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Merwin comes forward to rescue human and humanity with his barrier breaking voice that has been hurled against the harsh walls of reality. He dives into the wreck of himself and the world and creates a new dimension where the resurrection of a modern era appears with a new tone of Nature and harmony. The revivification is based on the new visions in the old songs, formation of the abandoned, antiestablishment, the marginalized prophet who has some new prophecy, a new interpretation for nature and the theme of recycle. The major symbols are the 'Furnace' and the 'Drunk' who circulates the idea of resurrection throughout the whole poem. The new song of new era is expressed through the music of metallic materials, which is the way of the prophet to teach real essence of life. Also a subtle denigration is there for the institutional Christianity.
Aggressively, self-consciously, defiantly, the poem reasserts themes in a new key chosen for its excruciating dissonance. "The Drunk in the Furnace" establishes a complex vantage point from which Merwin can survey the wreckage of human cycle. The poem is, like its central figure, both defiant and circumspect: it secretes stories, none of which are allowed to emerge. But in the context of the entire cycle, especially in the light of its reconstructed development, it is lucid enough. Inspiration is a major phenomenon in this poem where the song is the source of it. The metallic song produced and composed by the drunk shows the vision of modernity. Here the drunk works as a singer of the song though the real singers are metals and materials of that furnace.
The musical tune is not just a song rather it is the philosophy. The song is old so the philosophy is old as well. But this philosophy can give birth of the new era. The old lyrics of the song, the old music can be a new way of modernity. The modern man denies the old philosophy. The idea of leaving the old is a process to accept the new and being up to date.
But Merwin shows the inspiration that can influence and strengthen the modern era. People disregard the deserted ideas but these ideas are the source of modernity because the new song takes all its elements from the old songs. So deserted ideas give a new vision for modernity and thus make the proper modification of the modern man. The old philosophy is necessary for the reinvention of modernity. Inspiration is necessary to face the modern era and only the new vision of the old song can give this inspiration for resurrection of perfect modern thoughts. The song gives awakening call for the modern people when the furnace is spreading its music all over.
When the furnace wakes, though, all afternoon Their witless offspring flock like piped rats to its siren Crescendo, agape on the crumbling ridge Stand in a row and learn. The song is more powerful than the words of Christianity. When it started, people from the church come like 'piped rats'. They are mesmerized with the music of it.
These modern people can understand the inspiration hidden in this song. The pipe of Hamilton captivated the rats and the children and this song influenced the people to learn the meaning of old philosophy. Merwin suggests the possibility of realization in the minds if modern people. The fact is, if people try to understand the old, they can comprehend how it inspires the new.
The old song gives a lot of meaning of life and people can learn them if they try. So people need to have the will to reinvent the old to incorporate it with the new life. The metallic materials of furnace are abandoned. Merwin shows the new formation of these abandons to give a new meaning for them.
The metallic furnace is left away as wreckage but when 'a twist of smoke's tarts 'staggering out of its chewed hole' it becomes alive. Smoke incorporates fire and fire incorporates civilization. So things, which are deserted, can give birth to a new civilization. The furnace becomes the 'bad castle' that reigns over the new era. The metallic wreckage like the hammer, poker, bottle, eye holed iron, door of the drafty burner become musical instruments in the poem. There is a new formation of all these dumped materials where all of them have a new significance.
They are incorporated with a civilization where people will understand usefulness of all things and make a proper use of them. These metallic materials and the music created by them is the source of that civilization. The poem itself mocks the urbanity. It evokes that the urbanity is unworthy for the modern life. Antiestablishment becomes prominent when the poet tells about the 'poisonous creek', the 'naked gully', the 'junk-hill'. These are the wreckage of civilization.
They pollute the civilized society. The urban life is celebrating new establishments and after some time it deserts them. The establishments and wastage of outer life leave an impact on the inner mind of people. So there is nothing permanent for any human being and nothing has a constant value to them. The whole human civilization becomes meaningless as people fail to find a real everlasting meaning of life. So they become restless, impatient and fail to find the reason for living.
Establishments force the people to concentrate on the material world. The growth of humanity is retrained in the mind of people as the human love and emotions disappear for the reign of material world. So Merwin centers on the idea of antiestablishment to free peoples' mind and helps them find the meaning of life in the things they have left. The 'drunk' is an outcast of the society. He is not a part of the civilization.
The society has no interest on his actions. But Merwin allures him with a prophetic vision. The title of the poem itself signifies his philosophical value. 'It's a mystery' in the poem that from 'where he gets his spirit'. But he is the creator of the music that follows a new vision, the vision of new prophet for the society, where morality is fading away. This prophet has spirit that attracts the civilization where the church fails to establish harmony in the society. So people feel the music in their heart and start gathering around the 'drunk' leaving the Reverend and the church behind.
In the present materialistic world people fail to understand the originality of religion. The institutional complex ideologies are making the religion vague to the common people. The church is corrupting the basics of Christianity. Being concern of these facts, Merwin feels the urge of a common man who shows the authenticity of religion, a simple prophet who can influence the rustic people. So in the poem the rustic prophet starts the simple music with the simplest tempo and collapses in the furnace.
He dies in furnace leaving the enlightened song for the new generation. Merwin centers on this 'drunk' because he is searching for a leader who will give the civilization a reincarnation. He will lead the darkening society to the way of light. The 'drunk' is a common man from the common simple people. Merwin suggests the possibility of the common man who constructs the harmony in the society and maintains peace.
He will die while fighting for the truth. People will remember him forever in the peaceful society that is created by this prophet. Merwin does not think the 'drunk' is an abandoned rather he shows his prophecy that can resurrect the civilization. Now let us focus on the common theme of Merwin's poetry, the rebirth of nature through recycle. The significance of small things is a major idea here. Small things can be recycled to make them useful again.
The nature is flooded with wastage. The urban society is full of junk yards where metal wreckage like furnace, drafty burner, eye-holed iron, poker, bottle are expanding as diseases of civilization. But diseases can be turned into resources in this case if it is properly recycled. Nature deals with the outer and inner mind of a human being. If it is polluted the inner psychological state of human becomes unstable. Merwin, being quite aware of this fact shows us the way to free the Nature from all wastage.
Nature is inspiration of life and if the small things of nature become useful instead of going to junk-yard, the inspiration turns greater to enlighten the human mind. The intellectual growth depends on Nature. So the wastage of world should be reused by recycling to free nature from pollution. In 'Drunk in the Furnace', Merwin is showing the small things alive which are creating the instrumental music.
This music resembles the harmony and stability of our lives. And this harmony is possible only when these small things are properly recycled. Merwin also inspiring us to learn the true significance of these abandoned things. Every event that occurs in nature is a learning experience.
When the small wastage is properly recycled they become the part of natural cycle. So everything in life can be useful and of great significance if it is used properly. Nothing in nature is wastage; they can be used and reused from generation after generation. W. S. Merwin makes an attempt towards a detachment from the materiality of the world or as a separation from the ego to attain a spirituality which cannot otherwise be reached.
The impersonality of this poem brings out the visionary and prayer-like nature emphasizes the on-going quest for the completion of a partial knowledge. The search for an original, natural world - or origin - is perhaps the single most distinct topic in this poem. The present world is full of ambiguity and Merwin desires a simple world free from all ambiguities. Only a resurrection of present modern world and Nature can ensure this freedom.
The harmony in nature and stability of human mind are way to realize the true meaning of life. Works Cited: Bowers, Neal. "W. S. Merwin and Postmodern American Poetry. " The Sewanee Review 98 (1990): 246 - 59. Molesworth, Charles. "W.
S. Merwin: Style, Vision, Influence. " W. S. Merwin: Essays on the Poetry.
Ed. Cary Nelson and Ed Folsom. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1987. 145 - 58. Ramsey, Jarold. "The Continuities of W. S.
Merwin: 'What Has Escaped Us, We Bring with Us. '" W. S. Merwin: Essays on the Poetry. Ed. Cary Nelson and Ed Folsom.
Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1987. 19 - 44.
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