“Eighteen
Hundred and Eleven” acts as a eulogy for England, a country that poet Anna
Laetitia Barbauld believes has been decimated by the war with France. It also marks what Barbauld sees as the rise
of America. The poem traces what can be
seen as the natural transfer of power (or, “Genius”) from nation to
nation. Therefore, the poem mixes
multiple moods in its structure, transitioning from a lament of England’s
reduced stature to a premonition of America’s growth as a new world power. This change in mood is partly accomplished by
the rhetoric that Barbauld uses to describe the land, for Barbauld evokes the
idea that the true test of a nation’s power is how it treats its landscapes.
Barbauld
describes how nature has been devastated by the war with France. She writes, “The tramp of marching hosts
disturbs the plough, / The sword, not sickle, reaps the harvest now”
(17-18). Britain is even referred to as
the “island queen” (40), demonstrating a direct connection between the monarchy
and the form of land that Britain occupies.
The language of the poem evens suggests nature when not referring to it
as a subject. The matron is described as
“fruitful in vain” (27) and “The rose [that] withers on its virgin thorns”
(30), while the men who are condemned to die become “fallen blossoms” (26) –
all artifacts of the natural world.
Moreover, Barbauld describes England’s advances in science and math as “the
full harvest of the mental year” (76) – perceiving it as an accomplishment that
is comparable to that of the mission to obtain food. Map imagery is also central to the poem. The matron looks at a map to find where her
“husband, brothers, friends” (34) died, articulating how the land and the
bodies of her loved ones are connected.
England’s continued influence is said to spread “from the Ganges to the
pole” (81). Later, when Barbauld
describes how future generations will admire the ruins of England, she
describes it as a physical trek – a sightseeing tour. She writes, “With curious search their
pilgrim steps steps shall rove / By many a ruined tower and proud alcove”
(151-152) and describes how the Thames will be “choked no more with fleets”
(175). In describing these scenes,
Barbauld articulates how her nation’s identity is tied to how it appears
physically. Just like nature, a
country’s power will eventually diminish, for “But fairest flowers expand but
to decay” (313).
Barbauld
demonstrates the United State’s natural superiority, proving that the nation
has the potential to be more powerful than Britain. When she begins writing about United States,
the poet does not refer to the country by name, instead evoking its iconic landscapes. She writes, “Nations beyond the Apalachian
hills / Thy hand has planted and thy spirit fills” (83-84). Barbauld also writes of how the dreams and
poems of old Englishmen are embodied by nature in America, writing how, “Milton’s
tones the raptured ear enthrall / Mixt with the roaring of Niagara’s fall”
(95-96). Barbauld once again articulates
a connection between nature and the mind, and demonstrates how advancements in
thinking can benefit the environment.
This association, which has been lost by England, is possible in the
United States. She writes, “Science and
Art urge on the useful toil, / New mould a climate and create the soil”
(229-300).
Barbauld
refers to nature as a living being, stating, “On yielding Nature urge their new
demands, / And ask not gifts, but tribute, at her hands” (303-304). This line
has shades of an environmentalist poem.
However, more importantly Barbauld is showing the connection between
respecting nature and a nation’s position of power. Moreover, Barbauld relates how a country
cannot recreate success, just as nature itself must have a period of
transition. She writes, “Commerce, like
beauty, knows no second spring” (316).
Overall, Barbauld likens the transfer of national powers to a change of season,
stressing how it is inevitable but part of the natural cycle of the world. Where one national power dies, another is born
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