Introduction of the Poem:
The poem entitled The Patriot was first printed in Men and Women (1855). It probably stems from Browning's witnessing of the rise and fall of heroes in Italy's premature struggle to free herself from Austria (1841-49). Austrian rule was exceedingly unpopular in Italy and a constant agitation against it went on. The kind of incident described in the poem was of frequent occurrence. However, there is no evidence to conclude that the story narrated in this poem is true or historical.
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| Robert Browning’s Poem The Patriot—A Critical Study |
The poem speaks about a political leader who tastes the joys of popular acclaim and then falls on evil days and faces humiliation and perhaps death. The patriot is a person from an Italian town, Brescia; he is Arnold who like many other heroes in the past had to face the whims of the mob. Once he was worshipped like a hero; now he has to face a jeering mob, glad at his persecution and execution.
In this poem, Browning talks about politics, patriotism, religious faith and the harsh reality of the leaders who are true to their sense of patriotism. It speaks about the sacrifice of such leaders who are misunderstood by the people. The poem is the fine example for the impoverished public. It also teaches us that happiness will never long and every man has to face the rewards for all what he has done in his life time.
Summary of the poem:
Once there was a great hero. His name was Arnold of Brescia. He had performed many a valiant deed. When he returned home after defeating his enemy, his countrymen gave him a grand reception. His path was strewn with sweet smelling flowers and myrtles. As the people yelled slogan after slogan, the roofs of the houses began to shake. The church spires blazed with flags and presented a majestic scene.
Just after a year the patriot fell on evil days. He was sentenced to death for committing political offences. As he was being led to the Scaffold, the people mocked at him and insulted and humiliated him. Instead of giving him a hearty send - off, they took delight in his misery. All their sympathy which they had last year for him was changed into antipathy.
The patriot's condition was very miserable and pitiable. His wrists were fastened so tightly with a rope that he felt that it would be cutting his wrists. The people threw stones at him and as they hit his forehead, he felt the sensation of bleeding.
The patriot was a man of high spirits. He snatched victory out of defeat. He consoled himself saying that God alone is true judge. He does not care for those people who are duly rewarded in this world. Instead of being rewarded, he was given quite an opposite treatment. He was certain of being rewarded by God in heaven. Here he shows his optimistic attitude.
Theme of the Poem:
In the poem, the poet brings to us a real picture of the minds of the ordinary people. He shows that the ordinary people are not determined to their principles and opinions. Due to their fickle - mindedness, they are at once forced to change their attitudes, opinions and loyalties. They are sentimental and emotional. They are neither rational nor reasonable. Mostly they are led away by their emotions and thus they lose the capacity to think what is right or wrong. They are not prepared to follow the guidance of their intellect. The poet fully exposes this mentality in the poem. He takes two situations, one of the rise and the other of the fall of the hero. A year ago, they adored the hero and were at his back and call. Just after one year, they deride and mock at him. In another situation, when the hero is persecuted, the people add fuel to fire. As he goes to the Scaffold, they hit him with stones. This change in the attitude of the people in the two contrasted situations clearly displays the fickle - mindedness of the mob.
This poem like Browning's other poems also strikes the note of optimism. The concluding stanza of the poem reflects the optimistic attitude of the poet. The patriot is going to be executed. It is a very grim scene. He is humiliated and disgraced. In this state he awaits his death. It is really very disappointing that the patriotic deeds of a devotee of his country are declared as political offences and their reward is death. Browning's philosophy of faith and hope in God snatches God alone is true judge and He would not care for the persons who have been duly rewarded in this world and have , therefore , pinned no hope in the future .
Critical Appreciation of the Poem:
Introduction:
The Patriot was first published in Browning's famous volume Men and Women in 1855. The poems of this selection mostly deal with such subjects as reflect the ironies of life. The poet shows his sympathy with the heroes who sacrifice their all for the sake of their motherland. The entire volume beautifully illustrates the splendour of passion, the benison of sympathy and virtue of courage.
When Browning was in Italy, the Italians were engaged in a national struggle against the Austrian domination. The brave people were showing great courage to extricate Italy from the rule of the foreigners. Many a hero rose and fell. In the present poem, Browning has described one of these incidents. He has taken that incident as the subject matter for his poem and thus the poem has succeeded fully in making a wide appeal.
Thought - Content:
Once the patriot (Arnold of Brescia) was highly admired and honoured by the people. His way was strewn with fragrant flowers. The people gave him a warm welcome for his victory. There was a huge crowd to receive him. The people seemed to surge with joy. The church - towers blazed with the banners of victory. There was a great enthusiasm among the people in receiving their hero. The patriot also did everything for them. He loved them and they loved him.
But after a year there was a complete change in the attitude of the people towards their hero. He fell on evil days. He was going to give him a hearty send off. The people were enjoying the scene of his execution; some of them even threw stones on him of his misdeeds. They mocked at him. They insulted and humiliated him beyond limits. He was being led like a prisoner. His wrists were tightly tied with the rope. His forehead was bleeding. Thus, he received a very humiliating treatment. He had to face the fickle - mindedness of the mob. There was a horrible contrast between his arrival in the country and his departure from it. But still the patriot snatched victory out of defeat; for God alone is the true judge, and He would not care for persons who have been duly rewarded in this very world. As the case with the patriot was just opposite, he was surely to be rewarded by God in Heaven for his labours in this life.
Moral of the Poem:
The poet presents the tragic drama of the turning of a beloved leader and patriot into a criminal and traitor. The poet wants to show that the circumstances of life are always beyond the control of an individual person. He also focuses on overambitiousness of a person which leads him to downfall. This thing can be applied in the matter of the speaker. What led him towards his downfall was his vaulting ambition. It can be deduced that the speaker took a step too far and it was his error that led him to cross the boundaries and consequently lose popularity. The poet also shows that popularity, fame, glory and happiness are not long lasting; at one time they come to an end.
A Note of Optimism:
This poem like Browning's other poems also strikes the note of optimism. The concluding stanza of the poem reflects optimistic attitude of the poet. The patriot seems to snatch victory out of defeat. The patriot, though unduly humiliated and executed by the people of this world, has pinned his hope on the future. He hopes to be rewarded by God in Heaven services in this life. He refers to this hope in the following lines:
“Thus I entered Brescia, and thus I go!
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead
Paid by the world, what dost thou owe
‘Me? -God might question; now instead,
Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.”
The Use of Irony:
It is no less ironic that a leader, who was once the light of his people's eyes, becomes an object of fun and humiliation. Once he had hero -- worship in plenty, now he has to face a jeering mob, glad at his persecution and execution in public. When he entered his country, his path was strewn with flowers. The people gave him a very warm welcome. The poet refers to this fact in the following lines:
“It was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad:
The house - roofs seemed to heave and sway,
The church - spires flamed, such flags they had,
A year ago on this very day.”
Form and Structure:
The poem is a dramatic monologue. The poem is a speech delivered by a political leader who was considered a hero yesterday but due to an unfortunate political disturbance has been branded a traitor. The poem has a curious structure of six stanzas of five lines each. A quick scansion reveals that the poem is not based on a strict metre. The length of a majority of lines is nine syllables, with a few going a syllable or two beyond that mark. Instead of the metre the musical quality is achieved by the careful placement of words. The poem has a clear rhyme scheme ababa which is carried and maintained throughout all the stanzas of the poem. As with any good poem with a definitive rhyme, this one too seems to have made a prodigal use of assonance and consonance. In the first two stanzas, the poem introduces the conditions of the past. The third stanza is the poet's revelation on how and why the conditions changed, and that too against him. The fourth and fifth stanzas contrast the past with the present. The last stanza is the poet's acceptance of his condition and an expression of his hope. It can be seen that the poem follows an orderly sequence of a story where the conditions of the past are told, the impetus for the change is discussed, the present state is shown and a final conclusion is drawn on all things as a whole.
The Use of Symbols and Imagery:
There are many symbols in the poem. They play a vital role to make the poem more meaningful. “Rose” is the symbol of love. In this poem it acts as a symbol of honour and love. “Path” is a symbol of the way of life. In broader sense, it is the route of career. Here it denotes the political career of the patriot. “Sun” is the symbol of power and dominance. It asserts the uncontrollable power. Here the patriot tried to control the uncontrolled. “Palsied” is a disease. In old belief, who were cursed got palsied. This symbolises the disease of the Victorian people. “Rain” is the blessing of the nature. It comes when it is necessary. Here rain comes as the sky is crying watching the fate of the patriot. It comes to show condolence. The poet has used some sensible symbols to portray the life of the patriot who was hanging between the trust and mistrust of the age.
The poet has used various kinds of images. There are some instances of visual images:
1. “The path strewn with roses and myrtle.”
2. “The church - spires blazing with flags of victory.”
3. “The few paralysed persons sitting at the window.”
4. “The patriot being led in the rain, with his forehead bleeding.”
The poet has used auditory images. There are some instances of auditory images:
1. “The ringing of the church bells.”
2. “The joyous cries of the crowd.”
The poet has used tactile and kinesthetic images there are some instances of tactile image .
1. “The feeling of blood coming down from the forehead of the patriot.”
2. “The feeling of the tight rope cutting his hands:”
There are some instances of kinesthetic image:
1. “The old walls ‘rocking’ with the crowd and cries.”
2. “The act of ‘leaping’ as one sun.”
The Use of Allusion:
There are two allusions in the poem. First one is the tale of Icarus taken from the Greek myth. Icarus was the son of Daedalus. Once, Daedalus invented a pair of wing. The wings had wooden frame with wax. Icarus wanted to fly with the wings. But his father warned him not to go much high as the wax would melt by the heat of the sun. Having forgotten the advice of his father, Icarus went much higher. As a consequence, and wax melted and he fell into the sea and died.
Here the patriot also did so. He became over ambitious like Icarus and went close to the sun. That does not suit him and in this way, he meets his doom. That's why he said:
“Alack it was I who leaped at the sun,
To give it my loving friends to keep.”
The second allusion makes us remember the crucifixion of Christ in the fifth stanza. How Jesus Christ was rewarded! He was bled for his good task. Anyone can throw stone to bleed him. The people had right to do so. That's why he said:
“For they fling, whoever has a mind,
Stones at me for my year's misdeeds.”
The Use of Figures of Speech:
The poet has used the figure of speech hyperbole in the following lines:
“Had I said, “Good folk, mere noise repels –
But give me your sun from yonder skies! "
They had answered, “And afterward, what else?”
Figure of speech metaphor has been used in the following line:
“And you see my harvest, what I reap.”
(In the above line the patriot's deeds have been referred to as reaping).
In the following lines, figure of speech alliteration has been used:
1."With myrtle mixed in my path like mad.”
2. “The church - spires flamed, such flags they had.”
3. “In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.”
Figure of Speech personification has been used in the following line:
1. “The house roofs seemed to heave and sway.”
In the above line, the roofs of the houses have been given the human characteristics of hearing and swaying.
Pathetic fallacy has been used in the following line:
“I go in the rain.”
Narrative Perspective:
This poem is told from the first person, intradiegetic perspective of the patriot himself. His voice is retrospective and self - pitying. The voices of the crowd that Browning embeds into the poem help characterise the speaker as truly honoured and admired, so it seems too fickle for the public's opinion to change without reason. As a result, this makes us doubt the reliability of the speaker who characterises himself as nothing other than innocent. The narrative gaps within and poem suggest that he is hiding something sinister that he is not telling us , simply trying to feel better about himself by reflecting on the good aspects of his life .
