Critical Appreciation of the Poem The Patriot
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.
The poem The Patriot speaks about a political leader who experiences 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 the persecution and execution.
In the 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.
Thought- Content:
It is a tragic poem which focuses the rise and fall of leaders in the contemporary politics. It exposes the political changes in the third world countries in which patriots are branded as traitors in coups. The poet says that just a year ago when the patriot entered the city as a victor, people welcomed him warmly and decorated his paths with roses and myrtles. There were sounds of bells resounding in the air and people had flocked together to see the great leader who performed great deeds for his nation. The people were so happy and excited that if the leader had demanded the sun, they would have brought it down from the sky for him and would say what else he desired. This was such a favourable political situation for the leader a year ago.
After a year, the scene was totally different. The most favourite and popular leader of the nation was branded as traitor. There were no people on the house¬tops now. A few invalid people were at the windows looking at the leader. All the people had gone to the Shambles’ Gate and were standing at the very foot of the scaffold to see him die. He was being taken there to be hanged. It was raining heavily and his hands were tied with rope.
His forehead was bleeding because whoever had a mind, threw stones at him. He underwent physical as well as mental torture. After all this treatment, the leader (the patriot), however, was optimistic and consoled himself with the remarks that his services to the nation would bring fruit in the heaven when he would ask God for reward and God would redeem him.
Moral of the Poem:
The poet moralises that being more ambitious is a fatal thing for a person. Overambitiousness leads a person to downfall. This thing can be applied in the matter of the patriot (political leader). What led him towards his downfall was his vaulting ambition. It can be deduced that the patriot took a step too far and it was his error that led him to cross the boundaries and consequently lose popularity. Next the poet also shows that popularity, fame, glory and happiness are not long lasting.
Nothing is stable in this world. Someone who rises high and touches the summit of glory, cannot remain at the top for longer and his down-fall is certain. The circumstances are not always same they are changing. The same thing takes place with the patriot who, a year ago, was welcomed by the public with roses and myrtles and after a year the same public hurls stones at him because he was not in power and was declared a traitor.
The Poet’s Optimistic Attitude
‘The Patriot: An Old Story’ by Robert Browning ends with optimistic view. The patriot had walked through both ups and downs. When he came, he was welcomed. But after a year, he lost all his glory and honour. He had experienced both better and worse days. He had nothing but reminiscence. When people can not cope with the present situation, they look for the future. They expect better something in it. This is very much humane. So is the patriot. He is now optimist. He has no other way except doing it. The patriot believes that he did no wrong. He is very much confident in it.
He does not complain against the people as well. He is misunderstood. For this reason he is a little bit upset. But he hopes he will be rewarded by the God. God alone will understand his good deeds. He will not misunderstand the patriot. When a helpless man has nothing to do, he takes shelter to the breast of Lord. So is the patriot. Death is not the real end. Death opens the gate of eternity where one can meet one’s Creator. The Creator is the only protector. The Creator will give him the true judgement. The world has given him wrong price; but God will do the right.
At the beginning the patriot had hubris. He had to go beyond the limit. But at the end, he bends his high head low before the God. So his life has been levelled. Once his ego was in the sky. Now it touches the dust. Pain makes him a pure. Sufferings remind him the real existence of human being. So, a pure man hardly worries for death. That’s why the patriot has no excitement of this. Thus the patriot says :
‘Thou paid by the world,-what dost thou owe
me ? God might question; now instead,
’Tis God shall repay : I am safer so’.
But the real optimism comes at the last sentence of the poem. The patriot is unsafe, but he feels he is safe. He now believes he is charged by God. Then he has nothing to worry. Here begins the optimism of the patriot. Thus he uttered : ‘I am safer so’.
The Use of Irony:
There are many types of irony : situational, dramatic, verbal, etc. Here in the poem ‘The Patriot’ by Robert Browning, we see the situational irony of the patriot. In situational irony, both the characters and audience are fully unaware of the implications of the real situation. The patriot, who was once welcomed by, is now hated by the same people. The people change their motif within a year. They even forget what they did last year with the same person. They made him patriot and by turn they made him traitor as well. So, this is an effect of the illiterate people. This is about their poor mentality. They did not know why the leader was respected and even they did not know why he was hated. They are just fragile minded. That’s why; the irony is situational. The patriot said :
‘For they fling, whoever has a mind’.
Figures of Speech:
We find the figure of speech hyperbole in the following lines :
‘Had I said, ‘Good folk, mere noise repels.
But give me your sun from younder skies !’
They had answered, ‘And afterward, what else ?’
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 given referred to as harvest and the consequences have been referred to as reaping.
The use of pathetic fallacy in 7 go in the rain’ adds to the depressed mood and could be seen as a sign of the speaker’s inner crisis and sadness. Personification has been used in the following line :
‘The house roofs seemed to heave and sway. ’
In the above line, the roofs of the houses have been the human characteristics of heaving and swaying.
Alliteration has been used in the following lines :
- “With myrtle mixed in my path like mad.’
- ‘The church-spires /lamed, such /lags they had,
- ‘In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.
The Use of Mythological Allusion
Two mythological allusions have been used in the poem. The poet uses the mythological allusion of Icarus’ flying to the sky with the help of wings fixed to his arms with wax in the line :
‘Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun
To give it my loving friends to keep !’
The tale of Icarus is related to the Greek myth. Icarus was the son of Daedalus. Once Daedalus invented a pair of wings. 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, the wax melted and he fell into the sea and died. The patriot also did so. He became overambitious like Icarus and went close to the sun. That did not suit him and in this way, he met his doom.
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. On the other hand, the patriot was also bled for his good task. Anyone could 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 Images and Symbols :
The poet has used various kinds <5f images. There are some instances of visual images :
- ‘The path strewn with roses and myrtles.’
- ‘The church-spires blazing with flags of victory.’ –
- ‘The few paralysed persons sitting at the window.’
- ‘The patriot being led in the rain, with his forehead bleeding. ’
There are some instances of auditory images :
- ‘The ringing of the church bells.’
- ‘The joyous cries of the crowd.’
The poet has used tactile and kinesthetic images. There are some instances of tactile image :
- ‘The feeling of blood coming down from the forehead by the patriot.’
- ‘The feeling of the tight rope cutting his hands.’
The poet has used many symbols to adorn the poem. ‘Rose’ symbolises love and honour. ‘Path’ symbolises the way of life. In broader sense, it is the route of career. Here it denotes the political career of the patriot. ‘Sun’ symbolises 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 victorious people. ‘Rain’ symbolises 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.
Form and Structure:
The poem is a dramatic monologue. It has a curious structure of six stanzas of five lines each. The stanzas can be seen as a reflection of different stages in the patriot’s life. The first three stanzas narrate the stroy of his heroic past, while the last three reflect his present unheroic state. 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.
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