The Collar Essay Questions

This poem is widely thought to contain two voices. Compare and contrast these two voices.

The two voices in “The Collar” differ not just in their perspective on life and religion, but also in the way they express themselves. Critics have long called the first voice “wild” and “raving,” and it is notable that this voice expresses religious doubt in irregular lines with clanging rhymes. "The Collar" was written in the 17th century, a time at which free verse was rare, and the displeasing rhyme scheme of the poem reflects the speaker’s internal chaos during a moment of religious rebellion. The speaker’s second side urges a return to God’s fold. Fittingly, this voice also expresses itself in rhymed lines, with lines 17-26 displaying a more regular ABCACBDEED rhyme scheme, and lines 33-36 featuring ABAB end-rhyme. Here, we can see this voice’s more “measured,” reasonable perspective reflected in the verse itself.

Does the last stanza of the poem mark a return to stability? Discuss.

The final quatrain can be read to mark a return to religious devotion, and therefore stability. However, it can also be seen to indicate the embrace of vulnerability (rather than stability). Because the final stanza marks the beginning of a regular ABAB rhyme scheme, it seems to “stabilize” away from the meandering, irregular rhymes that make up the poem’s “rant.” However, it is interesting to read the last two lines in context. The speaker, while “raving,” hears a voice calling “Child!” and replies “my lord.” This is certain an acknowledgment of God’s power, but it does not necessarily resolve the unhappiness and vulnerability the speaker reveals in the first sixteen lines of the poem. Rather, the speaker seems to accept that God has control over his life as a paternal figure—and that control does not necessarily guarantee happiness or even stability.