George Herbert's Poem "The Collar"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that George Herbert expresses in his poem "The Collar" that the chains, which bind him, are self-evident with the collar he must wear and that he must come to the self-realization that he must change his thoughts or deny God. The author points out that the poem as a whole is about the cleric talking to himself and should not be perceived as a prayer. The paper relates that, as the poem progresses, the images of "collars and cages" and "rope and cable" appear, which, for the most part, are not harmful but hinder him in some respects.

From the Paper:

"The person of whom Herbert is writing wants to be free from his human condition and of the duties that the collar represents. Back in Herbert's day, "The Collar" was representative of a condition that represented himself, something on the line of being entrapped or of being hemmed in and he is speaking abstractly of himself where he wants to break loose. Therefore he says, "I struck the board, and cried, No more" showing his frustration over the matter. (1). This is a very dramatic, arrogant and overstated act."

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