Oh who is that young sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists?
And what has he been after, that they groan and shake their fists?
And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?
Oh they’re taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.
And what has he been after, that they groan and shake their fists?
And wherefore is he wearing such a conscience-stricken air?
Oh they’re taking him to prison for the colour of his hair.
‘Tis a shame to human nature, such a head of hair as his;
In the good old time ’twas hanging for the colour that it is;
Though hanging isn't bad enough and flaying would be fair
For the nameless and abominable colour of his hair.
In the good old time ’twas hanging for the colour that it is;
Though hanging isn't bad enough and flaying would be fair
For the nameless and abominable colour of his hair.
Oh a deal of pains he’s taken and a pretty price he’s paid
To hide his poll or dye it of a mentionable shade;
But they've pulled the beggar’s hat off for the world to see and stare,
And they’re haling him to justice for the colour of his hair.
To hide his poll or dye it of a mentionable shade;
But they've pulled the beggar’s hat off for the world to see and stare,
And they’re haling him to justice for the colour of his hair.
Now ’tis oakum for his fingers and the treadmill for his feet,
And the quarry-gang on Portland in the cold and in the heat,
And between his spells of labour in the time he has to spare
He can curse the God that made him for the colour of his hair.
And the quarry-gang on Portland in the cold and in the heat,
And between his spells of labour in the time he has to spare
He can curse the God that made him for the colour of his hair.
-A.E. Housman
Upon the first reading of this poem, you can tell that Housman is making a comment on someone being unreasonably punished by society for something that is out of their control. The first time I read it, I assumed that Housman was referring to someone being lynched because of their race, but when I researched the history of this poem, I discovered that Housman wrote it about Oscar Wilde's imprisonment for "indecency" (which actually meant he was imprisoned for his homosexuality). Housman's language and description depict a satirical situation where a man is being imprisoned for his hair color in order to show society how ridiculous it is to imprison a man for something out of his control like his sexuality.
The first stanza begins by calling the subject of the poem a "sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists," This sets the audience up to believe that the subject has committed a crime that is also sacrilegious. Then the poem goes on to show how the people around him are attacking him and "shake their fists" angrily. Housman even describes that the man has a "conscience-stricken air," suggesting that he feels guilty for something he's done wrong. In the final line of the stanza, Housman reveals that the man is being imprisoned for the color of his hair, which, we obviously know is not his fault and is mostly out of his control. The audience also knows that in reality, a person would not be arrested for something so silly. This is how we know that the poem must be satire.
The second stanza discusses how despicable this man is because of his hair color. Housman describes how people like this man were once hanged, but "hanging isn't bad enough and flaying would be fair". This demonstrates how people believed this man should suffer a fate worse than death for something that is utterly out of his control. Housman's speaker plays the role of an outside person condemning the subject in this stanza. In the third stanza, the speaker takes a more sympathetic stance and describes the "deal of pains" the subject has taken to hide the color of his hair. Then he describes how these attempts are futile and the world always sees through them. There is a distinct shift in tone between the second and third stanzas. The second stanza is harsh and judgmental, while the third is much more sympathetic and kind. This shows two different attitudes that people have toward the condemnation of the subject.
The final stanza shows how the man is being punished. Housman describes how the man must pick oakum and run long distances on a treadmill in prison. While he is not being worked to death, Housman says that the man will "curse the God that made him for the color of his hair," This is an interesting statement for a few reasons. First of all, it suggests that Housman was ahead of his time and believed that homosexuality was not something that a person chose, but rather something they were born with, much like the color of their hair. This statement also suggests that a God created the man this way, which would imply that God doesn't have a problem with homosexuality, it's people who have a problem with homosexuality.
Housman uses satire and metaphor to show how ridiculous society is to imprison a man for his homosexuality by comparing it to imprisoning someone for his hair color. This poem demonstrates Housman's forward-thinking ideas about homosexuality. The different voices in the poem compare to the different ways people in the world would have reacted to Oscar Wilde's imprisonment. Ultimately, this poem is Housman's way of telling society that people should not be imprisoned for things that they cannot control.
The first stanza begins by calling the subject of the poem a "sinner with the handcuffs on his wrists," This sets the audience up to believe that the subject has committed a crime that is also sacrilegious. Then the poem goes on to show how the people around him are attacking him and "shake their fists" angrily. Housman even describes that the man has a "conscience-stricken air," suggesting that he feels guilty for something he's done wrong. In the final line of the stanza, Housman reveals that the man is being imprisoned for the color of his hair, which, we obviously know is not his fault and is mostly out of his control. The audience also knows that in reality, a person would not be arrested for something so silly. This is how we know that the poem must be satire.
The second stanza discusses how despicable this man is because of his hair color. Housman describes how people like this man were once hanged, but "hanging isn't bad enough and flaying would be fair". This demonstrates how people believed this man should suffer a fate worse than death for something that is utterly out of his control. Housman's speaker plays the role of an outside person condemning the subject in this stanza. In the third stanza, the speaker takes a more sympathetic stance and describes the "deal of pains" the subject has taken to hide the color of his hair. Then he describes how these attempts are futile and the world always sees through them. There is a distinct shift in tone between the second and third stanzas. The second stanza is harsh and judgmental, while the third is much more sympathetic and kind. This shows two different attitudes that people have toward the condemnation of the subject.
The final stanza shows how the man is being punished. Housman describes how the man must pick oakum and run long distances on a treadmill in prison. While he is not being worked to death, Housman says that the man will "curse the God that made him for the color of his hair," This is an interesting statement for a few reasons. First of all, it suggests that Housman was ahead of his time and believed that homosexuality was not something that a person chose, but rather something they were born with, much like the color of their hair. This statement also suggests that a God created the man this way, which would imply that God doesn't have a problem with homosexuality, it's people who have a problem with homosexuality.
Housman uses satire and metaphor to show how ridiculous society is to imprison a man for his homosexuality by comparing it to imprisoning someone for his hair color. This poem demonstrates Housman's forward-thinking ideas about homosexuality. The different voices in the poem compare to the different ways people in the world would have reacted to Oscar Wilde's imprisonment. Ultimately, this poem is Housman's way of telling society that people should not be imprisoned for things that they cannot control.
I had no idea this poem was about Oscar Wilde! Using contextual research to dig into what the poem is really about made for a very strong and compelling analysis. Having read this, though, I'd like some more details about Wilde's arrest and how it compares to the poem--how much of it is satire and how much is actually realistic? Really great job, though!
ReplyDeleteThis blog post is so in depth! I'm very impressed that you looked at this so deeply and found that it is actually about Oscar Wilde. Using outside research made this post even better. I think there could be more outside facts given, though. The structure is well done, it makes it easier to read to go stanza by stanza. Your quotations are well analyzed. I even like how you used your own opinions in the post. The conclusion perfectly wraps up the post, summarizing and synthesizing. Nice job!
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