Thomas Gray's 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' reflects on death's universality and the unfulfilled potential of the rural poor. It contrasts the lives of the privileged with the common people, emphasizing intrinsic human value beyond social rank. Nature's role in the poem symbolizes life's cycles, mirroring the human condition and offering solace in its constancy.
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The poem reflects on the inevitability of death for all individuals
Social pressures
The poem explores how societal expectations can limit one's potential
Birth circumstances
Gray mourns the societal constraints that restrict individuals based on their social status
The poem uses nature as a metaphor for the continuity of life and death
Abstract concepts are given human qualities to emphasize societal pressures
These devices enhance the setting and atmosphere of the poem
References to historical figures highlight the untapped potential of the deceased
The poem suggests that every human life has intrinsic worth, regardless of social status
Gray laments the societal constraints that limit individuals based on their birth circumstances
Nature serves as a reflection of the human condition and provides comfort in the face of mortality
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The poem '______ Written in a Country Churchyard' by ______ was first published in ______ and is a celebrated work of English literature.
Elegy
Thomas Gray
1751
01
Rather than lamenting a single person, 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' reflects on the ______ of death, especially among the ______.
universality
rural poor
02
Tone of 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'
Reflective, somber; achieved through personification, alliteration, imagery, metaphor.
