The Collar :: essays papers

The CollarGeorge Herbert was born on April 3, 1593 at Montgomery Castle, thefifth son of an noble-minded Welsh family. Herberts religious beliefscaused him to be an active opponent of the puritans and the Calvinists.Herbert became the cannon of Lincoln Cathedral and in 1630 he took holyorders. During the years Herbert spent at Bemerton he worked on acollection of verses known as The Temple. Upon his death theypublished the manuscript. The song The Collar is a complaint voicedby person embittered against the constraints that seize him. Impatientwith the human condition, the writer resolves to break free. My linesand life are free, free as the road, / Loose as the wind, as large asstore he insists. The accompanying gesture, I struck the board andcried, No more is a dramatic, and boastful act. The tone of theselines is recognized as an exaggeration. The writer is impatient withthe need to recognize ones dependence and to accept ones need toworship and serve God. The poem as a whole is about blowing offsteam. Herbert develops two quite vivid major images to have thepoems theme. The images of restraints such as collars / cages /cable / ropesuggests something stiff and restrictive, but not injureful, same(p) a noose or shackles. The title of the poem, The Collar, anarticle of clothing a man wears when he must be at his best. The wordCollar also refers to the white band worn by the clergy, and it isthe role of priest the poem alludes to. This collar symbolizes thepriests role as servant. The writer chafes at being in suit. Theimage has at least a double meaning. The word suit refers to theclerical suit and connotatively to the attendance required of avassal at his lords court. Forsake thy cage, / Thy rope of sands.The word cage suggests a contraption for animals. The purpose is notto harm but merely to restrict movement, and keep from harm. Thisprevents the creature from getting hurt by its impulses and curiosityabout what lies beyond the confin es. This imagery of restraintssuggests the writer of being in an animalistic state. This animalisticcondition is clear when as I raved and grew more fierce and wild/ Atevery word. The writer is getting himself worked up. He isunreasoning, like an animal. Even the text, seems to bark What?Shall I ever sigh and pine?