George Meredith: Poems Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

George Meredith: Poems Symbols, Allegory and Motifs

The stars

In the poem "Lucifer in Starlight’’, the narrator presents the story of the angle who went against God’s will and rebelled. As a result, the angle named Lucifer was punished to rule over Hell and the condemned souls within it. In the poem, Lucifer breaks free from hell and flies towards the Heavens again, until he reaches the stars. In the poem, the stars are used as a symbol, to suggest the holiness Lucifer lost when he decided to rebel and also the status he lost when he fell from Heavens.

If she were weed

One of the common motifs in the poem "Love in the Valley’’ is the constant mention that the woman the narrator loved would have been better off if she were to get married. This is mentioned by the girl’s mother who thinks about how easier her life would have been if her daughter were to get married and also how the girl would have been a lot happier.

Symbol for seduction

After calling the woman in the poem "Love in the Valley’’ as being heartless and cruel, the narrator describes the way she behaves, choosing to mention her singing which makes everyone turn and look at her. The song the woman performs is drawing everyone nearer to her and makes the men willing to do everything she wants. Because of this, we can assume that the song sang by the woman is actually a symbol for seduction.

Symbol for durability

In the poem "Dirge in Woods’’, the narrator describes a beautiful wood composed of pines so tall they reach into heavens. The pines remain unchanged by the passing of time, keeping their green color and liveliness not matter the season. In comparison with the trees, the fruits which grow on the pines quickly fall to the ground and decay. The pines are used here as a symbol, to suggest durability and to stand for those elements and ideas in our society which are not affected by time. The fruits which fall on the ground and decay are also used as a symbol but they represent the human society in general which decays and eventually ceases to exist as if it was never there in the first place.

Symbol for the human life

In the poem "Meditation under Stars’’, the narrator thinks about the nature of human life in comparison with the stars above. The narrator uses organic elements such as blades of grass and flowers on fields as symbols to suggest the fleeting nature of human life. Just as the grass below our feet and the flowers we see on the fields can disappear in a single day, humans have a short life span which can be easily disrupted at any time.

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