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Children Of Light By Robert Lowell Dissertation Example

5 / 5. 1

Discipline:
Literature
Chapter:
Methodology
Level:
Master's
Pages:
1
Words:
275
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Free Children Of Light By Robert Lowell Dissertation Example

Author Tutor Course Date Children of Light by Robert Lowell. Robert Lowell was brought up in a Puritan community by strict parents. Later on, he rebelled and converted to a Roman Catholic. The poem “Children of Light” is his way of expressing the bitterness and dissatisfaction he experienced in life as a young person. The poems’ title is derived from the book of Ephesians, “but now you are light in the Lord Walk as children of light.” His poem uses several puritan allusions such as Pilgrims and blood of Cain to allude a religious meaning. Lowell sympathizes with the victims of Puritan upbringing whom he thinks are naïve and impressionable. Lowell starts by acknowledging the heroic actions of the forefathers “Our fathers wrung their bread from stocks and stones.” They were determined to preach the gospel to the whole world even if it meant sacrificing their time. The fathers saw themselves as the light that was meant to drive away the darkness in Europe. From the religious perspective, the forefathers are the self-righteous people specifically the Puritans who thought it was right to kill in the name of God and Christianity. In addition to this, the term “unhouseled” is used to enlighten the reader about Puritans practices since most do not partake in Eucharistic celebration like Catholics. Unfortunately, principles and ideals that the forefathers fought ended up in higher evils that they were struggling against. Lowell’s brings in infernal imagery “burning” and “the ancient blood of Cain” to emphasize the fact that the forefathers were turning the world into an irredeemable hell. In the same way, Lowell felt that he had endured a lot of pain from his parent’s upbringing. Despite their efforts, he spites their work “the riotous glass houses built on rock,” were brittle and would not stand any earthquake. The serpent’s seeds that were planted end up becoming “the unburied grain” which refer to the souls that will...
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