Tuesday, February 23, 2016

What are the speaker's beliefs in "On Another's Sorrow"?

The speaker believes in the fulfillment of the Beatitudes
(Matthew 5:3-11), particularly the first three, which are concerned with the poor in
spirit, those that mourn, and the meek. Convinced of divine authority for economic and
social justice, the speaker asserts (stanzas 4–6) that God, who “smiles on all” (line
13), shares the same pity with caring human beings. In stanza 7 the speaker expresses
the idea that through becoming “an infant small,” God has shared the woe of human
beings, and continues to feel their sorrow. Therefore, the speaker expresses confidence,
in line 25, that God, the maker, is nearby when people weep and sigh, for He “doth sit
by us and moan” with us, and will continue to do so until “our grief is fled &
gone.” In short, the speaker’s view of humanity and of the involvement of God in human
life confirm the idea that he firmly believes in God’s
benevolence.

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