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An Analysis of Robinson Jeffers’ “Shine, Perishing Republic”
Tim Harper
March 11, 2004
HE112
Professor Shaffer
Robinson Jeffers’, “Shine, Perishing Republic,” is an intriguing poem. ... Mentioned within its lines are problems which still plague our republic as well as prophesies of its early demise. Jeffers also questions our ability to correct the problems we face.
In the first line of “Shine, Perishing Republic” Robinson Jeffers presents his criticism of what he sees as the American republic’s downfall. ... His use of the word “mould” implies unavoidability to the demise of the republic. ... Mould also has a double meaning in the sense that mould is decay and Jeffers is trying to get across the decay of America to the reader. Jeffers then uses the word settles which suggests acquiescence. ... The mould is vulgar; a distortion of the republic. Jeffers sees Americans as being willingly misled to their Republics downfall. Continuing with the flowing imagery in the first line, Jeffers goes on to say the republic is, “heavily thickening to empire”. Once the people of the Republic are misled there is no turning back and they will solidify and accept this idea of empire.
Throughout Jeffers’ poem the words “republic” and “empire” are used to describe the two sides; good and evil. The republic is good. The founding fathers intended the creation of a republic and the American Revolution occurred to instate it. ... Jeffers sees America as heading closer towards empire; this is the “thickening”. Americans use words like liberation from tyranny to justify interference in other nation’s affairs and the promotion of our own agenda and this is the vulgarity into which Jeffers feels we are settling.
Jeffers goes on, “And protest, only a bubble in the molten mass,” reinforcing the idea of acquiescence. ... Then, Jeffers says the protest, “pops and sighs out, and the mass hardens”. The mass is, of course, the American people who forget the ideals upon which their great republic was founded.
Approximate Word count = 1556
Approximate Pages = 6.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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