The Collar

Poetry | George Herbert

Discuss Herbert as a metaphysical poet

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Discuss Herbert as a metaphysical poet George Herbert is a strong metaphysical poet His poems mix deep thought and strong feeling His poems talk about God faith and the human heart The Collar is a good example It shows many features of metaphysical poetry The first feature is spiritual struggle Metaphysical poets write about the soul and God Herbert shows a man fighting with himself The man wants freedom But he also feels God calling him This fight between human desire and divine duty is a clear metaphysical idea The second feature is the argument in the mind Metaphysical poetry often shows inner debate The speaker argues with his own heart He shouts He questions He answers himself He uses short sharp lines This shows the thinking process It shows a mind in conflict This is a classic metaphysical style The third feature is strong metaphors and strange comparisons Metaphysical

poets use surprising images Herbert does this He calls his fears a rope of sands He calls his mind a cage He calls his pain a thorn-harvest These ideas are not simple They make us think deeply They connect body and spirit The fourth feature is a sudden change of feeling Many metaphysical poems end with a spiritual shock Herbert also uses this The wild anger ends when the speaker hears one word The word is Child This soft call brings peace The ending is quiet and holy These features show that Herbert is a true metaphysical poet

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