Wei Mei
Ms. Wilson
English IV B
15 May 2013
Perseverantiam
The period of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901) is known as the Victorian Era. Not only was this period renowned for its peace and prosperity, this period also began a cultural movement in the form of literature. The writers of the Victorian period wrote mostly idealizing hard work, perseverance, love, and luck or wrote for a moral purpose. In Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “De Profundis”, Browning employs repetition, allusion, and an anti-materialistic view in order to express the different waves of emotions that she is experiencing in her life.
One of the firsts things that the reader notices while reading “De Profundis” is its heavy use of repetition. In every stanza of the poem, Browning uses a variant of the phrase “[a]nd yet my days go on, go on.” (Browning I) to express her solitude and to insinuate the harsh life filled with recurring events that she endures. Browning uses repetition inside of the line that is repeated throughout the poem in order to emphasize the message of her perseverance through all her toil and misery. A variant of the repetition, “[w]hile the tear drops, my days go on” (Browning IV), suggests that the author is filled with grief and sorrow. Another variant of the repetition, “[w]hose desolate days go on.” (Browning VII) displays Browning’s lack of joy and solitude. Another variant of yet the same quote, “[m]y vacant days go on, go on” demonstrates the a lack of emotions and hope by most referring to the emptiness of the heart and soul. Many scholars believe that the reason for Browning’s pessimistic views is due to the recent death of her brother “Bro” drowning in Torquay Bay recently prior to the inception of this poem. Browning is filled with grief due to her postulation that she is the cause of her brother’s death as the reason they were visiting Torquay Bay was to help Browning improve her poor health.
Browning utilized allusion to emphasize the message sent along with inducing a deeper meaning for the reader towards the idea being alluded to. While most of the variants of the repeated line are in a pessimistic tone, a more optimistic one would be “I praise Thee while my days go on.” (Browning XXII) alluding and praying to God. Browning praises God for giving her the will to endure the challenges that she faces. She also alludes to Jesus by referring to the “crown of sovran thorns” (Browning XVIII). Before the crucifixion of Jesus, it is written in the Bible that Roman soldiers tortured him and put on his head a crown made of jujube branches, gave him a piece of reed as a scepter, dressed him in a scarlet robe, and hailed him as the king of Jews to mock Jesus. It is said that Jesus took the sin of death with him and nullified it by shedding blood. As a result of the pain inflicted on Jesus by the crown of thorns, God cursed “[t]horns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;” (Genesis 3:18). Browning then juxtaposes herself to Jesus by saying “Take from my head the/ thorn-wreath brown!/ No mortal grief deserves that crown.” (Browning XX). Browning is crying out that the pain she is bearing is far too great for her to suppress and that no amount of reward is worth it.
Writers during the Victorian period adopted a very materialistic outlook due to the advances in the field of science such as Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and improved electric technology. Unlike most of the writers during this era, Browning strayed from the materialistic view and wrote “De Profundis” with a very anti-materialistic view by exemplifying the characteristics of nature in order to help the reader establish a deeper understanding towards her emotions. By shrewd usage of simile, Browning parallels a tongue to a stream being able to bringing optimism to the worst of situations. “The tongue which, like a stream, could run/ Smooth music from the roughest stone” (Browning II). Browning also displays qualities of selflessness as thinks of herself as a lesser being of mother nature believing that she is not deserving of better fortune by writing, “No bird am I, to sing in June,/ And dare not ask an equal boon./ Good nests and berries red are Nature's/ To give away to better creatures” (Browning X).
Elizabeth Barrett Browning applies repetition, allusion, and an anti-materialistic view to illustrate in the mind of the readers her perception on life along with the plethora of sensations that it embodies. Her anti-materialistic view helps to create distinction of her piece from work done by the various authors during this era. With clever manipulation of these elements, Browning’s “De Profundis” is a quintessential piece of Victorian literature.
Works Cited
"Elizabeth Barrett Browning." - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
"Elizabeth Barrett Browning." - Wikiquote. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
"Elizabeth Barrett Browning Chronology." Elizabeth Barrett Browning Chronology. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. "De Profundis - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)." Books &
Literature Classics. About.com,
2010. Web. 22 May 2013.
"What Did The Crown Of Thorns Mean?" GraceThruFaith. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
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