The More Things Change ... Or Stay the Same

The poets we have read about this week seem to divert from the idea and beliefs of religion, technology and sciences but yet they still reference the idea and beliefs of romanticism along with a few vague thoughts of religion.
Yeats’ poem “Adam’s Curse,” for example uses reference to the Bible, but not quite as explicit and detailed as the previous poets we have spoken of. In Yeat’s poem, the reader has to make his or her own assumptions of Yeat’s reference to Adam from the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The poets we have previously read about have been more open to their references to religion. In Yeat’s poem “Adam’s Curse,” he draws a direct reference from the bible in the lines,

I said, “It’s certain there is no fine thing
Since Adam’s fall but needs much labouring.
There have been lovers who thought love should be
So much compounded of high courtesy
That they would sigh and quote with learned looks
Precedents out of beautiful old books;
Yet now it seems an idle trade enough.”

Yeats causes the reader to draw his or her own conclusions that the Bible references love as some type of curse due to “Adam’s curse.” The reader can only assume that love is not on overall high feeling of joy, happiness, laughter and perfection but instead is something that must be worked on. People in love must understand that love is not perfection that exists in a constant state, but instead fluctuates. I think Yeats does not draw as direct of a reference to the bible as previous poets have but his writings still assume the works of religion.
Housman’s poem, “Here Dead Lie We Because We Did Not Choose,” is a poem in reference to the war and the soldiers of war whom died. Housman has no reference to religion, technology or science in this poem, but instead focuses on the idea of death. In the line,

Here dead lie we because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.

Housman uses a direct reference to the soldiers who choose to die because they did not want to be “cowards” and shame the nation along with their families by choosing not to go to war. The rise of Industrialization caused wars between nations which in turn caused many deaths of young soldiers as Housman describes in this poem. The idea of expansion and becoming and industrialized nation means we have sacrifices that need to be made such as a loss of lives even if those lives were young soldiers who did not choose to “live and shame the land from which we sprung.”

I think the poets we read this week have a tendency of not using a direct reference to religion, technology or science but if a reference is made it is left up to the reader to determine the relationship that exists.