The theme of violence and idiosyncrasies is brought about with a strong emphasis on the poet's dilemma of his opinions of horses which he finds majestic and at the same time frightening. A heroic finish to the end of the day "as they.....sinking sun" seals their pride and evokes a sense of confidence in these creatures, who like "pistons in an ancient mill" keep working never to stop, causing a hyperbolic recognition in the mind of the poet who watches in terror the "cruel apocalyptic light" dancing in the faces of these creatures of night. A paradox as it may seem, Muir conveys to the readers and makes them agree with his notion of Horses-a creature worth of admiration or the face of insults.
All of Muir’s anecdotes can be interpreted in various ways but lead up to just one factor. He ‘pines’ for the mix of extreme feelings that can only be brought out by the innocence of childhood. He mixes the theme of changing times with his nostalgia to show that his fear was also had a double-meaning- it was a mix of the figure the horses presented and a fear of losing the emotions, the ‘presences’ he so treasured. The reader also sees how when the tense changes, he also admires the change and begins to anticipate it. So, the horses also become a metaphorical reference to the changes, apart from the obvious meaning one can derive.
The nostalgic reflections of Edwin Muir is what makes up the base of the poem. Throughout the stanzas, we are shown hints of these memories that convey the poets totally different perception as the industrialization also played a very important role in his mind set. There are clear hints given in the poem that confirms that maybe some 'childish hour' has come back to him, thus allowing him to portray these 'fearful' memories to the readers which could have been nothing more than some 'magic powers' that he had created back then.
In the poem, Muir reveals the true nature of horses, linking readers to the period of war through his childhood memories. What he thought of once as majestic is now his most frightening memory giving readers an insight to the gloomy nature of the poem. Muir’s use of the simile ‘hooves like pistons’ strongly refers to the destructive nature of the horses with inference to their pride and intimidating attitude. Readers sense the fear factor as Muir casts an imagery of these ‘ecstatic monsters’ when they conquer lands and trod over everything in their way turning ‘fields to brown.’ Readers feel like they are present in Muir’s terror thus, effectively portraying his perception of horses.
Edwin Muir unveils his confused feelings to his readers as he unlocks his memories of the majestic horses he had observed and admired. He shows readers what he sees the horses as, “terrifying, so wild and strange” thus implying his strong feelings of fear and admiration for the creatures. His bafflement towards the horses is further unfolded as he describes the horses as “and their great hulks were seraphim of gold”. Thus, through describing his memories of the horses he expresses his mixed feelings towards the horses.
The formidable yet serendipitous nature of the horses seems to cast a veil over the poet's mind as he attempts to sort out the pernicious idosyncrasies as well as the recherche characteristics of the horses to find out his true inner feeling, either being despisal or homage to the extraordinary power of horses, working tirelessly to secure a deed well done. Their immense power is a widely known synonym for their reputation of being tame creatures, coming to terms with the childish philosophy of a "magic power on the stony grange". Astounding imagery beautifies and elevates the importance of these creatures as "seraphims of gold", personifying the dualism the poet feels deep inside, "an ire of wind" fluttering his thoughts.
The theme of violence and idiosyncrasies is brought about with a strong emphasis on the poet's dilemma of his opinions of horses which he finds majestic and at the same time frightening. A heroic finish to the end of the day "as they.....sinking sun" seals their pride and evokes a sense of confidence in these creatures, who like "pistons in an ancient mill" keep working never to stop, causing a hyperbolic recognition in the mind of the poet who watches in terror the "cruel apocalyptic light" dancing in the faces of these creatures of night. A paradox as it may seem, Muir conveys to the readers and makes them agree with his notion of Horses-a creature worth of admiration or the face of insults.
ReplyDeleteAll of Muir’s anecdotes can be interpreted in various ways but lead up to just one factor. He ‘pines’ for the mix of extreme feelings that can only be brought out by the innocence of childhood. He mixes the theme of changing times with his nostalgia to show that his fear was also had a double-meaning- it was a mix of the figure the horses presented and a fear of losing the emotions, the ‘presences’ he so treasured. The reader also sees how when the tense changes, he also admires the change and begins to anticipate it. So, the horses also become a metaphorical reference to the changes, apart from the obvious meaning one can derive.
ReplyDeleteThe nostalgic reflections of Edwin Muir is what makes up the base of the poem. Throughout the stanzas, we are shown hints of these memories that convey the poets totally different perception as the industrialization also played a very important role in his mind set. There are clear hints given in the poem that confirms that maybe some 'childish hour' has come back to him, thus allowing him to portray these 'fearful' memories to the readers which could have been nothing more than some 'magic powers' that he had created back then.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem, Muir reveals the true nature of horses, linking readers to the period of war through his childhood memories. What he thought of once as majestic is now his most frightening memory giving readers an insight to the gloomy nature of the poem. Muir’s use of the simile ‘hooves like pistons’ strongly refers to the destructive nature of the horses with inference to their pride and intimidating attitude. Readers sense the fear factor as Muir casts an imagery of these ‘ecstatic monsters’ when they conquer lands and trod over everything in their way turning ‘fields to brown.’ Readers feel like they are present in Muir’s terror thus, effectively portraying his perception of horses.
ReplyDeleteEdwin Muir unveils his confused feelings to his readers as he unlocks his memories of the majestic horses he had observed and admired. He shows readers what he sees the horses as, “terrifying, so wild and strange” thus implying his strong feelings of fear and admiration for the creatures. His bafflement towards the horses is further unfolded as he describes the horses as “and their great hulks were seraphim of gold”. Thus, through describing his memories of the horses he expresses his mixed feelings towards the horses.
ReplyDeleteThe formidable yet serendipitous nature of the horses seems to cast a veil over the poet's mind as he attempts to sort out the pernicious idosyncrasies as well as the recherche characteristics of the horses to find out his true inner feeling, either being despisal or homage to the extraordinary power of horses, working tirelessly to secure a deed well done. Their immense power is a widely known synonym for their reputation of being tame creatures, coming to terms with the childish philosophy of a "magic power on the stony grange". Astounding imagery beautifies and elevates the importance of these creatures as "seraphims of gold", personifying the dualism the poet feels deep inside, "an ire of wind" fluttering his thoughts.
ReplyDelete