Scare Tactics: The Threat of Atheist Revolutionary Excesses

In “Fears in Solitude,” Coleridge levies many charges against his British countrymen, asserting the isle deserves to be invaded by the atheistic revolutionaries of France. Highlighting his people’s fall away from Christian morality both at home politically and abroad militarily, the poet describes them as “thankless too for peace” and then imagines the gory realities of war (84). Answering those “clamorous for war and bloodshed,” Coleridge juxtaposes the abstract French themes of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity with the Christian virtues of “Faith and quiet Hope” (91, 143). After arguing the British deserve to fall into the barbarous hands of the French, however, the author steps back from his previous condemnation, rallying them to take this “most bitter truth” and return to their previous religious dedication (155). By first sharing his dark prophecy of Britain’s future if citizens continue to deny Christian teachings, Coleridge weaves a political warning for his countrymen using fear. By associating the excesses of the French Revolution with Britain’s projected path, the poet urges his audience to reevaluate their morality in an attempt to revive Christianity across the clouds, quiet dales, rocks, and seas of his beloved homeland.