The Patriot
Pick out all the figure of speech from this poem.
Answers
Answer:
The Patriot is a dramatic monologue written by the renowned English poet and playwright Robert Browning. He is well known for his dramatic monologues and is widely celebrated as one of the foremost poets of the Victorian era. In this poem, Browning talks about Politics, Patriotism, Religious faith, and the harsh reality of the leaders who are true to their sense of patriotism. It speaks about the sacrifice of such leaders who are misunderstood by the people.
Stanza 1
A patriot walks down the street as citizens jostle with one another to pour their adulation on him. His service to his country is hailed with much frenzy and euphoric clamour. Rose petals are strewn on the road for him to walk on. People sit on vantage points to have a view of him. National flags are tied to church spires to show how the country is obliged to the hero for his service. The whole town is aglow with the aura of the great man’s splendid service to the nation. He walks triumphantly among the crowd gleefully acknowledging their praise.
Stanza 2
The poet continues to describe the electrifying atmosphere in the city. The hero’s charisma has gripped the imagination of the citizens. They are standing atop some old buildings to catch his view. All this happened just a year ago. The public virtually fawned over him. They were ready to give him just anything he wanted. Even, the life-giving Sun wouldn’t have been a big thing to ask for. If he had asked for something more after getting the Sun, the people would have given him. So much they adored him and felt grateful to him for his service to the nation.
Stanza 3
In this part, the speaker (the hero of the plot) reflects upon what he did for the country. The speaker takes us to Greek mythology to describe how Icarus, and his genius Daedalus who have broken free from their prison cell atop a tower by a very ingenious innovation. They have succeeded to make a pair of wings each by glueing bird feathers with wax. It enabled them to fly away from the prison tower. But, Icarus gets carried away by his success and flies higher and higher until he reaches the dangerous vicinity of the Sun. The wax melts in the heat, and Icarus falls to death. All his friends have died earlier.
By citing this example, the speaker alludes to his own excesses. He overdid his role as the country’s benefactor and achieved something that was not achievable. This excessive zeal proved to be his undoing. He uses the terms ‘harvest’ and ‘reap’ to refer to the missteps he took to bring glory to his country. He laments his failings and accepts the consequences as something that is inevitable. He is reconciled to the darkness that lies ahead of him.
Stanza 4
The heydays are history now. It has been a year since. The world has become a hot hostile place for the speaker (the disgraced hero). Now, he has been convicted and condemned to death. The authorities reckon that he has done something grievously wrong. He deserves to be hanged. He has been tightly handcuffed in his back. It is raining. He is being led to Shambles Gate, the place where he will be executed. The crowd, who cheered him in the same street a year ago, have gone to the hanging ground to jeer at him. Only a solitary crippled man is visible. What a cruel turn of fate!
Stanza 5
The speaker (the fallen hero) is at the receiving end of the people’s wrath. They want revenge against the speaker whom they had spiritedly applauded a year ago. The tight handcuff causes him wrenching pain, as it bites into his flesh. The speaker bears it stoically. He feels that blood is streaming down from his forehead. Apparently, a stone hurled at him by the onlookers has hurt him. The speaker ignores it. As a mark of remarkable equanimity, he doesn’t feel any animosity towards his vengeful detractors. Instead, he feels they have used their mind to gauge his ‘misdeeds’. The speaker knows for certain that the people have misjudged his action and proclaimed him guilty. So, it is a case of ‘misjudgment’ on the part of his people. He is not angry with them for ‘misunderstanding’ him.
Stanza 6
The speaker reflects on the fate that so cruelly cast a ‘patriot’ aside in so short a time. In this hour of reflection and reckoning, philosophical and spiritual thoughts are bound to come. In the core of his heart, he knows he has done no wrong. It is his own people who have wrongly understood him. So, before God, he remains a virtuous and noble son, notwithstanding the venom, his people poured on him. So, he has no feeling of guilt, no remorse.