Wordsworth’s “I Griev’d for Buonaparte” takes a sympathetic
tone about the fallen emperor, not for his actions, but for his upbringing and
lack of appropriate knowledge. The poem suggests that the bloodshed caused by
Napoleon was a result of poor teachings, and a lack of a motherly, or
compassionate, direction in his life. Wordsworth suggests that “ ‘Tis not in
battles that from youth we train” (5) but that “books, leisure, perfect
freedom, and the talk man holds with week-day man” (10-11) are the activities
and teachings that make a wise, good, and effective leader, as well as a leader who is knowledgeable. “The mind’s
business” (12), not the business of violence and brutality, is how one gains
true influence and power. Wordsworth mourns that these qualities were never
instilled upon Buonaparte, because it is implied that he would have been a more
powerful, respected, and overall successful leader.
I appreciate this interpretation of Wordsworth’s “I Griev’d for Buonaparte” as less an attack on Napoleon’s shortcomings and more a cut to the circumstances which led him to failure. Assuming this interpretation, I see that the lines, “What food/ Fed his first hopes? What knowledge could He gain?” could simply suggest that Napoleon’s upbringing was wholly different than that of any successful leader—he ate differently; he soaked in an entirely unique set of knowledge. Overall, it is possible that Wordsworth’s opinion of Napoleon is one that is free of personal blame. From birth Napoleon had all potential to become a great ruler; however, something went wrong in his molding, and a monster was created. In this sense the image of “the stalk” that is given in the final lines refers to a type of upbringing that is capable of producing a capable and benevolent leader and has the “rights” to call said leader her own. Hence, the feminine pronoun used throughout the latter sestet of the sonnet is not in reference to the type of powerful leader Wordsworth believes is needed, rather to the type of background that will produce him.
ReplyDelete