{"id":448,"date":"2023-04-16T18:10:32","date_gmt":"2023-04-16T18:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/?p=448"},"modified":"2023-04-16T18:10:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-16T18:10:32","slug":"beauty-in-death-tennyson-and-howe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/2023\/04\/16\/beauty-in-death-tennyson-and-howe\/","title":{"rendered":"Beauty in Death: Tennyson and Howe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alfred Tennyson\u2019s In Memoriam <\/em>is a heartbreaking poetic elegy to his beloved friend Arthur Henry Hallam, each verse filled with a painful remembrance and yearning for Arthur to be sitting beside him. However, while the pain of missing someone never quite subsides, we find ways to move on. By the end of In Memoriam, <\/em>Tennyson comes to a sort of acceptance that his friend is gone, but affirms that the love he has for him will never dissipate; we carry our loved ones in our hearts. The last few cantos of In Memoriam <\/em>reminded me greatly of Marie Howe\u2019s poem, \u201cWhat the Living Do\u201d. <\/em>Tennyson and Howe\u2019s poetry serve to demonstrate an appreciation for life along with an affirmation of love in dark times of grief and mourning.<\/p>\n

In canto CVI, Tennyson describes the ringing of bells, presumably ringing out the New Year. At the end of the first stanza Tennyson writes, \u201cRing out, wild bells, and let him die\u201d (p. 183). The bells ringing out the new year simultaneously symbolize the acceptance of Arthur\u2019s death along with ringing out the painful feelings of grief. As Tennyson calls for the removal of all negative feelings of sin, depression and mourning, he calls for the ringing in of \u201clove of truth and right\u201d along with the \u201ccommon love of good\u201d (p. 184).<\/p>\n

Canto CVI and Howe\u2019s poem both demonstrate a cherishing of life. They are reminders that even in the face of death there are things to be thankful for. As Tennyson calls for the bells to ring in love and peace, he shows the reader that he wants to keep living. In \u201cThis is What the Living Do\u201d Howe similarly lists simple things that she cherishes. The purchasing of a hairbrush. The coffee running down her sleeve and wrist. These are things, albeit small, that she can still do because she is alive. In the wake of death, Tennyson and Howe both show us that there are things to look forward to and be appreciative of simply because we are still alive.<\/p>\n

Moreover, in Canto CXXX, Tennyson describes how he feels Arthur around him in nature. Tennyson describes how he hears his friends voice on the rolling air and sees him standing in the silhouette of the sun rising and setting (p. 185). At the end of the canto Tennyson beautifully writes, \u201cFar off thou art, but ever nigh; \/ I have thee still, and I rejoice; \/ I prosper, circled with thy voice; \/ I shall not lose thee tho\u2019 I die.\u201d Tennyson\u2019s final stanza has a striking similarity to the end of Howe\u2019s poem. Howe writes about how as she goes through her day, catching glimpses of herself in store windows, she is overcome with an appreciation of life and a remembrance of her departed beloved. Howe writes, \u201cI am living. I remember you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Howe and Tennyson\u2019s poems are written to someone who is passed yet demonstrate a beautiful appreciation for life and a declaration of remembrance. Howe and Tennyson both show us that even in times of death and grief, there are still things to be grateful for, beauty to be found, and that the love we have for our departed will never be forgotten. This is how we remember and honor our deceased loved ones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alfred Tennyson\u2019s In Memoriam is a heartbreaking poetic elegy to his beloved friend Arthur Henry Hallam, each verse filled with a painful remembrance and yearning for Arthur to be sitting beside him. However, while the pain of missing someone never quite subsides, we find ways to move on. By the end of In Memoriam, Tennyson … Continue reading Beauty in Death: Tennyson and Howe<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5124,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spring-2023"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5124"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/britishpoetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}