Comparative Essay: the Elegy

The numberss In Memoriam, by Alfred lord Tennyson and The Unknown Citizen, by W. H. Auden are opposite in their general approach and poetic structure and efficaciously leave different impressions on the commentator. Through Tennysons lyrical and expressive approach, In Memoriam draws our attention to the throe and acceptance of human loss. However, The Unknown Citizen, with its non-traditional poetic form and unusual perspective, makes us think about the slipway in which we define human importance in modern society. Each of the two poems uses different poetic devices to communicate their messages.Tennysons stanzas are written in quatrains following the rhyme pattern of ABBA. Each stanza resolves itself, make it un inborn for the reader to easily move on to the next verse. Through this construction the reader experiences Tennysons struggle to move on with life after the resolution of his loss. This resilience is embodied in the adaptation of the poem due to its great length as a compilation of 131 poems. In contrast, The Unknown Citizen follows a sporadic yet witty rhyme pattern throughout its brief 29 lines, including patterns such as ABAB, AA, BB, and ABBCCA which makes it less lyrical.The rhymes in this poem happen seamlessly yet do not distract the reader from the master(prenominal) informative focus of each line. Tennysons use of repetition and alliteration within stanzas in poems 8 and 115 communicate the somebodyal and emotional qualities of the poem He saddens, all the magic light Dies polish off at once from pergola and hall And the place is dark, and all The Chambers emptied of delight Now ring the woodland loud and long The distance takes a lovelier hue And drowned in yonder living blueness The Lark becomes a sightless song (Tennyson, 8, 115)As displayed in these verses, the mood of In Memoriam shifts from sadness early on in section 8 towards happiness much later in section 115. The repetition of the rule book all in relation to the abs ence of light and people in the common places like the bower (garden) and hallways, leaves the reader with an emptied qualitying and a sense of total loss. Later on, alliteration is used to emphasize manner of speaking with positive connotations such as loud long lovelier and living. The loud and long distances of the woodland now face vibrant and full of hope for the future.Through these lyrical verses, the reader enjoys the beauty in natures sights and sounds. In The Unknown Citizen, Auden uses a simpler more neutral approach omitting devices such as alliteration and repetition, which makes his requiem more of a report than an expressive or celebratory reflection like that of Tennysons. By Audens aboveboard approach, the reader immediately gets an understanding from the first two lines about who is reporting on the death and what was touch about the unknown citizen.There is no presentation or development of emotional themes associated with sadness He was build by the Bu reau of Statistics to be One against whom there was no official complaint, (Auden, 1-2) Throughout the rest of the poem Auden simply quantifies and qualifies the subjects worldly belongings and accomplishments He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment figure And had everything necessary to the Modern Man, A phonograph, a radio, a car and a Frigidaire. Auden, 19-21) In Memoriam follows a natural emotional process that is characteristic of the elegy and reminds the reader of elements of Kubler Rosss five stages of grief denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The Unknown Citizen uses the elegy in an unconventional way not to mourn the death of a real person, but to intellectually address the notion of an idealized citizen. This reminds the reader of Sigmund Freuds theory of mourning where a loss fag end be that of an abstraction rather than a specific person. The poem acknowledges the citizens lifelong achievements which appear capable but mundane.It is not until the ending couplet that we get a sense of what Auden is communicating when he introduces the notion of an emotional theme for the first time Was he free? Was he happy? The question is unreasonable Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard. (Auden, 28-29) It appears that Auden is asking the reader to contemplate the process by which we evaluate a persons life. Although the bureaucracy of society might be content with our conduct, we should be aware of how statistics and research snub our quality of life as unique individuals.In comparison, each elegy communicates a different experience of mourning and is deliberate in what it impresses on the reader. When reading Tennysons poem, I feel as though I am participating in a genuine process of human mourning through a real life perspective and lyrical poetic structure. When reading Audens poem I feel detached from the subject, due to his hypothetical point of view and lack of expressive poetry. The two elegies impact the reader in different ways they are both extremely effective in their objectives.