the quiet and peaceful lives of the villagers Through this setting Gray shows respect for the villagers simple natural way of life Death Makes Everyone Equal Gray reflects on the universality of death He shows that both rich and poor share the same fate He writes The paths of glory lead but to the grave Here the poet suggests that even the most famous and powerful people cannot escape death In the churchyard rich and poor alike lie buried equal in death This idea of equality in death highlights the value of common men It shows that the lives of these humble villagers are just as important as those of kings and noblemen Celebrating the Simple Joys of Life Gray respects the simple joys that fill the villagers lives He imagines them working hard on their land spending time with family and finding happiness in their routines He describes farmers returning home after each day The plowman homeward plods his weary way It shows that the common villagers found satisfaction in honest work Their hopes were simple and sincere Gray suggests the villagers lives might not have been grand or luxurious but they were rich in contentment Hidden Talents and Potential Gray believes that these common men may have had great talents that went unnoticed due to their social status and poverty He writes Full many a flow'r is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air In this metaphor he compares the villagers to beautiful flowers that bloom in isolation Gray implies that some of the villagers might have been great poets musicians or leaders if they had been given the chance By acknowledging their hidden potential Gray glorifies the common men Uncorrupted Humble Lives Gray also suggests that their humble lives protected them from the dangers of ambition and fame By living simple anonymous lives the villagers were able to avoid greed and moral corruption Gray admires that their humility and honesty made them virtuous We can wrap up that Gray honors the lives of the common men who lie buried in the churchyard He uses respectful language to show that their simple lives held great dignity Gray glorifies the villagers by showing that greatness can exist in even the humblest of lives