Critical Analysis
Auden showed the act of power over his own text, in ways he was able to renounce the different kinds of power that he employed. In a sense of manipulation, transfer, alter, or eliminate. The writing provides pride and power to the words in the overall implications. The power politics is used to connect a work of art and its audience, to show the radical purpose in what Auden is trying to help the reader see in the writing, but in what surrounds our own lives to see the power of someones elses.
Auden's approach remains unique as it left the enlightenment of power that surrounds life today. An expression of power could be seen as anger, “They never forgot” as Auden is using this line to show imposed violence and self willed annihilation, for being ignored in a . Then in another line "expensive delicate" I felt this implied to social class and the privilege of those who are wealthy to ignore suffering could be another form of power. Being the social economic status of the higher class individuals who are able to sail away from the “human position” being suffering.
When Auden finishes the phrase with "that must have seen," I felt that he is talking about those who are left on the land, that being the lower class are "forced" to a better life in a loss of power to be forced into constant suffering. Seen again with the line “The Old Masters'' it offers power in the way of people who have already suffered, as those Masters'' are the people who have already walked the path of "suffering," which is being referred to as the "human position" how they “watch” others in the sense of power to the social order during the time. When reading this poem, “How, when aged are reverently, patiently waiting / For the miraculous birth… /Children who did not want it to happen”. The use of emotion in these lines creates a whole picture to leave the presence of a social structure in the way life goes to inequality. Then the different perspectives people can have to "joyous" events. As Auden mentions the birth of a child, but some people wait for the miracle of childbirth while some children did not want the baby to come. This shows how not every person is going to look at life the same way. Some of us may find a certain part of life exciting, while others may dread it. Due to the structure that shows inequality as a dividing power. I found the use of the social structure that gave power over the inequality of people as “But for him it was not an important failure”. This line captured the sense of the whole poem as for those who suffer it was easy for others to not see it as it does not directly affect them. This failure was only important for Icarus. The ploughman will have a fully different idea of failure that pertains to him alone and it is the same for the "expensive, delicate ship" that may fail but in a different way. Everyday people have failures yet we do not know of them unless we are the ones who failed. To those “who sail away” it reminds us of the way life goes on as we are surrounded by power in society to the inequality that divides. The realization to see the boy falling was describing the purpose of what he could accomplish is more important than only seeing the inequality that divides his place.
"Musee des Beaux Arts" was written during WW2 and there are some hints to war in the poem, to show the expression of power and inequality as seen in another one of Auden's writing "The Shield of Achilles". Both poems are able to offer the enlightenment of imagery to the way life of society was influenced by the power that divides people to see their inequalities as a way to suffer. To give all aspects of life, and the Still life goes on, the idea was to be able to have empathy to some else. To look at the need for someone else is a far greater necessity than a want.
Inequality is expressed in Auden’s work as seen in his other poem The Shield of Achilles. I wanted to explore inequality to gender during the time of Auden’s writing, as it is able to show the structure of social order in a darker side of humanity being represented as it focuses on the consequences of war. “For vines and oli trees” / “Marble well-governed cities” in the first section shows a sense of idealized life during war, using allusions of violence being a constant presence in civilization. As the poem is a reflection of humanity, and showing the strength of those then those who suffer with the depiction of war and peace. The poem is able to capture images of what the shield would look like if its aesthetic concerns were stripped away, leaving behind candid images of war’s actual impact. Seen in The Iliad depicting the way war holds so much power in society, and the inequality to gender, as the purpose is to see the way suffering is a part of everyday life surrounded by the inequalities that hold power over us.
In this painting "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" there are people/individuals performing "tasks" such as fishing, hiking, and horse walking. These individuals are on their own path unique from the rest, I think that Auden is referring to these individuals as "The old Masters," and the task/"work" they do as their own "suffering."Everyone in the art is seen looking away from Icarus falling into the sea because it does not directly change their routine and maybe they don't even care. I believe this is morally wrong to not be able to truly see other peoples inequality that is the effect of a person's suffering. I question if some people are better than others to suffer to a degree, as the painting proposes an idea that those who need for one are greater than the want of someone else. This art has the power to enlighten as the picture is able to capture the suffering of one person by giving purpose and meaning to art in the presence of literature.
Power of Enlightenment
The use of art as an expression to Auden's writing connectes the use of power. Photographs are meant to capture a moment, and perceive it to be remembered. Sharing this frozen frame of workers leisurely enjoying themselves as if they were oblivious to everything around them. Similar to the expression of Musée Des Beaux Arts by W.H. Auden and landscape fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, I found the juxtaposition in the great heights Hine’s captured in the history of New York City below a construction worker on the Empire State Building, as it provided how small that one person was to a city of so many below. The use of art offered power to the time as enlightenment for the inequality seen in the society structure to working class Americans of men and the perception of women to society.
I really wanted to keep a simple focus in my cover by using the Greek mythology statue. Focusing on the cause of suffering, as the power we are all controlled from that surrounds our life, and inequality divides people to feel they are living a life no one understands, as they hold on to how life has to go on. The use of imagery is something I really enjoy in Auden’s writing as he is able to create a whole picture. Achilles as he is a Greek god for his strength and connected it to another poem by Auden The Shield of Achilles as both were published during the times of the war seeing power that surrounded society, and the inequality Americans face following World War I. I explore inequality in connection to suffering, as the darker side of humanity is represented as it focuses on the consequences of war. “Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer’s horse/ Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.” It shows the mundanity to human life in using animals to see the inequality for the way life is expected to go on even though every person has a different perspective to a day. The start of the poem I saw as a form of power with “The old masters: how they understood” shows a kind of social structure, that those who have suffered wouldn't suffer again, but make others below them. The “masters” knew the struggle that surrounds people, being they walked the path of their own demons. There is an importance as we all have our own demons with power over us to see that life will continue to move forward. Auden reminds us there is a purpose in all of us giving a sense of empowerment to strengthen to change human position of the expected. I wanted to reflect the elements I found to show the diversity of life as the power we hold to change our own life and others to revolt the expected perspective of society that holds power over inequality of the cycle to life.