The second report on to lucasta going to the wars by Richard Lovelace and Fire and Ice by Rabert frost

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منتشر شده در یکشنبه, 06 مرداد 1392 14:10

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In The Name of God

Three classes have been observed while giving lectures on the assigned poems. The students were asked to speak about their views on those poems discussed last week.
Whatever done in my classes have been recorded in pictures, voices, and videos.
line 1

Tell me not, Sweet, I am unkind,

In this first line, the speaker begs his main squeeze (his "Sweet") not to tell him that he's a big fat jerk.
Yeah, this is pretty much the start of every awkward break up ever.
We don't know what this guy did, or is about to do, but it sure doesn't sound promising. Out with it, speaker!
Lines 2-4

That from the nunnery
Of thy chaste breast, and quiet mind
To war and arms I fly.

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Translation? The speaker doesn't want his honey to think he's unkind because he's ditching her to go fight a war.
Except, you know, he says it more poetically than that.
A nunnery is a place where nuns live; the metaphor here suggests that his relationship with Lucasta is not sexual, but is rather something more pure and "chaste." Sure, speaker.
Note the contrast, too, between war and arms, and her quiet mind. The speaker wants Lucasta (and us readers, by extension) to understand that he's leaving the peace and quiet of being with Lucasta for the chaos that is war.
Basically, he's trying to cover his bases here. He wants to make sure that this woman won't think he's unkind for leaving to go fight a war.
That's an interesting relationship anxiety if we've ever seen one. It's not like he's cheating or anything…
Stanza 2 Summary

Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 5-6

True, a new mistress now I chase,
The first foe in the field;

Or maybe he is cheating. He refers to his new mistress—one he's now chasing, instead of, presumably, Lucasta.
And that mistress? It's his enemies in war—"the first foe in the field."
Okay, what's up with the metaphor here? How in the world could an enemy, who's trying to kill him, be anything like a mistress?
Well, we think this suggests that for our speaker, there's something alluring about war and battle. Something irresistible.
What, we're not sure. We guess we'll have to keep on reading to see if the speaker will give up the goods.
Lines 7-8

And with a stronger faith embrace
a sword, a horse, a shield.

More on the mistress. Frankly, it sounds like our speaker is cheating on his poor Lucasta with none other than warfare itself.
In fact, it sounds like he likes war—the sword, the horse, the shield—more than he likes Lucasta. After all, he hugs them with "stronger faith." Yikes. These two need to get into
Couple’s counseling, ASAP.
Stanza 3 Summary

Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
Lines 9-10

Yet this inconstancy is such,
As you too shall adore;

At the beginning of the third stanza, the speaker's all, "but its cool, Lucasta, because you'll like the fact that I'm sort of stepping out on you with, you know, war."
That's what he means when he says she'll "adore" his "inconstancy" or unfaithfulness. Apparently, it's "such as" or the kind of unfaithfulness that she'll be on board with.
Lines 10-11

I could not love thee, Dear, so much,
Loved I not honour more.

Ah, so now we get every part of the poem tied up in a neat little bow.
Apparently, Lucasta will totally adore the speaker's inconstancy because he couldn't love her as much as he does if he didn't love honor even more.
And that mysterious remark answers the question of what it is about warfare that has our speaker so passionate: honor.
If we understand that correctly, we take it to mean that his greater love of honor is what ultimately makes him capable of loving a woman. Hmmm. That's new.
We can't help but wonder if this grand finale is really going to placate this Lucasta lady. But we guess that's a question only she can answer.