Whilst two-pass reading Michael Drayton's "Ode. To the Virginian Voyage", there was a strikingly large amount of optimism in the folds of his poem. It is obvious as to why this is, the sailors and crewmen were about to embark on a voyage that was by far one of the most treacherous to date, not to mention costly and nerve-wracking. Positives brought the morale of the sailors up if it were to be read to them and would boost the spirits of those who believed in said sailors.
Going off of a fuller reading, Drayton also made a pretty steep gamble on publishing this work.
Based around just the positive aspects to negative, there are FAR more positives. Every negative point is countered by an overwhelming type of joy or rapture. Whether the words mentioned be "Brave, heroic, merry, securely, cheerfully, success, paradise, ambitious, luscious, delicious, happiest, frolic, heroes or industrious, there are even more lines which dispel disdain. Drayton mentions and insults other people and GODS , claiming that they dont have the power to touch or have any influence on the voyage.
With lines such as "Whilst loit'ring hinds / Lurk here at home with shame" (5,6), "Earth's only paradise" (24) and "When Aeolus scowls/You need not fear" (16) Drayton seems pretty confident that the crew was going to make it across the Atlantic.
Hell, imagine if they hadn't.
His entire life would probably be ruined, his career as a poet ruined, the general populace unable to believe in anything he says because of the tragedy that befell such an "invincible" crew. However, Jamestown was successful, and thus he most likely received quite the praise from everyone whom knew him personally. Quite the gamble in the 1600's.
Let us not forget about the time span in-between the voyage and any semblance off success that would be sent back to Britain. How would anyone have known if Jamestown were successful and not destroyed? Who would be the unlucky person who be sent back across the Atlantic to report? What if he died on the way back? The gambling increases dramatically with that much of an ambiguity to the transfer process. Anyone with power can cry wolf and wreck Michael.
Not to mention the prospect of Virginia itself. Not the land of paradise that anyone would have imagined, nor a land of such riches that gods could not handle it, it seems that as mentioned before, this is merely a morale-boosting piece. It works as it is, but if anyone were to have questioned Drayton on simple things like "how do you know what is in Virginia if you have never been there?" and "How do you know that the Atlantic is not extraordinarily dangerous?" Any of these things could have crushed any credibility for Drayton, yet as mentioned many times before it is a poem meant for morale, so one must suspend their disbelief.
You made some really good points about this piece. I agree with you that Drayton was really going out on a limb by publishing a poem that expressed such strong views on something he really knew nothing about. However, leaders use this tactic a lot when trying to pump up their employees, crew, team, etc. I think it was smart of Drayton to publish this work because it probably increased the soldiers/sailors adrenaline and drive to go discover this unknown land. It shows Drayton had faith in his troops and in his country.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think Drayton had some good ideas in his poem, and it's nice to read something more positive than negative. And it was interesting that you pointed out that if the voyage failed, his entire career would be done for. I never thought about that because if you do think about it, it's completely realistic that people would hate him for writing something so positive when the voyage was a total failure.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, I would like to hear more about what you think the structure of the poem intended or something about the words, tone, etc.
I like what youre saying here, especially about Drayton going out on a limb when publishing this piece. While I, and I am assuming others, may view it as very brave and bold for him to express such strong views to his men, I wonder how differently we would interpret this had it been accompanied with a tone that was slightly less confident (if he, for example, seemed hesitant) or if the ending was more catastrophic instead of just an overall failure.
ReplyDeleteAnother possibility to note about Drayton's poem is if he was forced to write a positive poem. In the Elizabethan Age, people had virtually little power and were mostly forced to succumb to the orders of higher ranking people. It is true that the powerful usually write the history books, which is pretty sad for humanity. My take on Drayton's poem is pretty pessimistic, but on the brighter side, I do believe that Drayton made the right choice for his own life by making the poem positive.
ReplyDeletei like this rumination and your interpretation of the tone. You examined the work through a historical context and did not get overly distracted by the poetic elements of the piece, as it asks its audience to be. that is to say that this was written for his men and fellow explorers, in an effort to distract them from the tribulations of living at sea and away from home.
ReplyDeleteI think the poem was not just for morale, but to expand and play on the imagination of the people. It's a new land, it's full of things waiting to be explored, and it's really exciting! While yes, it must have been used to rally people for the journey ahead, I think it was also Drayton just dreaming of all the possibilities and writing them down.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! On first pass it was very hard for me to stay focused for I found the poem very boring. However, after reading your rumination I decided to give it another pass, taking your thoughts into consideration. It was very interesting to read a second time while having your opinions in the back of my head. It not only made a more compelling read but also gave me a better perspective on the historical background of the text.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the best thing a leader can do is lie to his men. The voyage was to be undertaken in any case, it might as well be done absent despair and possible dissension. Still, I agree with you about the risks inherent in publishing something like this. Not only because something could easily have gone wrong but also because it might have been remarked before hand to the men that the words could easily be false. That could have lead to a still greater disaster.
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