Themes
As mentioned earlier, Spirits in Bondage differs from more widely read Lewis works in that he does not write from a Christian worldview. The poems are meant to be read in order (thus, A Cycle of Lyrics) so that the themes can develop and present themselves to the reader properly. Although not an atheist, Lewis takes the stance of an agnostic with a pessimistic outlook on religion and God. A central theme to his poetry, from which he derives the title Spirits in Bondage, is his early belief that God had instilled deep desires in Man that could not be attained; Man would think he were reaching his goal only to be ultimately bitterly disappointed.
Lewis also takes an attitude toward nature not typical of his later works. In Spirits in Bondage nature is cruel and hard, deceptive and not to be trusted, although he does admire her in several of the poems.
Also notable are Lewis's references to both mythology and the war atmosphere in which he had lived. Kirkpatrick noted that Lewis, his most brilliant student, had read more classics than any other boy he knew. In a few scattered poems Lewis draws a picture of the war front for the audience; indeed, Death in Battle was published in the Reveille periodical.
Read more about this topic: Spirits In Bondage
Famous quotes containing the word themes:
“I suppose you think that persons who are as old as your father and myself are always thinking about very grave things, but I know that we are meditating the same old themes that we did when we were ten years old, only we go more gravely about it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)