Literary Analysis Essay on Milosz Poetry

Abstract

Human being has harnessed and recognized that power form a greater ability for personal success. Over the years, debates have sparked concerning the power of language and its uses to determine good and evil. In essence, Milosz has uses his poem "Incarnation" to express the reality and emotions involved by having power in clear communication. Because the power of language requires human reasoning, power is driven by the love of knowledge, which is conveyed through poetry to express ideas in a unified language to obtain truth and justice.

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Introduction

In poem "Incantation" by Czeslaw Milosz address the concept of the power of language. At the beginning of the poem, the poet opens the stage to the audience by addressing that human reason is invincible and beautiful ("Czeslaw Milosz - "Incantation"). In the current society, language has a power that cannot be ignored. Human being has harnessed and recognized that power form a greater ability of a person's language. In this context, Milosz has used his poetry to express the reality and emotions involved by having power in a simplified communication. The poem addresses power and reveals it effectively via elegant and simpler speeches by deploying specific literary devices. By doing so, the poet establishes an exquisite eloquence abstraction of the language (Kay 167). The languages are joined to construct a point that can draw the reader's attention. Since the power of language requires human reasoning, power is driven by the love of knowledge, which is conveyed through poetry to express ideas in a unified language to obtain justice and truth.

Research Background

Milosz posits that people's reasoning is driven by the desire for knowledge. For instance, he states that poetry guides people's hands to write about truth and justice. In essence, he writes his poetry with confidence, where he reveals his beliefs concerning specific precepts. The writer claims that a person needs the simplicity of heart to be allowed to compose verses for life against death. Such that, the gentle-sounding objectives are not realized without a sustaining faith. However, people need to understand the paradoxical ways in which faith is exercised (Kolodziejczyk 345). In this poem, readers understand that the writer dared to expose his struggle in every aspect and intensity. Consequently, the readers who share the same doubts and troubles as the poet can be trusted with effective seriousness to stand within the orbits of faith.

Readers may come to believe Milosz's perception of the power of language at the end of the first line. In most instances, human beings suffer against lies and oppressions, regardless of being the real liars and oppressors. In essence, the poet reveals that people have chosen to suffer under oppression, yet they are in a position of liberating themselves by putting their thoughts into writing. Growing up in a hostile environment, people could hardly express their experience with government and religious leaders (Kay 167). Milosz denies the cliche truth concerning originality. In this context, originality is based on biblical concepts that reveal Milosz as a Christian and an artist in the beginning.

One of the characteristics reveals that the poet is that he never wavers with his suggestions remaining grand and undisputed. In this context, he addresses philosophy with an odd twist of "philo." The term "Sophia" is used to emphasize two keywords "love" and "wisdom." However, the term "philo" may refer to a Jewish mystic where Sophia may represent Gnostic god ("Czeslaw Milosz - "Incantation"). The two words may serve for the excellent purpose where they have a nubile authority to persuade readers that their birth was cherished in the previous day.

Arguably, there is a tale of Jesus' birth when the poet claims that their births are heralded at the top of the mountain by an echo and a unicorn. In this context, readers can see the use of hyperbole. One would begin to wonder whether the poet is talking about the angels as revealed in the Bible at the birth of Jesus, who are very fantastical like unicorns having trumpets sounds refracted in echoes (Milosz et al. 66). The reader's attention is drawn to another form of power. In this context, the power which is revealed is that of God, which is hard for people to comprehend.

The poet strives to put his ideas under the biblical profundity frame while keeping his concepts free of any vital religious association. When he expounds on not knowing the Greek or Jew, the poem sound more as a New Testament (Kay 167). However, Milosz's reasons are downplayed by the New Testament on the concept that "cross to the world is foolishness." Although Milosz is a Christian, he appears to be like a modern Christian. Such that his writings provide optimism and hope about humanity. Although he witnessed the totalitarian regimes' horrors, he stayed close to Warsaw, which was under Nazi occupation (Jarzynska 150). At Warsaw, he received "Righteous among Nation," an accolade that he was awarded when helped the Jews to escape the Holocaust.

Methodology

The study is conducted through a series of quantitative analysis by reviewing the poem "Incantation" by Milosz. To realize the study thesis, data was collected on scholarly articles related to the "Incantation" poem. The questionnaire was explored and used to make sure that content reliability and validity is covered. A thoughtful review was conducted concerning the "Incantation poem" to realize the study validity where the recommendation was made concerning the power of language, good, and evil. A consistent survey was explored and conducted across variables without bias and errors to cover the study's reliability. Using Cronbach alpha, poor reliability was considered to have a correlation coefficient (r=< 0.5), good reliability will be (r>0.7), and fair reliability had to range between 0.6 and 0.7.

Analysis and Discussions

Milosz claims that religious questions should be handled in the mainstream of culture and literature. Growing up, Milosc realized that power of language had experienced a challenge, especially among his colleagues, who claimed that religious discussion was under their dignity (Zimmermann 17). Readers can realize that the poet is writing at the time when human imagination was occurring. In the poet's lifetime, he experiences a situation where the hell and Heaven cease to exist, and their beliefs of the afterlife were almost weakened. The poet seems to be preoccupied with those beliefs.

Milosz belabors that most of the horrors which were being experienced in the early 20th century were deeply rooted under the notions of liberating the individual from religious customs. He is one of the people affected by these changes, where he then translates the results. Milosz argues that religion is individual opium, especially to people suffering serfdom, illness, humiliation, and suffering (Kay 167). In essence, religion is the only tradition that promises people of the afterlife. Currently, people witnesses the transformation brought as a result of religion. Arguably, belief is the only true opium for the people in nothingness after death. Milosz asserts that belief is a massive solace of believing that people's murder, cowardice, greed, and betrayals cannot be judged.

The quote "it says that everything is new under the sun" reveals that Christian faith under every sad story and cross there is the hope of resurrection. The poet uses this concept to give a voice to the dead. According to Christian faith, such beliefs educate people not to summon others with any vague eternity. Arguably, it is not right for any Christian to judge people based on how they exercise their power (Kraszewski 67). However, Christian should be renewed as specific people they ought to become. Christians who express mysteries in their names, truest meaning, and deeper thought will be judged based on their names. In other words, only God is given the power to judge instead of man judging each other. If a man judges a person, the same will God replicate?

Although readers may not fully acquire the hope displayed in this poem about humanity, their misanthropic and cynic tendencies are lessened. The phrase "Their enemies have delivered themselves to destruction" makes the readers agree with the concept by forgetting about the despair and pessimism experience in earlier stages (Kempthorne 75). One of the key traits of Milosz in this poem is that he keeps his faith very secretive. He hardly explains his choices of the subjects and the themes. However, readers can easily discover the subjects as the poem evolves. The writers are cautious in his choice of words to avoid ruining his reputation.

The phrase "human reason is beautiful and invincible" is used by the poet to respond to disgrace European culture radically. His main motive was to complete European culture disintegration. Like many poets, he felt that inhumanity was sinking in the western cultures marred with various scenarios of genocide and used poetry to address their feelings (Donskis 76). By writing his own experiences, Milosz, he was capable of displaying the experiences of others. His experience was a contradiction that played a crucial role in his work and life.

Significance of the study

The study is vital in relieving people who believe that power has brought instability where everything seems to be temporal. This research brings hope to people who experience constant battles and live a nomadic life (Kay 167). The study is beneficial in creating a government system where every person's opinion accounts through the use of language. Besides, the study will be of great importance to Christians who have strong faith in the afterlife.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Milosz has used his poetry to express the reality and emotions involved by having power in a simplified communication. The phrase "human reason is beautiful and invincible" is used by the poet to respond to disgrace European culture radically. In essence, most of the horrors which were being experienced in the early 20th century were deeply rooted under the notions of liberating the individual from religious customs. Milosz writes his poetry with confidence where he can reveal he believes concerning specific precepts. The writer claims that a person needs the simplicity of heart to be allowed to compose verses for life against death. By writing his own experiences, Milosz, he was capable of displaying the experiences of others. His experience was a contradiction that played a crucial role in his work and life.

Works Cited

"Czeslaw Milosz - "Incantation"." Staring at Angels, 7 Apr. 2009, staringatangels.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/czeslaw-milosz-incantation/.Milosz, C., et al. "undefined." The Poem Is You, 2016, pp. 61-67, doi:10.4159/9780674972896-010.

Zimmermann, J. Re-envisioning Christian humanism: Education and the restoration of humanity. Oxford University Press, 2016.Kay, Magdalena. "Dialogues across the Continent: The Influence of Czeslaw Milosz on Seamus Heaney." Comparative Literature 63.2 (2011): 161-181.

Kempthorne, Loveday Jane Anastasia. "Relations between Modern Mathematics and Poetry: Czeslaw Milosz; Zbigniew Herbert; Ion Barbu/Dan Barbilian." (2015).

Kraszewski, Charles S. Irresolute Heresiarch: Catholicism, Gnosticism and Paganism in the Poetry of Czeslaw Milosz. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012.Donskis, Leonidas. "Identity and Memory in Eastern and Central Europe: Tracing Czeslaw Milosz and Milan Kundera." Revista Romana de Studii Baltice si Nordice 7.1 (2015): 69-89.

Kolodziejczyk, Ewa. "Czeslaw Milosz's Migrant Perspective in Rodzinna Europa [Native Realm]." Open Cultural Studies 1.1 (2017): 342-349.

Jarzynska, K. (2017). Postsecular Instruments of Acculturation. Czeslaw Milosz's Works from the Second Ameri...