Although it is commonly understood that God created the natural world, Nature is often depicted as a force that works in opposition to God and His creation. In lyric 56 of Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem In Memoriam, Nature seems to have conquered God, leading to a cold and unfeeling world that shows no remorse for creation. This depiction, which today can be supported by evidence of mass extinction throughout history, presents an interesting way of looking at the way God and the world interact. Within this text, the speaker of the poem concludes that God is absent, leaving it up to the ruthlessness of Nature to determine the fate of humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Memoriam is a poem written by Lord Alfred Tennyson as a eulogy on the death of his friend and future brother-in-law, Arthur Hallam, who died at the age of 22 (Robson 1186). The poem, which mimics the stages of grief, can be divided into four sections: despair, doubt, hope, and faith (Caleb 3/3/2016). Lyric 56 falls into the second phase of the grieving process and focuses on religious doubt. The rhyme scheme of this poem is ABBA, which envelops the reader in the poem. This rhyme scheme also creates a monotonous hum, which is characteristic of grief because when you are grieving, everyday occurrences as well as important life events can seem mundane. Additionally, In Memoriam is considered a hypertext, so while it may seem ideal to read the poem as one, each text can function on its own and does not need to be read in a strictly sequential order (Caleb 3/3/2016). Lyric 56 of In Memoriam opens with a conversation between the speaker and Nature, describing Nature's inattention to life on earth. The speaker questions Nature by stating, “'So careful of type?' but no.”, which answers the question both briefly and abruptly, indicated by the two-syllable answer and concluding period (Tennyson 1). This opening group of lines concludes with a response from Nature proclaiming that all life will be eradicated in a non-discriminatory way, just like the countless species that have already been lost (3-4). Nature continues the conversation by stating: "'I bring to life, I bring to death: / The spirit means nothing but the breath'”, declaring not only the power of Nature over creation, but the fact that Nature has the power to create life, emphasized in the repetition of the phrase “I Bring” (6-7). In these lines, the word spirit is understood as “ the animating or vital principle in man (and animals); that which gives life to the physical organism” rather than “The soul of a person, as entrusted to God” because Nature, and not God, claims to be the source of creation and breath is the sole reason for animation (“spirit”). Furthermore, the rhyme of the words death and breath is significant, especially considering the order. By using the word death before breath, Nature echoes the multitude of species that went extinct before the creation of humanity. By proclaiming Nature as the creator and destroyer of life, God is discredited in His role as a divine and omnipotent being. Within this text, the speaker mocks the power of God and the devotion of man. Man's devotion to God is expressed: Man, his last work, which seemed so beautiful, such a splendid purpose in his eyes, which rolled the psalm to the winter skies, which built him temples of fruitless prayer, which he trusted that God was truly love (9-13) These lines describe both the effort exerted by a follower of God and the lack of reward received in exchange for hisdevotion. In particular, these lines state that man is a creation of Nature, rather than of God, indicated by calling man “His final work.” In this text, the word wintry can be understood to mean "devoid of fervor [sic] or affection", which indicates that while man is faithful and devoted to God, the kindness he expresses through song is not reciprocated (“ winter"). Furthermore, the creation of temples and churches is described as fruitless. Stating that the creation of places of worship produces no results, the speaker states that there is no God, and therefore the man who believed that "God was love", will only be disappointed in his faith as nothing will come of it (Tennyson 13 ). In addition to belittling God as creator, this text highlights the animalistic characteristics of Nature. After discussing creation's love for God, a pause is indicated by the use of a hyphen m, followed by the image: "Though Nature, red in tooth and claw / With ravine, shrieked against her creed -" depicting the opposition between God and Nature (Tennyson 14-15). In this context, red symbolizes blood, highlighting the violence of the battle between these two forces. The use of the words tooth, claw and scream also draws attention to the primordial attributes of Nature. This battle fragment ends with an m-hyphen, representing another break in the flow of the text. The choice to shift focus rather than continue to describe the fight highlights the fact that this battle is not over, but is ongoing. Instead, the speaker speculates on humanity's long-fought battles, wondering whether all progress will simply be swept away: “Will it be swept away by the desert dust, / Or sealed within the hills of iron?” (Tennyson 19-20). Whether humanity becomes dust or fossilized, all knowledge of the achievements and difficulties that man has faced will be lost, rendering current life meaningless, as well as all life that came before. At the conclusion of this text, the speaker falls into utter despair, completely doubting the existence of God. In the last four lines, the speaker concludes that Nature is the ultimate force present in the world, and that divinity is absent: O life so futile, so fragile! Oh, for your voice calms and blesses! What hope for a response or repair? Behind the veil, behind the veil. (Tennyson 25-28) The speaker's desperation at his conclusions regarding the absence of God, as indicated by the exclamation mark, expresses that life is purposeless and that humanity's efforts can easily be destroyed at the whim of Nature. While the speaker invokes the comfort of God, indicated again by the punctuation, his religious doubt will not allow him to continue believing in God, as the concluding line “behind the veil, behind the veil” indicates. In this sentence, the word veil has a duel meaning. One meaning of this phrase could be that it is an allusion “to the afterlife,” but a veil is also “something that hides, covers, or conceals” (“veil”). In this context, a combination of both definitions serves to deduce the meaning of the phrase: the veil, an allusion to the afterlife, also serves to hide the fact that there is no afterlife or divine presence. This double meaning can also be deduced from the rhyme of the words fragile and veil, which indicates that the refutation of the existence of the afterlife is imminent. Furthermore, this phrase is repeated to highlight the speaker's skepticism and desperation, which ultimately once again indicates the absence of an afterlife. be divine. Text 56 of In Memoriam highlights a low point in the speaker's religious doubt where the speaker concludes that Nature, not God, is the creator of life, as well as the ultimate force causing extinction. The, 2016.