George Herbert was well born but socially responsible, educated but devout, experienced in the ways of the world but fully committed to the ways of the church, and knowledgeable about both the pains and joys of spiritual life. Herbert is known as a metaphysical poet. Metaphysical poetry explores the themes of love and religion, exploring and questioning our place in the world. The pain and difficulty of being loyal to God are explored in Herbert's most famous poem 'The Collar'.
The poem is an emotional outburst after a momentary loss of faith for the narrator. He has had enough of being tied in to serving a God and longs to be free and to have control of his own life and destiny. However, it is very questioning in tone and the reader gets a sense of his uncertainty all the way through in his doubt and possible rejection of God. The narrator wants to escape and break free from the constraints of life as a whole - be free from responsibility. It is a very personal response and the reader gets a real sense of the speaker's voice. We need to look at some of the techniques Herbert uses to show the reader the argument the speaker is having with himself about the struggle he is having with his faith.
Structure and Discourse:
How is the poem structured? What does it look like on the page? What could this suggest about the speaker's thoughts? Can you find examples of phrases that sound very spoken in style? How does Herbert achieve this? What conjunctions are used to show this is an argument?
Lexis and Semantics:
This is an emotional outburst. Can you find the verbs, nouns or adjectives that show his emotions and explain the effect they have? You could explore: anger, frustration, regret, sadness...
The title has a couple of connotations. A collar can be seen as restrictive - not particularly harmful but does have references to being tied to something. There is also a religious reference to collar, as that is what the Christian clergy wear around their necks. What other words and phrases can you find that show restriction?
There is a sense in this poem of the speaker doubting God and feeling tired of serving him. How is God represented in the poem? Can you find some lexical choices that make him seem someone with authority?
At the end of the poem, the lexical choices point to madness rather than a rational argument against God. Which words show this? What type of words are they?
How is God presented at the end of the poem when he says 'Child'? What sort of relationship is suggested here? How do you think the speaker feels at the end of the poem?
Grammar:
What is the effect of all the interrogatives? How do they add to the tone of the poem?
What is the effect of the exclamatory sentence?
The speaker also uses an imperative tone as he tries to convince himself to unbind himself from God and life - can you find an example of that?
The speaker also tries to sound convincing through the use of the modal verb 'will' e.g. 'I will abroad' (which he repeats twice). Are you convinced by his wanting to leave the comforts of what he knows?
What are the effects of the minor sentences?
Phonology:
There is plenty of rhyme in this poem but it is quite unstructured. Why is this do you think?
Look at the rhyme at the end of the poem wild / child and word / Lord - why have these been rhymed? How do they fit with the end of the poem and the speaker's reconciliation with God?
Key poetry terminology: Poetry Glossary
Revision Framework for Poetry: Poetry Framework
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