Byron expressed himself with such emotion. I had to pause several times just to paint a the picture in my head. And what a vivid image it was. I'm a passionate person for humanity, not an activist, but very emotional when it comes to respect for ones' life. I felt his emotion and imagined Byron writing intensly line after line in a frantic rage. "And wherefore slaughter'd? wherefore, but because such were the bloody Circus' genial laws, and the imperial pleasure. Wherefore not?" (pg 362 lines 1245 - 1248). Why do we kill for amusement? Where is the validity of such a vicious death? These are the types of questions I asked myself and thought that he was addressing.
He went on to shed light to the idea of such slaughtering events. "Like the first of a thunder-shower; and now the arena swims around him --he is gone, Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hail'd the wretch who won." (pg 363 lines 1258 - 1260). Why is there excitement in death? Why do we enjoy such events? Again, questions to ponder. When I read these lines I immediately thought of the movie Gladiator with Russell Crow when he asked, "Are you not entertained?" Such a classic line that relates to the message of Byron.
Byron goes on to describe the shameful victory as of a defeated gladiator. He dies for nothing. All the while, with his thoughts on his family and last breath taken for a mere applause. I'm glad to have read this passage. It was something that I could relate to. His emotions were so deeply expressed and it allowed me to do more than just read line for line. I actually used my imagination, as anyone should when reading. In most readings I had to re-read a line to get the understanding of what the author was trying to say. In this case, I was stopping only to play the picture in my mind. Any yes, I was entertained. Not at the thought of death but at the way he vividly struck a nerve in his day and age. For someone to stand out against something so popular and risk becoming the absolute outkast is very courageous. I'm sure many others of his day were bothered by the events but to put it in writing serves a greater way of grasping a part of history for future reference. I could be completely off with my interpretations but they are mine.
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1 comment:
Mishawn,
Good first post in your blog. I like the way you focus your attention on a single poem by Byron, and even more to a few specific passages. I also appreciate the way you talk about your emotional response to the lines. Good imaginative response! One small point, though; there were no gladiators fighting in Byron's day, so he wasn't taking too brave a stand in opposing them. On the other hand, he might have had another current event in mind--perhaps the loss of the soldiers who had fought and died in the bloody wars against Napoleon?
Very good start, and I look forward to reading your subsequent posts.
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