Analysis Of Love III by George Herbert

Love III by George Herbert is an eighteen line love poem with a static rhythm plus end rhyme pattern of ABABCCDEDEFFGHGHII. The message of the poem is about the unconditional love of Christ and the unrighteous nature of human.

Christ who was symbolized as love in the poem was seen assuring sinners of his love for them by inviting the remorse sinners into his abode to dine with him "Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back" according to line 1. The invited human at first, resented his invite on the ground of imperfection and sinfulness "Guilty of dust and sin" as seen in line 2 and "I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear" seen in line 9 of the poem. At the completion of the poem, the invited sinner testified to the love and benevolence of Jesus Christ:
'“You must sit down,” says Love, “and taste my meat.”
So I did sit and eat."

George Herbert's poems are in form of dramatic monologues. This poem and his poem titled "The Pulley" both possess monologue revealing the conversation that transpired between two characters. "The Pulley" showed conversation between God and the poem speaker who witnessed the creation but "Love III" is a conversation between Christ and sinner. When the sinner claimed he wasn't worthy of standing before Christ "I cannot look at thee" but Christ replied in line 12 saying "Who made the eyes but I?" and such line is an instance of assonance.

Line 13-14 says "Truth, Lord, but I have marr’d them; let my shame/ Go where it doth deserve.” which means "Lord, the truth is that I have wrongly used the eye given so let me shamefully go to where I sinfully belong" both lines have an enjambment and a personification of "my shame". The line 16 which says "My dear, then I will serve" can be interpreted as "OK. Christ, I promise to worship you." The phrase "My dear" refers to Christ.

Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Use Of Visual Image In The Pulley By George Herbert

As we have mentioned in few of the articles in naijapoets, The Pulley by George Herbert relates man and God, God bestowed man (his creation) blessings such as strength, beauty, wisdom and so on.

The language of the poem is simple and conversational with suggestive tone. The varying visual images created by George Herbert shows the supremacy of God over man (his creator).

The title of the poem portrayed the strength of God (the creator) judging by the fact that a pulley is a powerful lifting device capable of moving object from point "A" to point "B". According to the poem, God placed man on earth through creation, then added unto man that which will toss him back to the creator. The title is also effective in that the more God increases t
he gift of man, the more the burdens of the gift push man towards his creator, God.

The use of simple imageries, dramatic monologue, personification, etc; assisted in the painting of visual images all through the poem. Line 13-14 are clear instances among the imageries in the poem titled "The Pulley":
"He would adore my gift instead of me
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature"

Dramatic monologue cast a visual image to the readers' mind through the suggestive voice shown by the poem persona. The voice of the poem does not only seem present during the creation of man, the direct speech in lines 3 and 11 respectively , revealed that God was democratic not authoritative during creation processes of man.
"Let us" said he "pour on him all we can" (in line 3)
"For if I should," said he, (in line 11).

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Is God Omnipotent In The Pulley By George Herbert

The previous naijapoets.com post on The Pulley by George Herbert, outlined few different themes in the poem. This post is going to consider just two of those themes by comparing them with the expression that says "Is God Omnipotent In The Pulley By George Herbert?"

To begin with, omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power or control. Let's compare the theme one, "limitations on human existence" with God's omnipotence, it will be clearly seen that God who placed limitations on the lives of human beings could have made human beings immortal, if he so pleased.

Because God doesn't take directives or instructions from anyone, he acts at his own will. Even the following lines from the poem doesnt mean God needs a consultant before making decisions:
“‘Let us” said he “pour on him all we can”
Let the world’s riches which despersed lie
Contract into a span”

The second theme of the poem, where all that humans possessed were bestowed by God. Such kind gesture from God to human is also a prove that God is far powerful than humans and God's power is omnipotent. Check the link should in case you would like to view all the themes in The Pulley by George Herbert

NEXT PAGES:-
>>>Analysis of The Pulley by George Herbert

>>>Death As A Limitation To Human Existence In The Poem The Pulley

>>>Analysis of Virtue by George Herbert


Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings flying)

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Analysis Of The Pulley By George Herbert

Here are the themes of the poem, "The Pulley" by George Herbert:
(1) The limitation in human existence
(2) The blessings bestowed man through creation
(3) The problems associated to riches
(4) The vanity of possessions in presence of loneliness

The following are the figuratives within the poem:
(1) Rhyme pattern of ABABA CDCDC, etc.
(2) Personification in line 19-20 "If goodne
ss lead him not, yet weariness/May toss him to my breast"
(3) Allusion to the creation story in the scripture
(4) Alliteration in "made man" in line 1, "repining restlessness" in line 17
(5) Assonance in "weary that at least" in line 18, "lead him not, yet weariness" in line 19.
(6) Repetitions are "God" "rest" "Nature" "riches" "said he"

Structure of the Poem can be considered a classical one where stanza, end rhyme pattern and rhythm are very important but the poem does not hold a specific rhythm. Out of the four(4) stanzas of the poem, the first and the last lines of each stanza are of equal length (trimeter) but the second, third, and fourth are not clearly equal in each stanza.

The poem: "The Pulley" by George Herbert has a to total of twenty(20) lines divided into five(5) lines per stanza; each line with end rhyme pattern of ABABA, CDCDC, etc. The first stanza was about the reason why God endowed man during creation, the second stanza showed all the endowments, the third stanza was about the reason God gave man a companion, the last stanza was about how all the blessings and possessions given will lead man back to God's bosom.

The Pulley is a poem that revealed that when God created man, he created him blessings like strength, beauty, wisdom, honour, pleasure but place man under a contract that will put him and his possessions to an end at certain short peroid of time:
"'Let us" said he "pour on him all we can"
Let the world's riches which despersed lie
Contract into a span"
Poem further narrates that when when God realised that man's treasures are meaningless in his loneliness, he provided him companion in association with his riches which would bring him regrets and weariness and the two will make his life come to an end.

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>>>Is God Omniponent in the Pulley by George Herbert

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>>>Analysis of Virtue by George Herbert

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Samuel C. Enunwa aka samueldpoetry
(the Leo with wings soaring)

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