Discussion-topic Paper. Literature & Language Essay

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August 12, 2020
Discussion-topic Paper
Thomas Gray’s poem entitled ‘Elegy Written in a Country Yard’ is perhaps one of the most interesting pieces that I have ever heard since it gives importance to the virtues of the poor, the passion of the masses, and even the similarity of our fates, among others. In lines 33 to 36 of his poem, he said that “The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow'r; And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave; Awaits alike th' inevitable hour. The paths of glory lead but to the grave”. There are a few reasons why I chose this as the most interesting piece among the whole poem.
One of the reasons why I chose this excerpt was Gray’s emphasis on death as a ‘great leveler’. Initially, the author’s approach on the poem would seem to be very inclined towards the plight of the poor to the point that it glorifies them at the expense of the rich. However, in contrast to the other parts of his poem, this paragraph suggests that rather than praising the poor and criticizing the rich, the author wanted to emphasize the idea of ‘equality’, by pointing out that human beings are bound by a single inevitable fate – death. To do this, he used strong and vivid words that are common desires of men such as heraldry, power, and wealth. Subsequently, he used the phrase “paths of glory lead but to the grave” to show the audience that we would al...