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Darrnika Dailey Mrs. Johnson 3 rd period 4/29/13. recessional. About the Author .
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Darrnika Dailey Mrs. Johnson 3rd period 4/29/13 recessional
About the Author • Rudyard Kipling was educated in England but returned to India in 1882. In 1892, Kipling married Caroline Balestier and settled in Brattleboro, Vermont where he wrote The Jungle Book and "Gunga Din." Eventually becoming the highest paid writer in the world, Kipling was recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907. He died in 1936.
Historical background • Recessional" is a poem by Rudyard Kipling, which he composed on the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. • The poem is a prayer. It describes two fates that befall even the most powerful people, armies and nations, and that threatened England at the time: passing out of existence, and lapsing from Christian faith into profanity. The prayer entreats God to spare "us" (England) from these fates "lest we forget" the sacrifice of Christ. • The poem went against the celebratory mood of the time, providing instead a reminder of the transient nature of British Imperial power. In the poem Kipling argues that boasting and jingoism, faults of which he was often accused, were inappropriate and vain in light of the permanence of God.
Summmary • The speaker calls out to God, the Lord of their battle-line under whose hand they hold power over the land. He calls for the "Lord God of Hosts" to be with them "lest they forget". As the din and shouting fade away and the captains and kings leave, there is only God's ancient sacrifice left. The refrain of "Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, / Lest we forget –lest we forget!" is repeated. Their navies return home, the fire of war goes out, and all the pomp and luster of yore is "one with Nineveh and Tyre". The speaker calls for God, the "Judge of Nations", to spare them "lest they forget". If the men are drunk with power and start speaking rashly and wildly without heeding God, such as the Gentiles or other base breeds do, then again, the speaker implores, "Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, / Lest we forget –lest we forget!“ The "heathen heart" will trust in the instruments of war, but it is only like dust falling upon dust. The speaker calls for the Lord to show mercy upon his people, despite their silly boasting and insipid words.
Theme/ Tone Theme-Kipling is telling God that the people remember the down fall and won’t let history repeat it self. (Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!) Tone-The overall tone of this poem was solemn
Fig. Language/ poetic devices • Hyperbole Drunk with sight of power( this mean they was excited about thinking they would have power.) • Repetition- Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget! • Rhyme- (old, hold) (depart, heart)
Poem Interpretation • The most important line of the poem is “Mercy on Thy People, Lord! I choose this because it ties up the whole moral of the poem with ask God not to be so hard on them.”
Work Cited • http://www.biography.com/people/rudyard-kipling-9365581 • http://www.kipling.org.uk/rg_recess1.htm