LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 14:10 October 2014
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Gray Expresses the Sympathy for the Common Man

Muna Shrestha, Ph.D.Scholar
Mahendra Multiple Campus


Abstract

An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is a poem by Thomas Gray, first published in 1751. Gray may, however, have begun writing the poem in 1742, shortly after the death of his close friend Richard West. In this poem Gray has changed the form of writing an elegy; it is the first elegy that mourns the death not of great or famous people, but of common men who remain unknown and unrecognized. Gray also attempts to show that all 'the paths of glory lead but to the grave.' By implication, the futility of all human ambition and aspiration is hinted at. The contrast between the lives of the rich and the poor, or the privileged and the unprivileged is also highlighted in the poem. He shows how the poor are not in a position to enjoy the luxuries and joys of life in this world. Their poverty proves an obstacle in the path of their progress. But this poverty is a blessing in disguise. If it does not allow people to rise higher, it also restrains them from doing evil, by limiting their power to do so. The rich, on the other hand, possess the power and means to do well to themselves and the world, but they also have powers to do mischief and bring destruction on innocent people.

Key Words: Common man, Elegy, Sympathy, Paths of Glory

1. Introduction

Thomas Gray was one of the most important poets of the eighteenth century. He was born on December 26, 1716 in London. He was the fifth of twelve children; all the others died in infancy. His father was Philip Gray, a scrivener and exchange broker who treated his wife with extreme cruelty. He refused to educate the lad, and the expense of Gray’s education was borne by his mother. In 1727 or thereabouts, he was sent to Eton College, where he formed lasting friendships with Horace Walpole, son of the Prime Minister, Richard West, son of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland and Thomas Ashton, nicknamed "Plato." In December of 1743, he took the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law (LL.B.) at Cambridge, but never practiced. In 1748 he began a philosophical poem on The Alliance of Education and Government. (Clark Sutherland Northup, 1911)

Perhaps Gray was the most learned man in Europe. He was equally acquainted with the elegant and profound parts of science, and not superficially but thoroughly. He knew every branch of history, both natural and civil and had read all the original historians of England, France, and Italy. Criticism, metaphysics, morals, and politics formed a principal part of his plan of study; voyages and travels of all sorts were his favourite amusement; and he had a fine taste in painting, prints, architecture, and gardening. He was also a good man, a well-bred man, a man of virtue and humanity. But His strength and courage gradually declined until in May, 1771, he was attacked by gout of the stomach and at 55, he died. He was buried beside his beloved mother at Stoke Poges churchyard, the scene of the "Elegy".

Samuel Johnson was the first of many critics to put forward the view that Gray spoke in two languages, one public and the other private, and that his private language—that of his best-known and most loved poem, "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" was too seldom heard.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.


Muna Shrestha, Ph.D. Scholar
Associate Professor, English Literature
Mahendra Multiple Campus
Bheri Zone, Banke District
Nepalgunj
Nepal
muna.shrestha123@gmail.com

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