay, term paper, research paper: Cliff Notes
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The poem "Easter Wings" by George Herbert is a poem full
of deep imagery not only in its words but also in the visual
structure of the stanzas. In Herbert"s poem why does he use
a shape poem? Because he wanted this poem to have many
different levels and meanings. Herbert also used huge
amounts of mental imagery so that the reader can find new
truths and meanings each time he or she reads it. The poem
tells of the poets desire to fly with Christ as a result of Jesus'
sacrifice, death and resurrection. The argument as to the
proper presentation of this poem is easily explained with the
help of the poet's address to the "Lord" in the opening line of
the first page in the original text. Because this poem is
actually a work within a work with many hidden meanings
and suggestions. To fully understand it all, one must examine
the poem as a whole in greater detail. The poet is the
obvious speaker in the poem due to the common use of "I"
and "me" through out the poem. The audience is also
revealed in the first line of the 1634 edition of the poem with
the use of the word "Lord"; meaning the Christian Savior,
Jesus Christ who rose from the dead. But there is question
as to where the poem truly begins. This is due to the splitting
of the poem onto two separate pages, and then turned ninety
degrees so it must be read sideways. This is done on
purpose to invoke the vision of wings on both pages. This
fact must be considered when evaluating where it begins and
whether it is in fact two poems instead of one larger one.
"Lord, who createth man in wealth and store" is the
beginning of this poem, helping to immediately establish the
audience in the first word. As well, this fact help to reveal
that this poem is also a prayer of Herbert"s. The appropriate
layout of the poem is still the "winged" look necessary for the
full impact of the imagery. It is the imagery in this poem that
deserves special notice as it gives a much deeper
understanding of what Herbert is saying. The first stanza
shows the fall of man from the "wealth" that is in God's
holiness into the "decaying" life of a sinful nature:
"Lord, who createst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more
Till he became
Most poor:"
As the stanza's lines "decays" in length, the imagery goes
from good to bleak finally ending with the eventual poorness
of mankind. In the first line where it shows how man was
born into abundance with full potential. Yet somehow
managed to abuse this potential in habitual sin and so abuse
the gift that God had bestowed upon us. As one reads the
first stanza, one feels it dwindle and wither away into
nothingness; this verse does, indeed, decrease both in
emotion and context. At first reading this poem you may not
see the complex correlation between the shape and the
actual meaning of the poem. Herbert intended this in his
poem probably to attach a reader to his poem to find the
true meaning as to why this poem was in this shape and has
lines large in size and then they decline. But then the emotion
in the poem picks up steam again in the next stanza and
gains the size and exact structure the first stanza but in
opposite order, from small to large. The second stanza of
the poem is turning in emotion and finishing with the poet
taking "flight" and completing the second wing:
"With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me."
This stanza is rich in imagery. It seems like this stanza "beats
its wing" against the decline of the first stanza, showing how
the "fall" of man "furthered the flight" in Herbert as it paved
the way for the crucifixion of Jesus. It was this action which
redeemed man so they could have fellowship with God
again. While in the first stanza you see Herbert using he and
the word man, where as in the second stanza the poem
becomes more personal to Herbert when he uses me. This
part of the poem could be meant as the personal prayer to
god thanking him for the death of his son and our salvation .
Also of note is the use of "larks, harmoniously" to give a
beautiful, resonate feel to the poem; opposite to that of
words like "decaying" and "most poor" used in the first
stanza. The first three lines of the second stanza, "With thee/
O let me rise/ As larks, harmoniously" tells us Herbert wants
to be with Jesus in the air during the resurrection. the word
harmoniously suggests there is more than one voice singing.
Since harmonies are known to work in three's, this would
support the Christian view of the Trinity, saying that Herbert
would like to rise "as larks"; the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. The second page of the poem is very much the
same as the first. Some would suggest that it is a separate
poem all together, but when noticing that the voice and
audience carry over from the first page it is easier to
understand that the poem is just continuing. As the first
stanza spoke of the "fall" of man into sin, the third stanza
becomes more personal to the poet as the turn was made
back in the overall attitude in the second stanza:
"My tender age in sorrow did beginne:
And still with sicknesses and shame
Though didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne."
Once again, this stanza decreases every line like that of the
first. The first line tells of Herbert's sorrowful beginning and
the continues with giving the reader the understanding that
Herbert was not free of the punishment of sin as he became
"most thinne". It is this ending that gives the reader the sense
of a partial end; a loss of purity. Herbert illustrates this
depletion in human character visually. Ideally, our virtues and
wisdom should grow with age; Herbert is somber in
exclaiming that this is not necessarily the case. With the
passage of time, the poet expresses that his only gain was
that of guilt and compounded sin. To witness sin, perchance,
is a sin in itself, thereby making it impossible to live a life of
isolated purity. again the poet picks up from where he left off
and begins the next stanza with words of rejuvenation.
However, this stanza adds an element of connection:
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel this day thy victorie;
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me."
Again, Herbert turns to his Lord so he can be a part of the
victory. This time though, Herbert wants to "combine" with
Jesus, to be grafted on His wing. This, unlike the third
stanza, moves Herbert even closer to Jesus. This would
suggest he doesn't want to be only "with" Jesus but grafted
"onto" Jesus, thus a much closer relationship would result
between the two. One will notice that the first and third
stanzas seem to resist or go against that of the second and
fourth stanzas. I think Herbert did this appropriately to show
how the course of man's action (and not excluding Herbert
himself), led to the affliction and fall of man. It is this affliction
and fall which furthers Herbert's flight as it is the reason why
Jesus suffered, died and resurrected; to free man of the
chains of sin and death. This is where the resistance is seen.
It is difficult for one to see how negatives such as "affliction"
and "fall" could lead to glory but it is this resistance, much
like that of a wing beating against the resistance of gravity
and air, that furthers not only the flight of the poet but also
that of mankind. In other words, without man's falling into sin
there would have been no reason for Jesus to have suffered
and died on the cross. After careful examination of Herbert's
poem, one can see the winged imagery throughout, and
understand why Herbert used such shape and imagery.
Herbert wanted to show people of his time and from then on
many truths in one poem. Not only does the shape and
imagery have a great effect on the reader, but the emotional
swings and shifting play many "tricks" on the reader as we
go through Herbert"s poem. Also Herbert's original
presentation is most unusual and confronts the reader with
an awkward dilemma. In order to access the words of his
poem the book must be turned ninety degrees. This turning
of the book could be Herbert's way of changing our point of
view. If God's resurrection truly changed the world, as
Herbert believed, then he wanted even our reading habits to
reflect that difference. Furthermore, this physical act of
turning requires a decision. Since, biblically speaking, God
does not enter unless invited, our act of turning the book
reflects our freedom of choice and God's response is
initiated. that how man's decline because of sin was defeated
by the actions of the cross. So the point of Herbert"s work
"Easter Wings" May not actually be obtainable just with one
reading, or for that case many readings. But Herbert did
show us that using shape and imagery throughout his poem
that many different meanings and points can be made within
one poem. He also helped us to understand what he viewed
as right and wrong, he used imagery throughout his poem to
give us a sense into his life and his value system. In doing so
he gave the readers of his poems a chance to find all of the
truths and meanings in his poem. Lastly in Herbert"s poem
he wants us to be grateful of the gift that God has given to
us, by allowing his only son to die for the salvation of our
sins to make us washed clean with grace, it is this action
which allows all of mankind, and not just Herbert, to be
grafted into Jesus' wing to "further the flight" in us all.
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