My Response to "The Collar" by George Herbert

Gee whiz! This poem sure is a doozy...

To start with, this poem is dense. If readers don't pay close attention to the poem's imagery and structure, they are going to get lost. Like, "I was trying to go to get a burger but now I'm in Cuba" lost. This poem takes on the structure of a man's howl against God, the world, and basically everything. All the material between the quotation marks (lines 1-32) is the speaker's dialog; after 30-some lines however, its easy to lose track of that fact and the poem's meaning with it. Without the realization that most of the poem is dialog, it just seems like a lot of random images and questions. But, with an understanding of the poem's structure we start to see its theme emerge. In the 4th line the speaker says "My life and lines are free, free as the road". This is obviously the speaker proclaiming his freedom from something; but what is it that's oppressing him? The answer comes in the last lines; "But as I raved... methought I heard one calling, child! And I replied My Lord". This poem shows someone railing against God (or some higher power) but then realizing they ultimately are subservient to said force.

Now that we've gotten the analysis of the poem itself out of the way, let's talk meaning! One way I could see this poem is as a getting upset and going on a long rant, only to realize that he's wrong. Imagine a teenager, but on artistic steroids. Instead of spewing regular complaints, he spits out metaphors and great lamentations! In this reading of the poem "God" is simply a representation of the speaker's better senses and the whole piece is a great work of humanism. It shows humankind conquering its own whiny pretentiousness. It's a very roundabout and symbolic way of showing this idea however, which leads me to believe that the poem is more spiritual in nature.

A core tenant of the Christian faith is that God loves everyone on Earth and see's them as his "children". Throughout this poem I contend that the speaker acts extremely childish. The very first thing to happen is the speaker hitting an inanimate object in anger, just like a toddler. They then proceed to "cry" about all of their grievances until, finally, the parent (God in this case) says "Child!". And like magic, they stop and go "mommy!" (or daddy). This interpretation of the poem presents God as a parent who loves his children, yet still commands their respect. He's the lovable father that nurtures his child while still instilling morals and ideals within them. The big idea here is that mankind is an obedient child; although we may sometimes raise our voices in rebellion, there is nothing but reverence when our father speaks. What makes this whole relationship possible is love and respect between a creator and its progeny.

Part of the beauty of this poem--and metaphysical poetry in general--is that through all the complex metaphors, structures, and images readers can see many possible interpretations. And even if our interpretations vary, both can still contain some kernel of truth. So, while this poem isn't really the most emotionally compelling, it certainly has a ton of intellectual depth packed into its lines.