Analysis of Elegy by Miguel Hernandez
Elegy Analysis
1. Miguel Hernandez
Miguel Hernández Gilabert, born in Orihuela (Alicante) on October 30, 1910, was a prominent Spanish poet and playwright of the 20th century. He belonged to the renowned Generation of ’27, a literary movement that emerged in Spain in 1927.
In 1939, Hernandez attempted to flee to Portugal but was apprehended by the Civil Guard. This marked the beginning of his harrowing experience in various Spanish prisons, which he himself referred to as “tourism.” Upon his release, he returned to Orihuela, only to be arrested again twelve days later and transferred to the Conde de Toreno prison in Madrid.
Sentenced to life imprisonment, Hernandez’s health deteriorated in confinement, and he slowly succumbed to tuberculosis. He tragically passed away on January 28, 1942, at the young age of 31, in the prison infirmary of Alicante.
2. The Poem
This poignant poem is dedicated to the memory of Hernandez’s dear friend, Ramon Sijé. Composed during a period of profound grief and guilt over the inability to bid farewell to his friend, the poem is raw and emotionally charged. Hernandez pours his heart out, ensuring that the love that bound him to Sijé is never forgotten, even though the circumstances surrounding Ramon’s death suggest a possible strain in their relationship.
The poem explores themes of pain, sadness, and rebellion that the author grapples with. This elegy is structured in chained hendecasyllabic triplets (ABA BCB CDC…) with the exception of the last stanza, which consists of four verses.
Internal Structure
Thematically, the poem can be divided into three parts:
- Meditation
- Lament of the Survivors
- Praise
Meditation: In the first four triplets, Hernandez reflects on his past with his beloved friend. The rural setting, agriculture, and the common people, all central to their lives, are prominently featured. Words like “gardener,” “poppy,” and “fertilize” exemplify this theme.
The initial seven stanzas reveal Hernandez’s acceptance of Ramon’s death and his understanding of its gravity and inevitability. It is here that Michael’s concern is most evident. He refrains from judgment, simply expressing his raw emotions.
Hernandez employs a powerful metaphor, likening his friend’s burial to something beneficial for the earth, which is “manured.” This highlights the profound impact of his friend’s death and his attempt to find a glimmer of positivity amidst the pain. The theme of the land resurfaces, emphasizing its significance in their shared history.
In verses eight and nine, the author’s pain intensifies, expressed through hyperbole: “I hurt, it hurts to breathe,” conveying his inability to function or even speak.
The fourth trio presents an anaphora, which can also be interpreted as parallelism:
“A hard slap, an ice cream punch / invisible ax murderer, / a brutal shove has cut you down.”
Hernandez vividly portrays his experience of death: sudden, relentless, “invisible” like lightning, “a brutal shove.”
Lament of the Survivors: Spanning from the fifth to the eleventh stanza, this section delves into Miguel Hernández’s personal grief over losing his loved one. He speaks in the first person: “No extension is bigger than my hurt… I walk on stubble of the dead…”
Verse fifteen reveals the author’s empathy: “and I feel your death more than my life.” Verse twenty-one alludes to Sijé’s untimely demise: “…early you’re rolling on the floor.”
3. Campos de Soria
Antonio Machado
Antonio Machado Ruiz (Seville, July 26, 1875 – Collioure, France, February 22, 1939) was a prominent Spanish poet and a late member of the Generation of ’98. His early works often aligned with the literary movement known as Modernism. Following the Spanish Civil War, he was exiled to France, where he died a few weeks later.
The Poem
This poem offers a subjective depiction of the Soria landscape, observed by the author during one of his many visits. Machado portrays the landscape through a lens of joy and sorrow, the latter stemming from its association with his deceased wife.
Structure and Style
The poem is structured in three-line stanzas with heptasyllabic verses, employing assonance in the pairs and leaving the odd verses loose. This verse form, frequently used by Machado, is called “silva asonantada.”
Initially, the poem appears to be a straightforward presentation of the landscape. However, the emergence of the author’s “I” introduces a wave of emotions. Despite this, the opening verses maintain a degree of objectivity.
The exclamatory tone, prevalent throughout the text, underscores the poet’s intense emotions as he observes the landscape. Notably, only two main verbs are used: “am” and “going.” The verb “feel” is crucial, as it highlights that the poet doesn’t merely “see” the landscape but rather “feels” it.
Subjective Elements
that the poet moved to poema.Los first lines are a long list of aspects of the landscape: “Hills silvery gray heights, dark red rocks ….”. This is vocative (which seek to draw the attention of the reader.) The adjectives that accompany each name added color, “the metallic sheen is paid is becoming even gray or sunset.” Also, the sound increases in the first 2 verses vv. “Where the Duero “refers to the resonances warriors’ spring curve.” Reference following a little later when he speaks of land “mystical warrior.” Remember that land historically are religious and righteous Christian kingdoms before the Reconquista, adjectives epithets serve to reinforce the value of nouns (are adjectives that come with the names and highlight some of its features). Give the adjective Hills ‘silver’ is synonymous with old sabias.En Part VIII of the poem the poet returns to her hometown, and looks to recognize places I already knew. The most striking image is that of land worked, humble, on which people must bow to work. A land that suffers under a blazing sun (cloud of crimson, gold fluid). Again, it is vital to use adjectives and feelings reflected in the final paisaje.En is a good example of Machado’s poetry and some features of the symbolist movement of the era, including the use of color or the internalization of the landscape .
ELEGY 1.Miguel Hernández Gilabert born in Orihuela (Alicante) on October 30, 1910 was a poet and playwright of great relevance in the twentieth century Spanish literature belonging to the famous 1939 generation 27.En Hernandez tries to flee to Portugal. Returned to the Civil Guard, starts his ordeal of prisons to which the same Miguel called “tourism” for prisons españolas.Puesto released back to Orihuela, where only twelve days later was arrested again and he was transferred to Madrid prison Conde de Toreno. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. There sick in jail and is consumed slowly. Finally died on January 28, 1942, at age 31 due to tuberculosis in the prison infirmary Alicante.2. This poem is dedicated to the memory of his friend Ramon Sijé. So we put this poem in a time of grief, guilt for being unable to say goodbye to the friend. It’s a hot poem in which the feelings are raw skin. A poem written to make clear the weight carried by Miguel within him, a poem for anyone forget the love that united the two friends, although the acaballo Ramón’s life give the sense that the relationship between the two had cooled. So the issue would be pain, sadness and rebellion felt by the author. This elegy is formed from chained hendecasyllables triplets (ABA BCB CDC …) except the last stanza consisting of 4 vv. terms the internal structure, the poem can be divided into three parts: the meditation, the lament of those who survived and alabanza.La stage of “meditation” is the part where Hernandez reflects and recalls the past with great friend. It occupies the first four triplets. Highlight the field and much rural as agriculture and the people have been very present in the lives of both. The words used as examples to support this theory are a gardener, poppy, fertilize … In the first seven stanzas, in which Miguel Hernandez accepts the death of Ramon and is aware of the seriousness of this fact as well as inevitable. It’s where Michael is more concerned. Do not judge anyone or anything, just expressed their emociones.Utiliza intensity a metaphor to say that your friend is buried presenting it as something good for the land, which is paid, that “manured” that is, it hurts so much its death and tries to see the positive side of their offense. Also returning to the subject of field. verses eight and nine, the author expresses his pain by harshly by hyperbole”I hurt it hurts to breath,” arguing the inability or hablar.En the fourth trio is an anaphor but can also be seen as parallels: “A hard slap, a punch ice cream / invisible ax murderer, / a brutal shove has cut you down. “In this trio, Hernandez shows how you felt death: sudden, relentless,” invisible “, like lightning,” a brutal shove. “The second part is the” lament of survivors “and may range from the fifth to the eleventh stanza. Is the stage where Miguel Hernández is expressed more emotional because we talk about his own feelings at the loss of a loved one that speaks in first person: “No extension is bigger than my hurt … Ando on stubble of the dead …” . In verse fifteen the author shows his sympathy, “and I feel your death more than my life.” In verse twenty-one refers to the premature death of Sijé: “… early’re rolling on the floor.”