English Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

English Literature - Essay Example John Clare begins his poem with a description of the wild and untamed plains of his youth, â€Å"Still meeting plains that stretched them far away / In uncheckt shadows of green brown and grey† (5-6). As he describes the beauty that he once enjoyed in these sights, he begins to illustrate how the freedoms they once offered have been overtaken by the ravages of capitalism and consumerism, being turned to profit by the â€Å"little tyrant with his little sign† (67). More than simply discussing how the land itself has been bounded in, Clare illustrates how the animals and mankind, particularly the poor, have also been constrained by the temporary blockages that have been put in place by wealthier men in the interest of making a profit. At the same time, he suggests that these wealthier men have discovered in the process that their â€Å"dreams of plunder in such rebel schemes / Have found too truly that they were but dreams† (79-80). Rather than reaping significant profit from ‘their’ lands, the owners have discovered that they have given up something precious, rare and unrecoverable for temporary and insufficient material gain. This seems to be in direct contrast to Stephen Duck’s poem as Duck focuses on the activities of the poor workers, particular those of the threshers, as they struggle all year long to produce profit for their master. The subject of this poem is perhaps set by the inspiration that birthed it, â€Å"’The Thresher’s Labour’ was commissioned by Duck’s local patron, the Reverend Mr. Stanley, as a poem ‘on his own Labours.’