FIRST PAPER

FIRST PAPER

Subject : # Poesia Inglesa de Siglos XIX y XX

Student´s name : Perdue, Meghan

Title of the paper : "Lord Byron and Boatswain"

Author or topic : Byron, Lord George Gordon

Abstract :

Lord Byron’s poem “Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog” is an example of Byron’s personal love of nature and animals, and also an example of the importance of nature in the life on man in Romantic Poetic Literature. I am going to discuss the poem in relation to the Lord Byron’s life, and also how it reflects upon the ideals of the Romantic Period.

Through studying Lord Byron’s poem “Inscriptions on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog” many important aspects of Byron’s life and poetic style may be seen. Byron suffered from a handicapped foot (englishhistory.net), a problem that afflicted him his whole life and made him feel separated from his peers. He had a deep mistrust of other people, which is shown by his inability to maintain any romantic interests with anyone for a long period of time. In the poem he calls his dog Boatswain the only friend that he ever knew, referring to man as a “vain insect” who even the dead dog would “quit..with disgust”(Byron). He lovingly tells of the “good heart” that his “firmest friend” had, while speaking of man to be “corrupt by power” and “debased by slavery”(Byron). Byron was seeking a reprieve from the cruelties of society in the simplicity of animal companionship. Lord Byron was a great animal lover and owned many different animals throughout his life. Owning everything from a bear during his days at Trinity College to a crocodile, he loved to interact with the animals and study their behaviors (Webb). After their divorce, Lady Byron wrote of Lord Byron that “the reason why some tyrannical characters have been fond of animals and humane to them is because they have no exercise of reason and could not condemn the wickedness of their master." (Webb). This argues that Byron’s love of animals is that he did not feel judged by them and that they were able to give him the love and affection that he seemed unable to cultivate in his human relationships. The theme of the human and animal relationship shows up in many of his works, and is most recognizable in the poem “Darkness” where he tells of a nightmare he had of an apocalypse where the only good and true act to come out of it was the loyalty of a dog to his dead master (Byron). It is clear through the poem dedicated to Boatswain on his death that Byron truly believed that the relationship that he shared with his dog was firmer and deeper than any that he could have experienced with another person.

Lord Bryon’s poem “Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog” written upon the death of his dog Boatswain carries the essence of the Romantic Movement during the 18^th century. In the poem he refers to his dog as his only true friend in life “whose honest heart is still his master’s own” and who would “labor, fight, live and breathe for him alone” (Byron). Lord Byron uses his poem to show the complete devotion of an animal to his master that is free from society or thoughts. He believes that the love and loyalty of the animal is so strong that the dog has dedicated his entire being to him. This represents the passion of nature without the hindrance of man or society. In the poem Byron contrasts the simple good nature of his dog with the vile uncouth nature of mankind. He calls man the “feeble tenant of the hour” who is “debased by slavery” and “corrupt by power”(Byron). In the poem he describes the unfairness that such a loyal and good being as a dog should die unnoticed and unremembered and be “denied in heaven the soul he held on earth, while man vain insect” is allowed a place in the afterlife (Byron). However, even though man possesses all of these horrible traits, Byron does not try to confuse which species is dominate over the other with the reference he makes to the fact that man has a soul while dogs do not. He suggests that nature is morally better than man, but not that nature is superior to man. Byron wants mankind to see the worthwhile traits in dogs and nature, and to incorporate them into its society and values. This conflict between dog and man is an example of the poetic movement Romanticism that was during the late 18^th century and early 19^th century. This movement created out of a reaction against the Industrial Revolution and the growing idea of civil rights and equality focused much of its works on the idea of the raw passion and power of nature and man’s relationship with it. It suggested that man must find himself as an individual through exploring and interacting with nature, so that he can learn from it and better himself. Lord Byron’s poem to his beloved dog shows that he learned much from the devotion of his friend, but also that he is inherently above the dog because of his status as a human.

In conclusion, the poem “Inscription on the Monument to a Newfoundland Dog” shows the devotion of Lord Byron’s dog Boatswain to his owner. It also reflects the love of animals that Byron maintained throughout his life, and the fact that he seemed to get much more enjoyment from his animal companions than from any of his human ones. The poem also serves as an example of the typical Romantic ideal- the importance of nature in the life of man. It shows that even though nature has more moral worth than man, it is still man that is superior.

Reference:

Byron, Lord George Gordon. “Inscription on a Monument of a Newfoundland Dog.” Lord Byron Selected Poetry. 27 November 2007.

< http://englishhistory.net/byron/poems/dog.html>

Byron, Lord George Gordon. “Darkness.” Lord Byron Selected Poetry. 27 November 2007.

<http://englishhistory.net/byron/poems/darkness.html>

Webb, LJ. “Byron’s Menagerie.” www.praxxis.co.uk. 27 November 2007.

< http://www.praxxis.co.uk/credebyron/menagerie.htm>

“Lord Byron” Wikipedia.com 27 November 2007. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byron>

“The Life of Lord Byron” http://englishhistory.net 27 November 2007. <http://englishhistory.net/byron/life.html>

Auto-evaluation:

Academic year 2007/2008

megper@alumni.uv.es

Universitat de València Press