"Work Without Hope" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Work Without Hope"

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair-

The bees are stirring - birds are on the wing-

And Winter, slumbering in the open air,

Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!

And I the while, the sole unbusy thing,

Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.

Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow,

Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.

Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,

For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!

With lips unbrighten'd, wreathless brow, I stroll:

And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul?

Work without Hope draw nectar in a sieve,

And Hope without an object cannot live.

This poem is an excellent example of a Romantic Era poem. In the Romantic Era, personification and apostrophe of nature and the elements were very common. This poem demonstrates these techniques and may more.

Personification is present in this poem from the very first sentence: "All Nature seems at work."  Nature is a concept, and it cannot possibly be at work. Also, the word "nature" is capitalized, which makes it a proper noun. Proper nouns are generally used to refer to something that is actually tangible or concrete, such as an important place or person. Here, Nature is given importance and a human characteristic, which is characteristic of the Romantic Era because Romantic poets sure did get in touch with nature!

Apostrophe is significant in this poem because Coleridge addresses bloom by saying "Bloom, O ye amaranths!" This is an example of apostrophe because Coleridge is talking to "bloom" as if its a real thing. It is a real thing, but not one to be addressed as if it's a person.

These are only a few of the many techniques that were used in the Romantic Era. The Romantic Era of Poetry was known for praising and sometimes even condemning nature, which is what Coleridge does in his poem "Work Without Hope." 

What Should I Write About? What Can I Write About? What Can't I Write About?

So I was just sitting there trying to come up with some mind blowing concept on what to write for my next blog. I've already blogged about my independent reading book and poetry, and current events lately are pretty depressing (bombing in Boston). I just couldn't come up with something appealing to write about. Pretty soon, I started to get frustrated and wished that I didn't have to write these blogs in the first place (sorry Mr. Mullins). But not long after, I realized that wondering what I should write about is actually a luxury. I am asking myself what I should write about, but people across the world are wondering: What can I write about without being punished? What can't I write about? What am I allowed to write about?  Should I say what I want and worry about punishment later?

Luckily, the one question Americans have to ask themselves is: What should I write about? And we can thank these guys for that:



I think a lot of times we take for granted how liberal we are with our speech.  Just think of how many times you criticize someone, even if you're not actually angry at them. More times than I can count, I've called people stupid where in other countries you can get into serious legal trouble for saying this. I didn't call them stupid because I was angry. In fact, the word "stupid" has become very commonplace and it doesn't literally mean that the other person has no mental capacity. "Stupid" is also used to describe an action. If taxes are raised, someone in our country may say "That's so stupid" without being punished for slander.  Words like these are slowly becoming commonplace in our language and I think that sometimes its important to take a step back and be thankful that we have the luxury of asking ourselves: What should I write about?

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gilliam Flynn is my third independent reading book. In this novel the protagonist, Libby Day, witnesses the murder of her mom and two sisters. She testified that her older brother Ben committed the murders. These murders became known as the famous "Satan Sacrifice of Kinakee, Kansas." Around 25 years later, she is poor and is willing to do anything for money. She joins up with the Kill Club, a club that investigates tragedies such as this mass murder.  The Kill Club doesn't think that Libby's accusations against her brother from 25 years ago are valid, especially because there is no evidence to suggest that Ben was the one who killed everyone.  They pay Libby to talk to Ben (who has been in prison for the last 25 years) and her father, Runner, who abandoned her family long before the murders.

I haven't finished reading the book so far, but of what I have read, here's what I know: about a day before the murders, Ben (fifteen at the time) was falsely accused of molesting a ten year old girl named Krissi Cates, and was therefore dubbed as subjected to satanic practices.  This accusation made him an easy target for the murders.  However, Krissi agrees to lying about Ben. I also know that Libby was somewhat brainwashed by the child psychologist at the time of the murders and testified against her brother due to this. I still have to read more, but I really want to know what happens next.

This book relates to my inquiry project (truth v. ignorance) because Libby is in the  process of discovering what really happened all of those years ago. She was basically trained to accuse her brother because Ben had already been accused of worshiping the devil. He was an easy target that (for those times) didn't need any supporting evidence.  Another important aspect of my project is how Libby deals with the situation. At first, she agreed to join the Kill Club because they paid her for uncovering details. She continued her membership because she saw it as a good source of income. At the point I'm at in the book, she starts to become genuinely curious and seeks closure. She is also starting to feel remorse for her false accusations, where before she couldn't care less about the murders even though she knew there were some holes in her testimony. That is what my project is all about, and I'm intrigued to finish this book!