the table I struck the board and cried No more I will abroad This image of hitting the table clearly shows anger and frustration The speaker is not happy with his life restricted by religion He says his life should be free as the road and loose as the wind These two images of the free road and loose wind give us a picture of something open and free These images show that the speaker wants to break away from all restrictions Harvest Thorn Wine and Corn Herbert also uses farming imagery to show the speaker s feeling of disappointment The speaker asks if he has no harvest but a thorn A harvest is the reward a farmer gets after working hard A thorn is something painful This image shows the speaker s frustration He feels that he only gets pain in return for his religious duties The speaker also says Sure there was wine Before my sighs did dry it there was corn Before my tears did drown it He says there was wine pleasure and corn blessings in his life But the wine and corn are now ruined These images show that the speaker s life is now empty He only feels guilt and sorrow Flowers Garlands Bays The speaker also talks about flowers garlands and bays He asks if the flowers and garlands are wasted No flowers no garlands gay All wasted Flowers garlands and bays are used for decoration These are symbols of honor and success The image of the wasted flowers shows that the speaker feels no honor or joy He only feels burdened by his religious life Herbert s use of these simple images helps us see the speaker s sadness Cage and Rope of Sands The poet then uses two powerful images to show how trapped the speaker feels We get the images of a cage and rope of sands Here the speaker is comparing his religious life to a bird trapped in a cage He wants to leave this cage As he says Forsake thy cage Thy rope of sands A rope is used to tie something A rope made of sand is a false or weak thing This rope image is very deep Though the speaker feels religion is false he is struggling to break free So this image shows that the speaker is stuck between his duty and desire The Word Child The entire poem changes with the image of God s voice The speaker thinks God is calling him Child This voice is soft and full of kindness The speaker s heart changes completely He replies My Lord The image of God s soft voice shows that even when we are angry and lost God still forgives us In conclusion Herbert s imagery in The Collar is simple and very emotional He uses images from everyday life to show the speaker s spiritual struggle These images make the poem easy to understand They help us feel the speaker s anger sadness and final peace