2Henry David Thoreau, "Conclusion" Walden (New York: Peebles Press International), p. 185. 3"Higher Laws," Walden, pp. 189491. 4Henry David Thoreau, "Where I Lived," Walden (New York: Peebles Press International), p. 70. "Higher Laws" is the title of a chapter in Walden. All short quotations within this paper refer to that chapter unless otherwise given a footnote. Weber Central Dairy TESTIMONY OF A CONVICTED PATRIOT AT THE INFAMOUS "RADICAL TRIALS" JULY 4, 1989 by Frank Cook Know this before you sentence me; That people are not governed by these intricate rules that you define according to your experience and your bias. It is true that people originated the rules and have paid your salaries, but you have done them disservice and have lied and mystified them with freedom. It will not always be this way for people are ultimately governed by self-restraint and they know right from wrong, and the ordinary persons will only learn of the system which betrays them late in the situation. Then they will change it themselves. THE SURVIVOR by Robert J. Arway From far away he came, Thin face, gaunt eyes, no name. Those eyes had gazed upon Some dread phenomenon That left them peaceful, deep, Sad mysteries to keep The world's heart turned to nought, A spark of love forever caught In the lashes of his sorrowing thought. by Robert G. Wright Take heart, my friend, every destructive caterpillar achieves a final beauty. by Mary Ann Suznovich Here in the velvet darkness of the night you lie in my arms. Your warm breathing moves across my breast. You sleep, peacefully, a smile on your lips. Were our moments spent loving what you needed? Did they ease the weights from your mind? If I've pleased you, I'm glad. Do not wake yet my lover. I am gone. Gone to a place where no one may go but me. A place deep within my soul. A place a hundred light years away. It is my holding place, my storage house. It is my fortress, my sanctuary. Here I hold all my love and caring. Locked in storage are the memories, golden yesterdays, silver todays, and crimson dreams of tomorrows yet to come. It is the place I keep my armor, shined and ready to protect me from outside attack. It is where I come to drink from the reservoir of my sanity and strength. Awake my love. I give to you all that I bring back. Where were you just now as you slept? Were you a hundred light years away too? GOOD-BYE by Robert G. Wright Months apart is a short hell Compared to dying. But when all the love we had is dead Its not enough just crying. 16 The Aardvark Review Volume 2, Number 1 UNITY WITHIN "THE LAST WORD" by Patrice De Jong Matthew Arnold's "The Last Word" represents a study in the use of poetic device and skill for the purpose of relating an intense and troubling problem that of the ineffectuality of the individual in altering or even influencing the whole of society, with its longstanding ideals and persuasions. All elements of the poem tie closely together to illuminate the author's purpose, each redefining and re-emphasizing the other, making the impact of the poem strong and unquestionable. Through a close examination of the poem and its various components, the reader is able to identify with Arnold's strongly stated theme. Overall observations can be made which introduce the reader to the ultimate message of the poem. The diction is clear, precise, even abrupt; one senses purpose before meaning is sought. Short verses within a short work, together with accents upon the first and last syllables of each line, lend both emphasis and balance. The rhyme scheme, too, is simple, utilizing couplets to add directness of style, disallowing any digression from the author's intent. The use of poetic device, then, allows the reader to build upon the theme until it reaches a climax and even a partial denouement. "The Last Word" is presented through the experience of a narrator and is, in essence, a meaningful monologue. By responding to a protagonist, the narrator not only conveys a basis for content, but the tone of the poem itself emerges through the narrator's attitudes. The protagonist incites the narrator's involvement and in doing so becomes an important asset to meaning. Even the argument between the two characters adds to the aforementioned building trend. Pessimism emerges as the dominant tone is fed by the emotion of bitterness, a feeling of futility, and overtones of anger. Hence, even the narration of the work becomes significant. Conflict, an important element in all of literature, is of prime importance in "The Last Word" since it so closely relates to the theme. The theme, in fact, focuses upon two conflicts, the major being the overall struggle of the individual against society and a minor one existing between the narrator and the protagonist. The major conflict is overwhelming it is comprised of an uneven match with little hope of resolution. The minor is itself partially resolved within the context of the poem. Both, however, are strong supporters of the theme and combine readily with the other elements of the work. Another device utilized by Arnold is contrast. It is in this respect, however, that he avoids the tradition he so closely adheres to in style and form. Instead he relies upon a steady and undramatic shift causing the ultimate outcome, when compared to the initial trends, to present the contrast. For example, the narrator advises submissiveness during the first stanza while the conclusion indicates battle. Also, the narrator sees no possibility of change at the beginning of the poem yet eventually speaks of a time when new ideas will be sought. Generalities, usually shallow and merely introductory in purpose, offer the reader the main stream of thought and allow him to be more fully conscious of the detail and specifics of "The Last Word." The reader, then, is prepared to deal with Arnold's work more completely, hence gaining the ultimate degree of impact and meaning. The poem opens with a quality of submissiveness. The protagonist, upon returning from an unfortunate encounter with the masses, is instantly advised to "creep" into bed an action signifying failure and a resultant conformity. "Narrow," figuratively implying an inability to progress or accept new ideas, relates to a seeming necessity on the part of the narrator to avoid all conflict. The plight of the protagonist is described as "thou thyself must break at last," and the futility, or "vanity," of his endeavor to initiate change seems unavoidable. Yet despite the narrator's adamant advice, the revelation of the true theme is allowed to dominate the passage, if only through connotation; and the anticipation of a shift in the narrator's approach unifies the introductory stanza. Stanza two more fully describes the status of society by referring to the "long contention" between the instigators of change and those satisfied with the status quo. The simply stated line, "Geese are swans and swans are geese," symbolically offers the suggestion that ideas and convictions mold human beings, and that physical manifestations are misleading. These intrinsic values held by the majority are under attack, but the concluding lines relate to the ever significant tone by indicating the overwhelming odds against change as based upon past experience. The ambivalence displayed by the narrator in terms of his own desire for change yet his tendency to "let them have it how they will" is overcome by a rising trend in thought, action, and emotion. The narrator, in fact, takes shape as a character in the third stanza when he mentions the "better men" to which he equates himself. He can be seen as one who tried and failed, and his feelings of futility are hence substantiated and validated. War imagery abounds, utilizing the terms "fired," "shot," and "hotly charged." The message of past innovators is seen as strong, yet defeat is sure: they "sank at last." Failure is the result of effort, and the bitterness of tone once again permeates the work. The poem climaxes in the final stanza as the narrator allows the protagonist one final attempt at a victory. He sees the futility involved, yet the adamance of the protagonist prompts him to dwell upon the outcome of such an attempt. A new plan of battle, instigated by necessity, is introduced: "and be dumb." Silence is the only weapon with a possibility of effectiveness since the masses reject all words they do not understand. The masses are given the title of "victors" in compliance with their surity of success, yet a certain degree of foresight alters the completeness of that victory. "When the forts of folly fall" displays a certainty that they will eventually be overcome. Alliteration serves in this line to emphasize the ideas of society; the repeated "f" draws attention to the key words. "Forts" represents a stronghold, in this case, society. "Folly" blatantly demonstrates the narrator's opinion of the masses and their restricted attitudes. And "fall," a self descriptive term, denotes the eventual decline of popular ideas. This line serves as a poetic denouement in that the battle will end despite the failure of the narrator and the protagonist. The final line of the poem strikes the reader with its simplicity of form but significance of content. Its impact forces thought and introspection. "Body" indicates the passage of time and even death, yet it more specifically connotes martrydom. The use of the term is effective in a literary sense in that it represents the tangible and readily understandable. It is even more effective, however, when applied to the poem's context depicting society as capable only of superficial thought and physical observation. An intense polarity of ideas and motivations exists within Arnold's poem and the narrator and the protagonist are thus endowed with esoteric qualities. The surface interpretation of the work is valid in itself as a struggle between the staid mores and beliefs of the majority, and innovative, or more specifically evolutionary, thought. Although seemingly new to society, the ideas spoken of by Arnold are widespread and have, despite differing interpretations and applications, experienced periodical resurgences throughout history; this trend qualifies them as worth renewal. It is, however, difficult to break overriding conventions even though they are based upon inconsistent trends. Inspiration to move out to progress is frequently resisted. Although the purpose of the conflict is not directly stated, it involves a quest for improvement. This idea closely relates to the phenomenon of time as an evergoing process that fades and alters trite beliefs and comprehensions, while only overriding ideals remain constant; hence the title of the poem. The ideals the narrator seeks to instigate, however, lose value due to the necessity of force as the Volume 2, Number 1 The Aardvark Review 17